How to Be Prepared For and Change A Flat Tire

A flat tire can ruin your day really fast. Filthy clothes, stubborn lug nuts, a grimy uncomfortable street, time lost, sore back, broken nails...need I say more. While there's no foolproof way to ensure you'll never have a flat, at least you can be prepared for it and fix it as painlessly as possible.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• tire iron or lug wrench
• an old sweat suit, socks and sneakers
• a car jack
• car floor mats
• a good spare tire
• a large rock or block of wood

1. Before you stop to change the flat, be sure you're in a safe place. It's much better to drive on a flat and ruin a rim to get to a safe place than to risk getting robbed or raped because of a tire. If you're scared, keep driving and then change the flat (or call for help and stay put). No car is worth being hurt or killed for, so use caution.

2. Make 'prevention is the best solution' your new motto. Check you tires for air and wear regularly. Find one of the few remaining full serve stations if you can and have the attendant check it if you like. Just make sure and do it. Bad and low tires go flat a whole lot more than newer and aired up ones do. Keep track of your tires and they'll keep better track of your getting to your destinations.

3. Pull off the road safely. Wait until there's room and a level surface to pull over. If there isn't, keep driving to be safe. Put on the emergency flashers and have everyone in the car get out and stand away from the road. Make sure the car is in park (or reverse for a manual transmission) and the car's ignition is turned off. Put a rock, block of wood or anything available under the wheel that is diagonally opposite the flat tire.

4. Pull off the road safely. Wait until there's room and a level surface to pull over. If there isn't, keep driving to be safe. Put on the emergency flashers and have everyone in the car get out and stand away from the road. Make sure the car is in park (or reverse for a manual transmission) and the car's ignition is turned off. Put a rock, block of wood or anything available under the wheel that is diagonally opposite the flat tire. Make sure that your spare is not flat before you begin.

5. Before you get on or near the ground, pull the mats out of the car to give you a little more protection against the dirt or stones on the ground. Pull your jack, pipe, wrench and spare out of the trunk. If you aren't on a paved surface, place a board under the jack. Put the jack under the bumper. Your car may have a particular place it should be placed under - look at your manual. Make sure the jack is flat on the ground. Pump the jack handle until the wheel is 2-4" from the ground.

6. Use the wrench's flat end to pry off the wheel cover. Loosen the wheel nuts with a turn on the wrench. If the wheel nuts won't budge try getting them started with a length of pipe that fits over the end of the lug wrench. Put these in the wheel cover to prevent them from rolling and save you from hunting for them later. Slip the spare tire on and put the lug nuts back on. Tighten the nuts as much as you can, using the piece of pipe fitted over the lug wrench if needed.

7. Put the spare and the wheel nuts on. Tighten them with the lug wrench. Tighten a little at a time moving around the tire until they are good and tight. Place the wheel cover and push it into place with your hand. Take the rock or whatever you have wedged under that opposite tire out.

8. Remove your sweats and sneakers and get everyone safely back into the car. You're now good to go.

Tips & Warnings

• The time to think about a flat tire is before you ever have one.
• Lay car mats under where you are working for extra safety and cushioning.
• Don't stop in any unsafe places over a flat tire. Keep driving even if you ruin the rim. It's replaceable...you aren't.