Hey, you’re on the side of the road, huh? We don’t waste any time – how do you replace a flat tire? Let’s learn how to replace a flat tire in 8 simple steps below (make sure you follow all the steps carefully).
Tools Required:
What should I do if my car has a flat tire? You’ll need some tools to do the job. Hopefully you already have them in your car, otherwise, maybe a friend can come over and help. If all else fails, there’s always a trailer, but we want to help you avoid extra costs.
- A tire iron
- Jack*
- 1 spare tire*
- Optional: Flashlight
- Optional: Jack
- Optional: Something to kneel on so you don’t tear your pants or knees
*These two items are usually standard on the car. They may be hidden – if you can’t find them, skip to the bottom of this article titled “How to Find Your Jack and Spare Tire.”
8 Steps to Replace a Flat Tire
Here are 8 steps to replace a flat tire.
#1: Take a deep breath and return to level ground
Before you start changing your tires, take a moment to relax. A spare tire won’t ruin your car, it won’t cost you a million dollars, and it’s easy to fix. If you over-ventilate and try to change your tires, you may have some trouble.
After taking a deep breath, see where your car is parked. You can’t change tires on gravel roads or slopes. If you’re in any of these situations, take a look around. If there is a flat asphalt belt nearby, you can try to drive or cart there carefully (slowly).
If not, you may need to call a tow truck. Trying to change a tire on gravel or sloping ground can cause the jack or jack mount to slip and your car crush you.
#2: Take out the tools you need
How do I replace a flat tire? If you haven’t already, come up with all the tools you need for the job. We like to keep an old hoodie in front of the wheels so you can protect your knees a little in the process.
Take the tools to the flat tires and place them on the ground nearby.
#3: Crack the lug nut
What should I do if my car has a flat tire? An lug nut is an acorn-shaped bolt that sticks out of the middle of a wheel. They are arranged in a star pattern, and depending on your car, you may have 4, 5, 6, or more lug nuts.
While the car is still on the ground, you need to “smash” the lug nuts. How do you crack lug nuts? You turn the tire iron on the lug nuts counterclockwise until they pop out of position. The lug nuts should be very strong, so the initial cracks will make them loose enough so that you can completely loosen the nuts when jacking up the car.
You’ll want to hack them in a diamond pattern. This phrase will be used several times in the future. The diamond pattern is when you do something in the top left, bottom right, top right, bottom left, top (if you have 5 bolts). It helps to reduce overall stress and avoid major problems.
Keep in mind that you don’t want to remove the lug nuts right now.
#4: Jack up your car
It’s time to be hijacked! Grab your jack and place it under the car frame. You want the jack to be close to your tires, but along the middle part of the car. The mouth of the jack cannot be placed on the body of your car.
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If you lie on your back with a flashlight and look up at your car, you will notice that there is metal inside the body. The body of your car is sheet metal or plastic, and it really bends easily.
It is very important to place the mouth of the jack on the metal frame here.
Slowly jack up the car by pumping or rotating the jacking mechanism clockwise. Each jack is different, but it should be obvious which is which.
You want to jack up your car with a jack until the spare tire can be installed without hitting the ground. When it is at the desired height, we highly recommend using a jack holder so that the jack does not get bumped or rolled away.
If you have a jack holder, insert and remove the jack immediately. If not, remove the jack mechanism from the jack, being careful not to touch the jack.
At this point until step 6, do not get on the bus for any reason. Don’t even lean in the car. Moving a car can knock your car off the jack and cause a lot of damage to you and your car.
#5: Remove the old wheels
What should I do if my car has a flat tire? When the tires are in the air, you can completely loosen each lug nut. Use your diamond pattern again here. Finally, you should have five lug nuts in your hands or pockets. Don’t lose these.
Remove the tire by grasping the rim or the tire itself. You want to pull straight at you and don’t let it fall and hit the threaded rod that runs through the rim. Once you’ve removed the flat tire, place it on the ground next to you and stay out of the way. You’ll need this later.
#6: Put on new tires
How do I replace a flat tire? Now, grab your spare tire. You need to hold the outside of the rubber and put it in the wheel well. Make sure the threaded rod from the rotor passes through the designated hole in the spare tire.
Push it all the way back so that it is flush with the metal parts that are located behind the wheels. Place the lug nuts back on the threaded rods and twist them into a diamond pattern by hand.
Grab your tire iron and tighten them in a diamond pattern until they’re a little firm (you’ll be done tightening them in a second).
Attach the spare tire
#7: Remove the jack and tighten the lug nuts
If you are using a jack holder, place the jack back under the car as before, making sure the top of the jack is in contact with the metal frame of the car.
Jack the car up until you can remove the jack holder. Slowly lower the jack until you can remove it.
If you are not using a jack holder, slowly lower the jack until you can remove the jack.
Using the diamond pattern again, grasp the tire iron and turn the lug nut downward. You want to tighten them up until each one makes a little grunt. Not tightening them completely may cause your tires to fall off on the highway.
#8: Get a new tire as soon as possible
There is a rule of thumb for spare tires that some people call the “Rule of the 50s.” A spare tire is not a permanent attachment to your car, it is a very temporary tire that is used to get you to a repair shop.
You can’t go faster than 50 mph, and you can’t use a spare tire for more than 50 mph.
Contact your local dealer as soon as possible to get new tires. You may end up buying 1, 2, or 4 new tires to replace that tire.
Or, you can take your old spare tire to the store and see if they can fix it for you and save you hundreds of dollars.
How to find your jack and spare tire
How do I replace a flat tire? Almost every new car has a jack and spare tire. If you have a compact car, there is usually only one place for them to hide. For trucks, SUVs, and vans, consult your car’s manual.
Eject your suitcase and remove all items from the suitcase. Remove the inner lining of the trunk (yes, it really came out).
You should expose your torso to the metal-y lower abdomen. You should also see an area where the jack and spare tire are placed. Sometimes they are together in the middle and backwards. Sometimes jacks are hidden on both sides of the trunk.
Your jack comes with a metal rod that you need to use to jack the jack. A jack, if you will.
Your jack and spare tire may also come with a tire iron to help you remove the bolts from your tire.
What to do if your car has a flat tire: conclusion
Congratulations on getting a flat tire. If this is your first time doing this, pat yourself on the back. This is an important milestone in the life of the owner. Don’t forget to replace your tires with new ones as soon as possible (see step 8).
