Changing a Tire, or Wheel, is a Very Important Skill for a Driver to Know

Changing a tire is a skill all motorists should know how to do. Sadly not as many drivers know how to change a tire. Here is what you need to know.
First thing is first. Make sure the car you are driving has a properly inflated spare tire, a jack, and a tire iron, that means a thing to undue the tightness of the lug nuts. They will be needed for the emergency of a flat tire. Also sometimes a flat tire can be temporarily fixed with a can of Fix-o-Flat. Just follow the directions on the can. Remember it will not fix all tires and it will need to be checked by a professional as soon as possible.

To actually change a tire, you need to remember a simple order of operation. First, loosen the lug nuts; do not take them off yet, if you take them off the wheel will pop off and the car will slam to the ground causing damage to brakes and other parts. After you have loosened the lug nuts find a good sturdy spot to jack up the car.

Find a level spot on the ground, this is necessary because you do not want the car to fall off the jack, plus you must jack the car up on a spot that can take the weight of the car. Jacking it up from the fender is not a good idea. You can see what will happen if you do on a rerun of the I Love Lucy show. It is also a good idea to make sure there are no brake lines, or any other line in the way of the jack, pinching them is a very bad idea.

Now that the car is up on the jack take off the lug nuts, and the wheel do not put any part of your body under the car. You do not want to have it fall on you. Then replace the flat tire with the spare. Replace the lug nuts, lower the car, tighten the lug nuts, make sure they are tight you do not want the wheel flying off while you are driving, that happened to me once.

Once you have done this put all the equipment back and start driving. If the spare is a temporary, or doughnut, tire, you need to buy a professional one right away. Do not drive on the spare very long, because it is not as safe as a regular tire. Unless, of course, it is an actual tire then you should worry about getting a new spare. Happy driving.