Things You'll Need:
- Tire jack
- Emergency flares
- Emergency tire
- Orange triangle
- Lug wrench
- Wheel lock fitting
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Step 1
When the tire initially goes flat, it is imperative that you guide the vehicle to the shoulder as quickly as possible. Driving any distance on a flat tire will warp the tire rim and make installing the emergency more difficult.
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Step 2
Once your vehicle is on the shoulder, take care when exiting the vehicle. Getting out on the passenger side is advisable regardless of which side the flat is on. Try not to put your back to oncoming traffic.
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Step 3
Your vehicle should always carry an emergency kit with flares and orange reflective markers. Don't leave home no matter how short the drive without an emergency kit. Your life may depend on being well seen by oncoming traffic. If it is daylight, use the emergency triangle and place approximately one car length behind your vehicle. If it is dark, use road flares placed two car lengths behind your vehicle and the emergency triangle one car length behind your vehicle.
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Step 4
With emergency markers in place, remove the jacking device and lug wrench from vehicle. If your vehicle has lug nut locks, locate the lock fitting to unlock and remove the locked lug nut. Apply emergency brake and use lug wrench and necessary fitting to loosen all lug nuts. Vehicle should remain on the ground during this procedure. Use jack to raise the vehicle so that the flat tire is off the ground. Remove all lug nuts and remove flat tire from the wheel hub.
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Step 5
You will notice that the emergency tire is smaller than the original tire. This is normal. Fit the emergency tire onto the wheel hub studs and hand tighten the lug nuts so that the tire mounts evenly against the wheel hub. Disengage jack and lower vehicle to the ground. Tighten all lug nuts in a star pattern until snug. Once tire is in place, recover your safety gear and put old tire in vehicle storage space. Emergency tires are designed to run at or below 50 miles per hour and to the closest repair facility. Driving faster or trying to make it home is not a good idea. The emergency tire can come apart at higher speeds and wear the tread down on a long trip.
