Comments on: Heading Out on Your Own — Day 15: How to Change a Flat Tire

By: Kevin

Kevin — Fri, 01 Feb 2013 14:21:34 +0000

If the wheel is seized you can give it a good hard kick in a few different places around the wheel until you can see the wheel moving from the nuts. If its really badly seized, another tried and tested method is to loosen the nuts from the secure position by one turn only (no more), take the car off the jack then shake the car as hard as you can by pushing above the driver or passenger door. NEVER shake the car by pushing on the windows or the light fittings or when the car when its lifted on the jack. Raise the car again with the jack. If the wheel isn’t loose then rotate it by 90 degrees and repeat and so on. It usually works after the first or second go.

By: John

John — Tue, 21 Aug 2012 21:04:15 +0000

any tips if the flat is stuck on your car. i’ve changed many tires before, but i had one i was helping out with that was so stuck i couldn’t get it off to put the spare on. i didn’t want push it around too much to get the car off the jack…

By: Joyce

Joyce — Sat, 18 Aug 2012 15:41:16 +0000

Do you know what’s very unmanly? When a young woman has to pull over and change the flat tire on a guy’s car for him because he doesn’t know how to do it. It still baffles me that there are guys who cannot change a flat tire. My dad wouldn’t let me take my car out on my own until he was confident that I could change a flat if need be. Sure, I’ve never had to actually change my own flats on my car because some man born and raised in the days of chivalry would pull over and change it for me, but nevertheless, I still have the skill.

By: Matthew W

Matthew W — Fri, 17 Aug 2012 05:17:01 +0000

Addendum: know if you have locking lug nuts and if so, where the key is. Gave me a heck of a hard time with my first flat.

By: Luis

Luis — Thu, 16 Aug 2012 18:40:00 +0000

Good post. I remember my first flat tire like it was yesterday. Among the things I learned was that the tiny stock lug wrench included with most cars is not long enough to provide enough torque to remove an over-tightened bolt (a commonly committed sin by Jiffy Lube-grade mechanics, and a common occurrence in old beater cars). So there I was, on the side of the road in New York City with my ’84 Toyota, when a helpful gentleman walking past saw me hopelessly trying to stand upright on the tiny, one-foot stock lug wrench to make the bolt come loose. I was getting nowhere fast (and at risk of stripping the bolt head) when he went into his home and returned with a three foot length of hard white plastic plumbing pipe which slipped into the lug wrench, making it longer. He pointed out I should put all my force on the very end of the pipe. Instantly came off the tire, and thus I discovered torque. (Later I would come to own an indispensable mechanic’s tool called a Breaker Bar). I would come to learn that pretty much every bolt in automobiles has a factory recommended torque. These days I use a torque wrench to tighten the lugs on my VW, to the required 89 foot pounds. I even go to the extreme of checking the torque when returning from the Goodyear store. I still carry the itty bitty stock lug wrench for my car, and I’ve painlessly changed flats with it on my car more than once. Also useful to note, as a previous poster stated, is that overtightening your lug nuts can cause your brake rotors to prematurely warp.

By: Anthony

Anthony — Thu, 16 Aug 2012 17:57:18 +0000

@Dave: that’s so the wheel won’t turn while you are tightening the bolt. It shouldn’t move while up in the air anyway, but there is just a bit of give. Tightening the nuts again once the car is on the ground is not strictly necessary, but is an extra step to ensure safety.

By: MikeB

MikeB — Thu, 16 Aug 2012 17:27:43 +0000

Where in the heck are you all from… ALL Your Man Cards are revoked until you learn basic manly skills.. how to change a tire doesn’t count since it’s an implied task for every driver, niether does driving a standard transmission. Ok… first learn how to do basic automotive repairs… change your own brakes, rotate your tires, change your oil… next build something out of lumber.. a tree-house for your kid, a tool shed to keep your manly tools, operate a chainsaw without removing any of your own limbs, now either go hunting or go buy a cow or pig… kill and butcher same preserve the meat and feed your family….

By: Graeme S

Graeme S — Thu, 16 Aug 2012 16:58:06 +0000

@Dave, when the car is raised the wheel is pretty much free to rotate, especially in a manual car that has been parked in neutral, lowering the car means you will be able to get more leverage and hence tighten the bolts more securely.

By: Dean

Dean — Thu, 16 Aug 2012 16:38:09 +0000

@Allen, your information is wrong sir. Your best tire should always be on the rear of the vehicle. This is a newer train of thought. If you are traveling down the road and the vehicle begins to hydroplane, the front tires will break loose first. Having the better tire on the rear will give you more control, than a “donut” tire.
Source: http://www.tia.com

By: Two Tone

Two Tone — Thu, 16 Aug 2012 16:20:47 +0000

1. Carry a can of “flat-fix.”
2. Inflate flat tire (tread puncture, not ripped sidewall).
3. Drive to nearest gas station.
4. Top of with air
5. Get tire repaired as soon as possible.

The above is fast, quick and safe.

Your article should start by asking if your flat tire car is in a safe location. Many people are killed each year trying to fix a flat on the side of a road, at night, in a rain storm, around a blind corner. etc. If it’s not safe, call a tow truck or a cab.