A flat tire while driving can be very dangerous. If you are on the highway, your steering wheel might feel off or you might hear a grinding sound. If you experience a flat tire, do not continue to drive on it. This can not only damage your car but also compromise your safety and the safety of others. When you get a flat tire, be sure to turn on your hazard lights and begin to slow down. Slowly pull off the road to a safe distance away from traffic. Once you are in a safe spot you can assess your tire and take the necessary steps towards changing your tire. Here Marietta Wrecker goes through the simple and easy steps it takes to change a flat tire on the side of the road.
Prepare Flat Tire Equipment
To start the process of changing a flat tire, you should start by locating the spare tire, lug wrench, and vehicle jack. The majority of the time these are located in the trunk or underneath the back of the car. Once located get them out and put on any gloves if you have them. Changing a tire can get dirty so it’s recommended to wear clothes you don’t mind getting messed up (if applicable).
Loosen The Lug Nuts
Take the lug wrench you have found and begin loosening the lug nuts. On some vehicles, the lug nuts can be located underneath a hubcap or any other kind of cover. If you find that the lug nuts are very difficult to turn, you can line up the wrench with the nuts and use your body weight to push down on the wrench. This should loosen the nuts and make them easier to remove. Once you have loosened all your lug nuts get them to the point you can unscrew them with your fingers.
Raise The Vehicle
Once the lug nuts are loose and can be twisted off with your fingers, it’s time to raise the vehicle. Use the vehicle jack and position it to be underneath a joint behind the wheel. This is very important because the weight of the car will be on the jack. Misplacement can cause the vehicle to fall off the jack when removing the wheel. Once in place, use the jack to pump up the car and get the flat tire off the ground.
Remove The Flat Tire
Once the flat tire is off the ground, use your fingers and remove all the loosened lug nuts. Be sure to put them all together so you do not misplace one. Slowly take the wheel off the lug nut posts. If this is difficult a little bit of wiggling can help. Be sure to take your time so you don’t pull the car off the jack.
Put Spare On
Once you have removed the flat tire, it is time to replace that tire with your new spare. Line up the lug nut holes with the posts and wiggle the new spare wheel into place. Make sure the wheel is on correctly and not backward. Placing a spare tire on the wheel backward can cause serious damage to your vehicle.
Replace The Lug Nuts
Once you have made sure the spare is on correctly, find the lug nuts you removed earlier. Slowly screw each one back on with your fingers to the point you can’t turn them anymore without your wrench.
Lower The Vehicle
Slowly lower your jack to bring your vehicle back down to the ground safely. Once the car is on the ground remove your jack and set it aside.
Tighten The Lug Nuts
Take your lug nut wrench and tighten your lug nuts as much as possible. Remember ‘Righty Tighty, Lefty Loosey’, so you will want to turn the nuts to the right. If needed you can use your body weight to tighten the nuts even more.
Clean-Up & Get Back On The Road
Once the lug nuts are in place and firmly tightened, all there is left to do is clean up. Place the flat tire in your trunk or backseat and pick up any other tools you may have used. Remember that most spares are not recommended to drive over 50 mph. So it’s a good idea to drive to the closest tire shop to get a replacement.
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Our 24/7 emergency roadside assistance is there quickly to help resolve your car emergency. Marietta Wrecker Emergency Roadside Assistance will rapidly dispatch a towing professional to your location around the Marietta and metro Atlanta area as quickly as possible to help resolve your roadside emergency. We are quick to respond, and our auto towing and car lockout services are set up to get your problem resolved in no time.