Imagine this scenario: You can finally get a week off of work. You plan to go on a vacation to spend time with your family. You choose a destination, pack your luggage, refuel your car and prepare for the journey.
You get on the highway, turn up the music and enjoy the trip. Everything goes according to plan… until you hear a pop sound.
That’s probably the worst nightmare of every person who has a long road ahead of him. Especially if they don’t have a spare tire.
But even when you have a spare tire, if you don’t know how to replace the flat one, you are doomed. That’s why in the purpose of this guide is to give all the information you need in order to be fully prepared if an inconvenience of this sort occurs.
It’s easy to drive a car. Well, not everyone is a skilled driver because there are certain skills that need years to be mastered but you get what we mean. However, driving a car is not the only thing a car owner needs to know how to do.
Car maintenance is crucial in order to have a well-functioning automobile that you can rely on. And while there are many things that need to be considered, the most common and important one is probably tire replacement.
That’s why in the next few paragraphs we are going talk about what do you need to know when you get in a situation that requires changing a popped tire.
How to do changing a flat tire
You don’t need to look up flat tire pictures on Google in to know for sure that a tire can no longer be used. If you happen to pop a tire in the middle of nowhere there’s nothing you can do besides trusting your own capabilities. That’s why you need to know how to change a flat tire.
First of all, you need to have a jack, a lug wrench and a fully inflated spare tire. They are essential and must be in your car every time you drive it. It’s also good to have a flashlight because, you know, tires can be damaged during nighttime also. They don’t really care if the sun has risen or not.
You have to act as soon as you realize you a have a flat tire. Damaged tires can be very dangerous, so slow down and pick a safe space to stop. It’s best if you stop your car on a level ground so you don’t need to worry about it rolling.
Set the parking brake and, just to be sure, put wheel wedges for maximum stability. Get your lug wrench and loosen the lug nuts. You may have to use a little bit of force since they are usually very tightened. Don’t remove them completely though, just break their resistance. Use your foot if you must.
Place the jack under your car and raise the vehicle until the damaged tire is 5-7 inches above the ground. Now, using the wrench again, unscrew the lug nuts completely and remove the flat tire.
Place the spare one and do the whole process backwards. Put the lug nuts on the lug bolts and tighten them by hand. Lower your car a bit and tighten the lug nuts using the wrench. After that lower the automobile all the way to the ground and remove the jack and that’s it. You’ve successfully changed a flat tire.
Some other options
What you need to as soon as you can is replace the flat tire with a new one. However, many people choose to get it fixed and think they don’t need a tire change, especially if the damage isn’t that big.
If you are in the same situation, search for the nearest car service and get your flat tire fixed. Because you want to be fully prepared the next time you go on a road trip.
Sure, you can use you break I fix services but it’s better to know that you are prepared and have the knowledge to solve the problem by yourself.
If you need other advice, contact the car shipping company in the USA – USTrans.com.