Women's Home Activities

Don’t get caught roadside alone and without help; know How To Change A Tire Before An Emergency Occurs. Women are capable of learning new tasks when given the right instructions. You may not have had to face this type of problem before but just in case it is best to know how to change a flat tire on your own before you get stuck without anyone to help.

Practice Makes Perfect

My husband and I were discussing things the other night and the subject of changing a tire came up. He asked me if I had ever changed a flat tire before. No, I haven’t I replied. So we decided that there was no time like the present to learn. His first suggestion was that we should practice here at home so that he could show me how to change a tire on my own. That it would make things easier for me later if I ever had to use this type of instruction. At least I would feel more comfortable and confident in my approach when having to complete the task myself. The learning environment is also a lot friendlier at home having an even surface to work on.

First Things First

Another suggestion he made was to make sure the vehicle was equipped with the following items at all times:

1.    Owners Manual: Make sure you keep this in a convenient location such as your glove compartment. This manual gives valuable information about the features of your vehicle and where things are located that you will need when changing a tire.
2.    Jack, Lug Wrench & Spare Tire: Every car should be equipped with these items from the factory. Know where yours is located; usually they are found in the trunk. Make sure that the spare is kept well inflated. The factory given spare tires are usually smaller and only to be used until you can replace the original tire with a new one. Also remember not to exceed the recommended speed after replacing the battered tire with the spare tire. Check your owner’s manual for this information.
3.    Flashlight: Make sure it has fresh batteries or an adaptor to plug in your vehicle’s auxiliary port.
4.    Penetrating Oil: A spray can such as WD40 is necessary in case the lug nuts are stuck this will help you loosen the lug nut so you can take it off.
5.    Gloves: Keeps your hands from getting dirty and helps with your grip when using the tools necessary for changing the tire.
6.    Foam Mat: Saves your knees from dirt and possible rocky terrain.
7.    Tire Blocks: Sometimes called wheel chocks are necessary to keep the vehicle from rolling.
8.    Hand Cleaner & Towels: When the job is done you’ll want to clean up a little. Having these items will help.

You also may want to invest in an Emergency Roadside Safety Kit. These handy kits have many of the essentials you need in case of a roadside emergency.

Step By Step Instructions

When practicing at home I had an even surface to work on. When you are outside the home and doing this for real you may not have the convenience of a perfect site to change a tire.  Try to find a fairly level surface then pull completely off the road. Next put the car in park, engage the emergency brake and make sure to turn your hazard lights on before getting out of the car. Also grab your owners manual you will need it to reference several things.

• Open the trunk: get out the jack, lug nut wrench, spare tire and tire blocks. Your owner’s manual will tell you where these are located.

• Your vehicle may have been equipped with a single lug nut wrench with one side that is flat. The flat side will help you when removing hub caps if your vehicle has them. You may also want to keep a four way lug nut wrench in your trunk as this lug nut wrench will make things easier when changing the tire.

• Don’t forget to use your foam mat; your knees will thank you.

• Place the tire blocks on the diagonally opposite side of the car of the tire you are working on. Put the blocks in front and back of one tire on the opposite side to keep the vehicle from rolling.

• Determine if you have a hub cap, if so remove the hub cap by using the flat end of the lug nut wrench and pry off the cap revealing the lug nuts.

• Some vehicles have a locking lug nut. It looks different than the other lug nuts and your car was provided with a locking lug nut tool. Take the locking lug nut off first. Just loosen the remaining lug nuts using your lug nut wrench. Check your owner’s manual to determine if the lug nuts are right or left hand threads and follow the instructions listed in order to loosen the lug nuts. If the lug nuts appear a bit rusted or are too tight spray a little penetrating oil on them to help ease them up a bit.

• Next you need to determine where the jack location points are for your vehicle. Your owner’s manual has this information and it will help you decide where to safely place your jack before lifting the car.

• Use the jack according to the owner’s manual suggestions raising the tire so that it is just off the ground. The tire doesn’t have to be very high; just enough to remove the damaged tire and to be able to replace the old tire with the spare tire.

• Now that the tire is off the ground remove the lug nuts and place them next to you on your foam mat. Take off the flat tire and roll it to the back of your vehicle leaning it on the trunk area.

• Place the spare tire on the vehicle with the air valve stem facing out. Replace the lug nuts tightening them by hand for now.

• Lower the vehicle so that the spare tire is now touching the ground.

• It is now time to tighten the lug nuts. Choose one and use your lug nut wrench to turn it as tight as you possibly can. The next lug nut you choose should be diagonally opposite of the one you completed first. Then choose the lug nut next to the second one you completed; tighten it with the wrench and go to its diagonal opposite and so on until all the lug nuts are tightened to the best of your abilities.

• Finish lowering the tire now using the jack so that you may remove the jack from under the vehicle.

• At this point check the lug nuts one more time to see if any need additional tightening.

• Replace all of the equipment you have used in your trunk.

• Place the damaged tire in your trunk.

• Be sure to have your damaged tire repaired or replaced as soon as possible.

• Remember your spare tire is just that “a spare”. It is not meant to be driven for long distances and definitely not to exceed the safe speed limit as listed in your owner’s manual.

Now you know How To Change A Tire Before An Emergency Occurs. Look if I can do it you can too. Get a trusted friend or relative to help you with your first attempt. Don’t get caught out somewhere on your own with no one to there to assist you. Try this out for yourself and see if these instructions help. Better yet print out a copy to keep inside your vehicle for reference in case you need it in an emergency. The main point is to be safe and know what you are doing before an urgent situation arises.