How Do I Change a Tire on My Car?

I Have a Flat Tire. How Do I Change It?

It's that horrible sinking feeling. Your tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS) light suddenly illuminates, or your steering starts to feel way too heavy. You have a flat tire, and it will have to be replaced before your journey can continue. Fortunately, changing a tire is pretty easy.

Whatever you do, don’t ignore any signs of an impending flat tire. Not only can your vehicle quickly become uncontrollable, but driving even a few hundred yards on a flat tire can cause significant damage to your rims, suspension, and even fenders. It can mean the difference between a tire that can be repaired or one that has to be replaced.

“If that light suddenly comes on, you probably have a problem,” says Michael Calkins, manager of technical services for AAA. “You have a limited amount of time to find somewhere safe to change your tire. You don’t want to ignore it.”

If your vehicle is equipped with run-flat tires, you can continue on a punctured tire at a reduced speed. However, it's a good idea to do a quick inspection to make sure that more serious damage hasn't occurred.

Take a look at the following slides to see a step-by-step guide to changing a flat.

1) Get to a Safe Location

Quickly find a safe, firm, and level place to stop, and turn on your hazard lights. Before you exit the car, take stock of the situation and decide whether it is a good idea for you to try to change the tire yourself.

Firmly set the parking brake, place an automatic transmission-equipped car in park, or put a manual transmission vehicle in gear after turning the engine off.

Some vehicles have special procedures that you have to follow before installing a spare tire, so consulting your owners manual is essential before you proceed. A few vehicles may require you to swap tires around so that the spare tire is not on the axle that drives the wheels.

If you have a safety triangle, put it out to warn other motorists of a disabled vehicle on the side of the road. Road flares can also be used, as long as there's no chance of catching anything else on fire. Find the brightest-colored clothing you have available, and put it on.

2) Decide If You Need Help

If you are at the edge of a bustling road, the weather is horrible, or you are otherwise concerned for your safety, it's time to call for help. Many new vehicles come with complimentary roadside assistance, and if you have a membership with AAA or another auto club, it's probably a good time to use it.

“Safety is always the number one priority,” says AAA’s Calkins.

Is your car a traffic hazard? If it is blocking a lane, sticking into traffic, or hard to see around a blind corner, it’s time to call 911 so they can respond and safely steer other motorists around you.

According to AAA, about a third of new vehicles don’t come with spare tires. If the amount of damage to your tire exceeds what the included temporary tire repair kit is capable of handling, you’ll have to call for help. 

3) Prepare Your Tools and Secure Your Vehicle

Once you have found a safe and level place, make sure the brake is set and the car is in Park (or in gear with the engine off for a manual transmission). Make sure the front tires are pointing straight ahead and lock the steering column by removing the key from the ignition.

If you are replacing a rear tire, place a wheel chock or large rock in front of the front tire on the other side of the car. When you are replacing a front tire, block the opposite rear tire. It’s a good idea to carefully bounce your spare once you take it out of your trunk, just to make sure it is inflated to the proper air pressure. The last thing you want to do it replace a flat tire with a flat spare tire.

“It’s nice to have a pair of gloves,” says Calkins, “It just makes the job of changing a tire a bit more comfortable.”

Lay out your spare tire, the car jack, and all of the needed tools, then you're ready to start changing the tire. If your emergency flashers are on your hatch or your trunk lid, close them to make sure that the hazard lights are visible to traffic.

4) Remove the Hubcap

If your car has hubcaps, wheel covers, or center caps that need to be removed to access the lug nuts, do that next. Often the end of the provided wrench is flattened at one end so you can use it as a wedge between the rim and the hubcap.

Some hubcaps are held on by the lug nuts; if that's the case, you'll remove it when you remove the wheel. If you have a towel available, place the wheel cover face down on it. It makes a safe place to put the lug nuts when you take them off.

5) Loosen the Lug Nuts … a Little

Place the jack under your car's jacking point, which is shown in your owner’s manual, and crank it up until it just touches the bottom of your vehicle. Using the car's designated jacking points is critical. Placing the jack anywhere else risks significant vehicle damage and personal injury.

Before you jack the car up any further, take the lug wrench and loosen each wheel nut one revolution.

In most cases, you will turn the lug nuts counterclockwise to loosen them.

It's much easier to break the lug nuts free when the tire has firm contact with the ground, and you won't accidentally knock your car off a raised jack if you really have to crank on the wrench to break the nuts free.

6) Jack Up the Car

Next, you’ll want to use the jack to lift the car until it is just high enough to get the flat tire in the air. The higher you jack the car up, the less stable it will be, so just go as high as you need to.

The jacks included with cars are lightweight and only intended for tire changing. Never put any part of your body underneath a jacked-up vehicle to make other repairs.

7) Unscrew the Lug Nuts and Remove Tire

Once the tire is in the air, unscrew the loosened lug nuts the rest of the way and pull the tire from the car. Place the lug nuts either in the back of the hubcap or on the ground in a place where there’s no chance of losing or kicking them.

A tire and wheel can be very heavy, so use caution as you remove them. Place the flat tire in a place where it is out of the way for the next steps.

8) Place the Spare Tire on the Car

Now place the spare tire on the car, taking care to make sure that the proper side is facing you. Because the tire you just removed was flat, you might have to raise the jack a few twists so that the spare clears the ground below it.

The correct orientation is usually noted on the wheel or in your owner’s manual.

Hand-tighten each of the lug nuts until the tire is evenly installed and they are just snug. You may need to use the lug wrench to ensure that the wheel is flush with the hub, but you don’t want to risk knocking the car off the jack by applying very much force.

It’s helpful to tighten the lug nuts in a crisscross or star pattern, tightening the one opposite of the one you just tightened. You want them snug, but you won’t fully tighten them until the car is back on the ground.

9) Firmly Tighten the Lug Nuts

Next, you lower the jack until the tire is on the ground but the full weight of the car is not quite off the jack. Using the lug wrench, fully tighten each lug nut using a star or crisscross pattern to ensure that they are evenly tight.

Unless you're a bodybuilder, you can tighten the lug nuts about as much as you can without risking damage to the bolts.

10) Finish Up

You’re almost done. Just lower the jack the rest of the way and remove it from under the car. Check to make sure you have all of your tools and put them back where they came from in the car. Don’t forget to pick up the flat tire so you can take it to be repaired. 

11) Drive Carefully

The compact spare tires found on most cars are not designed to be driven at high speeds or over long distances. Look at the limitations listed in your owner’s manual and follow them or else you risk another breakdown, without another spare to put on your vehicle.

Many are limited to 50 miles of driving at 50 miles per hour or below. If you are lucky enough to have one of the few cars still sold with a full-size spare tire, you can drive as you normally would.

12) Head to a Tire Shop

Using a spare tire in place of a flat tire is only a temporary fix. As soon as you can, you'll want to get to a tire shop or car dealership to have your tire repaired or replaced. Depending on the amount of damage, many punctures can be fixed.

If, however, there’s a large hole, cuts, or damage to the sidewall, you will have to replace the tire. If possible, replace it with the same brand and model. When that’s not an option, you should at least get a new tire that is same type and size. You wouldn’t wear two different sizes and styles of shoes, and you don’t want your car to either.

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