How to Remove a Car Tire

If you need to inspect the brake pads on your car, then you need to remove one of the car tires to get a good look. It's easy to remove one of your car tires if you have some necessary tools and keep a few safety rules in mind.

Instructions

1. Pry off the hubcap (if there is one) and examine the condition of the lug nuts. If any of them are locking lug nuts, make certain you have the correct key to remove them.

2. Spray the lug nuts liberally with penetrating oil. This will lessen the chance of one of them stripping when you torque them with the tire iron.

3. Loosen the lug nuts in a triangle pattern opposite from one another. Loosen the first three in a triangular pattern, and make sure to loosen one across the axle from the other. Do not remove them all the way.

4. Raise the car up on a jack or a lift. Be sure you know where the jacking points are for your car. You can cause damage to the car if you jack it up where the frame is not built to withstand the weight of the car.

5. Steady the car on a jack stand and verify this by shaking the car. This will ensure that it won't fall off the jack stand when you are tightening the lug nuts on the tires. For safety's sake, be sure no one is under the car while you are doing this step.

6. Remove the loosened lug nuts by hand. Remove the tire and wheel.

Tips & Warnings

• Take note if the lug nuts are metric or standard. If you use the wrong wrench, you can be damage the lug nuts and you may need to replace them.

• Do not ding the bolt threads as you remove the wheel.