How to Change a Tire

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If you own a car, you would know that there is no question as to how important your car tires are. It will not matter if your engine is in perfect condition; if at least one of your tires is flat, your car will definitely not get you anywhere. 

Part of most automotive preventive maintenance programs is making sure that the tires are in perfect condition to travel. Unfortunately, however, a regular tire check-up does not exempt them from getting into road misfortunes, i.e. the likelihood of you accidentally running over a sharp object is still there and this or running over rugged objects can potentially damage or even cause your tires to burst or deflate. 

To be protected from unfavourable consequences or further dangers on the road, one should how to carry out a tire change.  Doing so requires that you have the necessary tools to carry out the job. If that’s not possible or if you’d rather not deal with the issue hands on, then you can simply opt for a more convenient and easier solution like calling a reliable 24 hour local tow company like Crossroad Vehicle Helpers.  We offer a prompt, quality roadside tire service  that can help  spare yourself from unnecessary exposure to further road dangers.

Tire Replacement – What You Need to Know

Regardless if you are planning to perform a tire replacement on your own or you wish to just outsource the job to a reliable roadside assistance team should the need arise, first and foremost, you need to secure yourself a spare tire at all times. Your trunk must be equipped with it all the time as spare tires are only designed for temporary use and are not supposed to replace your flat tire for good. In other words, the role of your spare tire is to only get you home or to the nearest auto repair shop for a reliable tire repair or a quality, branded tire to replace it. 

Now, besides the spare tire, here’s what should be in your trunk at all times if you wish to perform a DIY tire replacement service:

• Safety Equipment. As the saying goes, safety first before anything else. Hence, before you start your tire replacement activity, you should first place your early warning flare or flag meters away from the front and back of your car to prompt your fellow road community that a repair is potentially going on. Besides, this, wearing a safety vest and having your hazard lights on will also help you appear more noticeable to the road passers.

 

• Tire Jack. Actually, without a tire jack, it is also impossible to perform a tire replacement. Your tire jack is supposed to lift your car’s frame off the flat tire to create enough allowance, thereby enabling the tire removal and subsequent tire replacement. 

 

• Lug Wrench. You will be using this to loosen and remove the lug nuts from the frame of your tire. 

 

• Screwdriver. The screwdriver will help prying the hubcaps off to entirely detach the flat tire from the frame. This tool will be used during the start and end of the activity. 

Most modern cars already come with free spare tire, car jack, and early warning devices. You can refer to your car’s manual to know where these may be placed. Placing these tools somewhere else may consequently cause damage to your vehicle.

Safety First!

The dangers on the road are countless and hard to control but they can somehow be avoided by exercising safety precautions while you do the job. In replacing your tires, besides placing early warning devices on both ends and wearing glowing gears, factors below will keep you safe further:

• Location. Before you start the tire replacement, make sure your car is already parked on a safe spot. If moving it to a safe spot seems impossible, then postponing your activity would be a safer decision. Immediately grab all your important stuff, get out of your car, and lock it. 

A conducive spot for tire replacement should have a flat surface as this will not leave your car rolling in the long run. 

• Tire Wedging. Even if the surface is flat, it does not guarantee a perfectly still car; the chance of rolling is still there. This is why wedging your tires are highly advised. You can make use of large rocks or bricks as the wedge as these can prevent your other tires from rolling while you perform the tire replacement. 

How to Change Your Tire

Here’s how you should do it:

  1.  Start by removing the flat tire’s hubcap. Behind it are the lug nuts that keep your tire in place.

  2. Using your lug wrench, start loosening the lug nuts one by one on a counter clockwise direction until the nut can be twisted off by hand. 

  3. Once the lug nuts are loosened, place your jack against the frame near the tire and using it, start lifting your car six inches above the ground.

   4. Go back to your loosened nuts and start removing them completely and then start pulling out the flat tire. 

   5. Attach the spare tire and reattach the removed lug nuts.  

   6. Tighten the nuts and then start jacking the car back to the ground.  

   7. Re-tighten the lug nuts with the lug wrench and remove the jack. 

   ​8. Lastly, reattach the hubcap.
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Tire replacement is doable but it is indeed physically challenging as well. The good news is, there’s always a more convenient and easy way to handle your tire problem and you will not have to pay a fortune for it. For instance, with Crossroad Vehicle Helper’s premium but reasonably priced tire change service , you will no longer have to handle the tire problem on your own and the hassle it can put you through. Just give us a call and we guarantee to be there in a matter of minutes to take care of your tire problem and other roadside assistance and towing concerns. We are a renowned and trusted towing and roadside assistance company in and around East Orange, New Jersey for a reason. Save our digits now and have us respond to your road emergencies. You’ll be thankful you did.  

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