How to change a flat tyre
Changing a flat tyre isn’t as difficult
as it might seem, and a very handy skill for any driver to
have.
- First, make sure you pull over in a safe area, on a firm, flat
surface away from traffic. Apply the handbrake and turn on your
hazard lights. As an extra safety measure, it’s a good idea to
chock the wheel diagonally opposite the one you’re changing with a
brick or piece of wood.
- Now you’ll need a jack and wheel brace – you’ll find these in
the boot of your car. To find where to place your jack, refer to
your car’s manual, or look for small grooves or notches on the
underside of your car.
- When the jack is in place, turn the handle slowly to remove a
little of the car’s weight from the tyre.
- Place the wheel brace on one of the wheel nuts and turn the
brace in an anti-clockwise direction to loosen the nut. You can use
your foot on the brace if the nuts are too tight. Loosen all wheel
nuts, but don’t remove them completely.
- Use the jack to lift the car further off the ground – you need
to make enough room to allow you to fit the spare wheel.
- Remove the wheel nuts one by one and gently remove the flat
tyre (be careful not to lose them!).
- Place the spare wheel on the car and replace the wheel nuts.
Use the wheel brace to gently secure them, but don’t tighten them
fully yet.
- Unwind the jack to lower the car, then remove the jack.
- Tighten the wheel nuts. You don’t need brute force here –
position the wheel brace horizontally and use your body weight to
push down on it.
- Place the flat tyre securely in the boot. Make sure you have it
fixed or replaced as soon as possible.
If you have any trouble or aren’t feeling confident that you can
do it yourself, you can call for roadside assistance from your
automobile club.
