Step by step instructions on how to change a tyre

Tyres are one of the most important parts of your car as they are the fundamental connection between your vehicle and the road surface. It is quite important to take a good care of the tyres so that they do not go through pre-mature wearing or other physical damages. However, once your tyres are worn off or have aged, you should replaced them with a new set of tyres. You may also have to face situations when you are on a drive and suddenly one of your tyres go through failure or puncture. In such cases, you need to get another tyre or the spare tyre present in your vehicle to replace the flat one.

You can take your car to the nearest service center if it could be driven any longer, but to be prepared for the worst cases, it is always quite useful to know how to change a wheel by yourself. This way you will spare yourself quite a considerable time on the side of the road. Moreover, if there is no alternative to changing the tyres on the road side, just remember to wear your reflective jacket. You should also turn on the hazard lights and place the warning triangle 40 or 50 yards away for the sake of safety.

Here, we have given step by step instructions on how to change a tyre:

1) Firstly, pull over on a flat surface. If you do not, then it may cause your car roll down the slope, leaving you behind.

2) Avoid soft and uneven grounds as well because if do not consider this, your jack could sink in the ground. In case you cannot find a hard and even ground, try to use a wooden board that is big and hard enough to resist the weight of your car.

3) After that, just apply the handbrake and engage first gear. In case of automatic gearbox, engage “P”.

4) Remove the hubcap, if applicable.

5) After that, you need to slacken off the bolts of the wheel that you wish to change. For that you need to turn the bolts. In most cases, the bolts need to be turned counter-clockwise.

6) You can use the wheel brace stored with the spare wheel, in order to slacken off the bolts and nuts.

7) Then place the jack in the lifting point closest to the wheel to be removed. Place the jack head correctly and make sure that it fits properly. Then extend the jack untill the wheel is no longer in contact with ground surface.

8) Then remove the bolts completely. Remove the wheel carefully as you may find it difficult to do so because of incipient rusting. Just knock the wheel out of the axle.

9) It is suggested that you place the damaged wheel under your car so that you could help cushion the fall in case the jack slips.

10) Place the spare wheel on the axle and start securing the bolts until they lock. There should not be any debris on the bolt thread.

11) See the correct tightening order and then tighten the bolts with the wrench properly.

12) After that, slowly lower down the vehicle and put away the jack.

13) Check if any bolt is still loose. Apply torque with wrench if needed. However, remember that you should not tighten the bolts excessively as it will lead to damage on the wheel. Apply moderate force.

14) Replace the hubcap, if applicable.