We really truly understand the significance of tyres only when we suffer a puncture. Ironically enough, we suffer a flat tire only when it can get really inconvenient. You had to show up on time for that all important meeting and the tyre decided to get intimate with a nail lying casually on the side of the road completely enjoying itself, or you needed to pick your wife as she drenched in rain waiting for you to show up. And we can go on and on with the examples which all of us surely would have experienced at least once in our lives. Now, a flat tyre might be extremely inconvenient and if you end up driving on one, you might damage your rims too. That can definitely lead to you spoiling the whole axle and suspension setup and finally, you are left with a scrap car which you can sell for quick money. Don’t worry all of this was a joke because we are sure you won’t be driving around on one. Anyways, changing a punctured one is a comparatively simple affair. All you need to know is the basics and keep in mind a few minor necessities.
A flat tyre is a lot like love, it can happen anytime and anywhere and with anybody. Thus, one should always be ready to embrace it. Saying that, you should plan ahead which will enable you to stay away from a lot of frustrating inconveniences. The market is full of emergency kits and it is not a bad idea to keep one handy in the trunk for when the dreadful puncture arrives. If you can, you can also stock good quality mechanical gloves, a decent flashlight along with the usual kit. And the best part is that all this, including flares, tyre gauges, and tyre sealants can fit into a small pouch. Also, make sure that your spare tyre is in top notch condition as it can save you from a lot of frustration and time. Luckily you also get a decent number of aiding components from the carmakers with the car these days.
This might sound like a small thing, but trust us, finding a right spot to change your flat tyre can yield much faster, safer, and better results. You would also need to find a level ground that has enough space for you to move around safely. Make sure that during the entire tyre changing process, you are not interfering with the traffic on the road. This is of paramount importance for your own safety and for the safety of other road users as well. You would also need to make sure that your hazard blinkers are on and you are as visible as practically possible to the oncoming traffic.
Make this a habit, for this can be beneficial. When trying to change a flat tyre, you must always keep the parking brake in on position. It will not let your car to move around. The car that might move during a flat tyre change can bring huge service and medical costs. So beware.
This will be particularly effective if your car is new and you are still not aware of the important points of the car. Also, it isn’t exactly a bad practice to actually get a photocopy of the ‘repair flat tyre’ column from the manual. You can get that laminated and with the help of a small magnet, you can stick it on the car. This will always help you to change the tyre in a faster and safer way.
This is important. You need to know what sort of a wheel your car has, if it has an alloy wheel, you should know where the bolts are. And if you have a steel rim wheel with fake/accessory hubs on it, you should know how to open them without breaking them.
This has to be done before you lift the car on the jack. Without fail! Once the nuts are loosened, remove the locks one by one and keep all of them close. Losing even a single nut or lock can prove to be a hugely inconvenient event. After you’ve removed all the nuts, locate the jack marker. It is usually close to the tyre as it is the best location to engage the car jack at.
You need to make sure that the jack is properly and precisely placed below the jacking point as mentioned above. Now slowly lift the car to a height where it is easy to pull the deflated wheel out. Now, remove the wheel.
Once the deflated tyre has been removed, fit in the spare tyre safely and put in the nuts and ‘finger tighten’ them. Now, you must lower the car and place the jack back into its place. Now tighten the nuts and make sure that none of them is loose. Try to tighten the nuts with the maximum load you can provide. Congratulations, you have successfully changed your flat tyre with a spare one!
Once changing the flat tyre with a spare one, you should make sure that the puncture or any other issue that caused the deflation in the first place is attended to at highest priority, because you never know when the new flat tyre may arrive. Also, you should keep in mind that you need to replace the spare tyre with the good tyre as soon as possible. If you keep on driving the spare tyre for long, it might affect your wheel alignment and tyre decrease adversely.
We highly recommend you to keep the spare tyre only for emergencies. Don’t forget to keep a portable inflator along with you at all times as these can prove to be of immense use when stranded due to a flat tyre in the middle of nowhere. As always, be proactive, be vigilant and drive safe.
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