There might be a time in your life where you will have to change the tyre of your car. Many people are unable to do this task because they were never taught how to. Here is a simplified tutorial on how to change the tyre safely and efficiently.
Before you do anything you need to make sure that you have all the necessary tools. This list includes a lug wrench or tyre iron, a jack, an inflated tyre and the manual as the manufacturers may have specific instructions.
Upon realising that you have a flat tyre you must drive extremely carefully. Don’t suddenly brake or turn as it could damage your wheels. Slowly reduce the speed and park in a place where you are safe and off the road.
Once you have stopped in a safe location engage the handbrake to prevent the car from moving whilst you are changing the tyre. It’s also important to engage the handbrake as you need the wheel to be still.
It would be wise to put bricks or wedges behind and in front of the tyres that don’t need to be changed so that your car is safely static in one place.
Now you can remove the hubcap so that the lug nuts are exposed for removal. The hubcap can be removed with the tyre iron by using the flat part. There is a clip on it that shouldn’t be too difficult to remove.
When placing the jack under the car, the best place to put it would be as close to the flat tyre as possible, along the edge of the body of the car. Your car has to be fifteen centimetres off the ground. You can now remove the lug nuts.
To remove the lug nuts, use the wrench with the correct fitment and turn counter-clockwise. When dealing with any screws, bottle caps, water taps keep the following rule in mind: “lefty-loosy, righty tighty”. Turn left to loosen the screw and right to tighten the screw. At this point you don’t need to completely remove the lug nuts. You can remove the tyre by pulling it towards you gently until it disengages from the wheel axle.
The dirty part is now completed and it’s time to put a new and air-filled tyre onto your car. Align the tyre with the wheel and the lug bolts so that they fit together properly. Place the nuts back on and tighten them as much as you can. Tighten them with the wrench once the car has been lowered back onto the ground. Finally you can put the hubcap back on the same way you took it off.
Before any of this occurs, ensure that a wheel supplier is able to give you a wheel that is similar to what you have. So when you get a punctured tyre, you will have a spare tyre that looks the same as the others.
It’s important to have general knowledge of your car so that if you encounter a problem you can fix it or handle it yourself.
