Changing your tire can be a very daunting task but it is a very important skill to learn even if you have never done it before or if you don’t even know the first step of changing it. If you don’t know how to, don’t feel ashamed, because NBC stated that, “60 percent of car owners don’t know how to change a flat tire.” This shows that there are more people than you realise that don’t know how to change a tire.
Changing a flat tire, or just putting a new one on is very simple. You just have to get the correct tools for the job. According to Homedepot.com, you need six main tools to change a tire. You will need a manual car jack, lug wrench, wheel wedges, tire gauge, portable tire inflator, and a spare tire which most cars already have. You can get all of these tools at Home Depot or any auto parts store like Auto Zone.
All of the tools are very important, but the wheel wedges are not needed but recommended. According to Home Depot, the car jack will raise your vehicle off of the ground to remove the tire. The lug wrench will be used to remove the nuts that attach the wheel to the rotor. The wheel wedges are used to make sure that your car doesn’t move when you lift one wheel off the ground. The tire gauge is used to read the tire pressure. Finally you will need a spare tire. According to Topdriver.com, you shouldn’t drive more that 50 miles on a spare tire.
The steps to changing a tire are very simple. According to chevroletofnewbern.com, the first step is to apply the parking brake and put the wheel wedges so that your car stays stationary. Next you should loosen up the lug nuts on the wheel, you do not want to take them off completely yet. Next you should place the jack under the car closest to the tire you are trying to change. Next you should raise the car high enough that the tire is barely off the ground so that it can spin. Now you can take off the lug nuts and put on the spare tire. Next you put the lug nuts back on and tighten the lug nuts with your hands. Now you lower the vehicle down to the ground and you tighten the lug nuts fully with the lug wrench. Finally you check the tire pressure of the spare tire and fill it up if you need to.
You can also change your tires for other reasons besides it being popped. You can change your tire depending on the season you are in. If it is winter, there are tires that give you more traction for the snow and ice. If it is any other season you can use summer tires that are designed for braking and traction in the heat. Changing your tires for different seasons benefits you because your tires get worn slower, and you can save money over time. Also if you are off roading you would get tires that are a lot thicker and have a bigger thread than normal tires so you can drive safely on uneven terrain. In conclusion, changing your tires is a very beneficial skill to learn because it can save you money and improve your car’s handling on the road.
