How To Change A Flat Tire.

You are on your way to an important meeting, Or perhaps to the airport to catch a plane to the Caribbean.

Suddenly the car starts feeling strange and you can even hear bumping.

You stop the car and behold to your horror, a flat tire!

Now what? You really do not have time for this. By the time help gets there (assuming you have a cell phone handy)

You will be late! Bad impression for you new boss or gone is the plane to the Caribbean and you were not on it!

"I should have listened to my dad, he told me to always carry an air compressor in my car, for just such emergencies." you say to yourself. But all this is to no avail. You are about to take your life back into your own hands, literally, and change the flat tire in your car.

With the following instructions, you will find out how simple it can be, and you will make it to your plane or meeting on time!

It really isn’t all that hard to change a flat tire.

Perhaps the ladies among our readers prefer to let the men get their hands dirty, but a true lady knows what it is all about, and can, when required do it herself.

 
You will need a jack, a lug wench and a properly inflated spare tire.

If working at might, a flash light is always nice to have.

Gloves too make it easier, but are optional.

In most vehicles, the manual tell you where you should look for the jack and the spare tire.

Make sure the spare tire is always inflated before you drive off, just in case you get a flat.

The lug wench you can get in any auto depot and car stores. The cross shapes wenches are easier to handle for women, because they give stability combined with leverage. Some wenches have an extending arm - for more leverage - once again a preferred feature by women.

Some cars have an entire kit.

Know where your tools are. Just like you know where to switch the lights on; knowing where you jack and spare tire are is just part of knowing your car.

 Try to stop in a safe spot. This mans you are off the road and can work at the sides, distanced from flowing traffic. It is better to park on a straight part of the road, so passing cars can see you in advance. Turn on your Hazard warning lights. Place the red triangle about 20 feet from your vehicle as a warning. The triangle is usually located with the jack and spare tire.

 If you have tire blocks, place them under the tire that is opposite from the flat. Retrieve tools from the car and the spare tire and lay them all within your reach.

 Remove hubcap from flat tire. Sometimes the hubcaps are attached to the tire with the lug nuts, if so; this step will wait until later when the lug nuts are removed.

 Loosen the lug nuts using the lung wench, if you find them difficult to loosen by hand then jump on the wench to loosen the nuts.

PLEASE NOTE! DO NOT REMOVE THE NUTS, JUST LOOSEN THEM!

 Place the jack in its intended socket (consult car manual) or under the car close to the flat tire. Raise the jack until it contacts the car frame and then insure that it is properly positions. Continue to raise the jack until flat tire is 6 inches off the ground or until flat become visibly round, as if it were inflated. Remember the spare tire is inflated and will need the space of a full tire and not a flat one.

 Continue to loosen the lug nuts and remove them. If hubcap was connected to car by using the bolts you will now be able to remove it too. Remove flat tire from car by grabbing it at the sides and pulling it towards you and away from the car.

 Place spare tire onto the car well and push it until it cannot go any further. Turn tire on well until holes are parallel in tire and well and you can insert the bolts again. Tighten the lug nuts by hand so they hold the tire in place while you lower the car.

 Lower the car with jack until it is standing once again on all four tires.

Tighten the lug nuts properly; use your foot to stamp on the wench if needed. Start with one nut and then move onto the one opposite it and only then to the one on its side and so on…

 Place the flat tire where the spare was located and return jack and other tools to their place. Make sure you have not forgotten anything.

You did it! Continue to your destination.

 Remember, it is not advised to drive long distances on the spare tire. So as soon as you can, go and get the original flat tire repaired or replaced, so that the spare can return to its natural place and you will continue to drive safely.

Carrying a compressor in your car can sometimes be a great time and layout saver. If you know there is a car shop near by, just blow up the flat tire (relying on the fact that the hole in it is small, and the tire did not explode or tear-up) and drive directly to the shop to get the flat tire repaired and then replaced. This is however only an option when you can drive a short distance to a professional car shop.