Flat Tire Fix

Many of us may indeed be stranded if one of our vehicles tires goes flat. First you can always consult your vehicles owner’s manual. The most important thing is always be safe and get as far away from traffic as you can.

Make sure your spare is in good shape and properly inflated. If you have an air pressure gauge convenient, you will want to check the spare tire's pressure. If this tire is flat, too, you may be out of luck. But let's just assume the air pressure is perfect. That your trunk is stocked with the proper tools for the job such as the vehicles jack and lug wrench. If a flat tire needs to be changed, park your car on a flat surface.  Make sure to put on the emergency brake. It’s also recommended to put a block on the tire opposite of the flat tire. That means if your right rear tire is flat, put the block on the front left tire. Next, remove the hubcap, if your car has one. It is also a good idea to use the hubcap to hold the lug nuts.

Then use your lug wrench and place it on the flat tire’s lug nuts. Loosen them up by turning them counterclockwise. The nuts are probably on there pretty tight.  Loosen the nuts a few turns, but don’t take any off yet! Next, place the jack underneath your car. Check your owner’s manual for the correct placement of the jack. Most car jacks these days are a screw-type scissor jack, which means you simply turn the knob at the end of the jack using the provided metal hand crank. Raise the jack until it contacts the car's frame and continue expanding the jack. Make sure it’s touching a sturdy spot.

Now you must jack it up. Start cranking the jack until the wheel is high enough above the ground to remove the tire. You can remove the lug nuts from the wheel. You should be able to do it by hand because you’ve already loosened them. Once the flat tire is off the vehicle, lay it flat. You don’t want the wheel to roll off into traffic!

Take your spare tire and line up the lugs, or bolts, with the holes in the wheel and slide the wheel on. One trick that might help is to balance the tire on your foot while you move it into position. Once the wheel is on, take your lug nuts and tighten them by hand until you meet firm resistance, but not total resistance. Make sure that the wheel is fitting flush against the brake hub.  

Now you can lower the car. Keep lowering the jack until the wheel is firmly on the ground. Finish tightening your lug nuts. They must be on tight so the wheel doesn’t come flying off while driving to the dealership to get the flat fixed. As far as tightening them, use these patterns:

- For 5 bolts, use a star pattern,

- For 4 bolts, use a clock pattern (10 o’clock, 4 o’clock, 2 o’clock, 8 o’clock)

The reason you tighten the lugs now is that the tire is on the ground and it won't rotate around like it would if it was still hanging in the air.

That's it. Compact spares have a limited top speed. The tire's top speed will be written on its sidewall. If your vehicle has a full-size spare, you won't encounter this issue. With the spare installed, you should be able to reach your destination for a full fix!