Changing a Flat Tire

Perfect! You are simply enjoying a Sunday afternoon drive when you hear a loud pop followed by a constant thumping noise. You pull over and to your dismay you see your tire is flat.

Don't panic!

Maybe you’ve changed a tire before, or it is possible that you have never been in this situation, either way changing this tire won't be very difficult at all, and with the help of this instructable you should be able to put on that spare and be rolling again in no time.

Step 1 Loosen Flat Tire Bolts

Picture 1
It is good to know where your spare tire and tools are located, and that they are in good order; the spare tire and tools required are usually stored in the trunk, however on a larger car or truck a spare may be bolted underneath the vehicle or onto the trunk. Get out the jack, tire iron, and crankshaft (refer to picture 3 here for tool images), but the spare can stay for now if you want.

Picture 2
It is very important to loosen the bolts holding the tire in place before raising the car off the ground, otherwise you may not be able to produce enough torque to loosen the bolts, especially old rusty ones, and you certainly don’t want to knock the car off of the jack. Only loosen the bolts a little bit right now though, this way the tire will safely stay in place.

Picture 3
Once the bolts are initially loosened, place the jack underneath the car. Only the manufacturer provided jack should be used; the use of a different jack could compromise safety. A small arrow or notch will be shown on the pinch wall of the car's frame under the car near each tire; this is where the jack should be lined up with and placed.

Comments

[jj.inc]

I feel so sorry for you, they painted your spare bright red, probably to embarrass you and get you to fix the old one as soon as possible.

[HandyBob]

Once removed, you could place the flat tire next to the jack. In casethe jack gives out, the car falls on the tire and doesn't damage thebreak pads.

[swiitanen]

I would imagine that the brake rotors would be more at risk for damagethan the pads, but either way a very useful tip.
Thanks

[Esmagamus]

They are. The brake pads are up there on the caliper, the rotor is cast iron on most cars, it can break.

Think safety first, imagine you're reaching under the car for a tool that just rolled under it when the jack collapses. Not likely, but possible.

[Lftndbt]

Nice detail.

Looks like your spare, could do with a lil' air also. ; ) 

[Roljo]

 It's Great that you show how this is done, there is alot of people who do not know how... but by looking at these pictures, you should never!
put your spare on the front of your car... too dangerous! even though you always see people do it, don't!  the spare wheel is not meant to support the weight of the motor and forces created when going around corners and there is not enough grip on the tire which could lead to a loss of control and accidents. Please take off your back tire and put it on the front and put your spare on the back. this might take a little longer to do but might "spare" you some other problems.

Thanks.

[swiitanen]

Excellent point Roljo, and thanks for the comment. Hopefully this document can at least guide people through the process, whether it is a front or rear flat.

If you find yourself with a flat in a dangerous setting, such as the side of an interstate, it might be a good idea take as little time as possible to switch out the flat and spare to relocate to a safer place.

However Roljo is correct, riding with a spare up front, especially when you have a front mounted engine, can be just as dangerous or even more so than riding with a spare for an extended period of time.