At Kirmac Collision & Autoglass, we’re proud to provide auto repair services to help our customers get back on the road after an accident – but even more than that, our mission is to keep you as safe as possible when driving. No matter what kind of car you drive, one of the most critical skills for any driver is knowing how to change a tire. Still not 100% sure how the process works? We’re here to help. Here’s a quick guide to how to change a tire on your car.
Steps to Changing a Tire
Has your tire gone flat and now needs an emergency change without any auto body shops for miles? Keep calm. Changing a tire is easier than it sounds – it just requires some attention to detail. Follow these steps to change your tire on the side of the road:
- Location, Location, Location: Before you start to think about changing your tire, you need to make sure you’re in a safe location. Find a flat, solid, stable place to change the tire that’s far enough away from traffic to be safe, and turn your hazard lights on.
- Prep the Car & Get Materials: Once you’ve found a suitable location, put your car in park and place heavy objects on both sides of the front and back tires to act as chocks. Next, get the spare tire, jack, and wrench.
- Place & (Partially) Raise the Jack: You’ll need to take care to position the jack correctly, as placing it under molded plastic will crack the plastic as you try to lift. Most cars have a notch either behind the front wheel well or in front of the back wheel well, but check your owner’s manual to be sure. Once the jack is securely in place, partially raise it until it is supporting, but not lifting, the car.
- Loosen the Nuts: Next you’ll want to loosen the lug nuts. Don’t remove them entirely – all we want here is to break the tension so they’re easier to turn.
- Lift the Car: With the lug nuts loose, pump the jack up enough to lift the wheel off the ground.
- Remove the Wheel: Now, finish removing the lug nuts and carefully take the wheel off the car. Place the wheel underneath the frame of the car so that in the event of jack failure, the car falls on the wheel instead of the ground.
- Place the Spare Tire: Take the spare tire and carefully place it on the hub, making sure it’s facing the right way. Place the nuts and hand-tighten them in a star pattern, tightening each nut in small bursts so the pressure is roughly even at any given time. Don’t use the wrench just yet.
- Tighten the Nuts: Slowly lower the jack until the spare tire is resting on the ground, but not yet supporting the full weight of the car. Now, use the wrench to fully tighten the lug nuts.
- Finish Up: With the spare tire securely in place, finish lowering the jack and place the old tire and all materials back in the trunk. Now you’re ready to drive, but your first stop should be to an auto repair shop!
Schedule a Repair Appointment
While changing a tire can sound intimidating, it’s not nearly as difficult as most people work it out to be. The most important thing is to go slowly, pay attention to detail, and proceed with extreme caution. And if you need collision repair service after changing your tire, the expert team at Kirmac is here to help! Schedule an appointment online today to get your car back in tip top shape. We can’t wait to hear from you!
