dualman7

Believe it or not, i have never changed a car tire. I am going on a very long trip and I would feel much safer if someone here could explain it to me. My biggest concern is that the car's tires are 17 inches, but the donut is about 14.

maleficent

In your car emergency kit, you will probably want to have a set of road flares... and a good solid flashlight that you can put on the ground. to give you light.

what kind of jack is in the car? There are two main types of jack, as far as I know, the post type which has a metal thingie that fits into a hole at the jacking point on the car and the scissor type that has a pad which fits under the jacking point.

Hardest part is figuring out where to put the jack and getting the car up. The car owners manual should have that info for you.

Put the car in park.
It's best to be on a flat surface - -and it's even better to have your back not towards the road, but sometimes that can't be helped.
Put the jack in the appropriate place

remove the hubcap and place off to the side, of give ot your sidekick to hjold
Using the lug wrench (usually apart of the jack) to loosen the lug nuts (this goes out of order but I usually needed the wheel flat in order to get enough leverage to loosen em)
(Lefty - loosey righty tighty - remember that)

Jack up the car...

Take off the lug nuts...

Remove the tire.

Grab the donut and put on car (though I would suggest getting a regulation tire rather than a donut - donuts are only good really to get you to the service station)

Tighten lug nuts

Lower car (the jacking instructions should be in the owners manual - I'm maiking furioous hand motions trying to explain it -and can't do it0

When tire is flat on ground, use the lug wrench to tighten bolts..

put tire and hubcap away.

Drive carefully away

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Changing a tire really isn't that difficult, but it's something you might want to practice in the driveway... Every flat I have ever gotten has been late at night, or in the rain, or on a busy highway... basically a place where you want to get the job done and get out -- it's not a time for you to second guess yourself -- try it once or twice in the driveway - to make sure you can actually work the jack...

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Lebell

good run down, Mal.

The only thing I would add is that you are supposed to tighten lugs in a star pattern as opposed to in a circular pattern and that you will have to go around a few times as each lug tightened will make the others looser as the rim snugs up to the wheel.

It's a really good thing to read the owners manual BEFORE you need to do shit like this.

You might also have the air in your spare checked before your trip.

As to the donut, those are meant for temporary use. If you need to use it, use a max speed of 55 and GET YOUR REGULAR TIRE FIXED ASAP. The donut can usually go 100-200 miles with no problem, but I personally would hate to take it further than that.

But I HAVE driven on one without problem, so don't stress about it.

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maleficent

Question I have since we're on the subject -- the regular tires are 17 inches, the donut is 14 inches - driving on the donut (and I know it's not meant for distances) doesn't do anything to the alignment of the car?

Damn, I forgot about the star pattern, I actually did know that...

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shesus

I want to add that the jacks that come with the cars usually aren't the best. I remember watching some friends of mine have a lot of trouble with the jack because it was too small and difficult to work because of the detachable parts.

I cannot offer much more advice because I have never changed a tire. I used to call my dad when I lived in the same town as him. Now, I would have my husband do it or call AAA. I just know that you need to be careful not to lose any of the small parts. That is my job during the process. *insert joke here about holding nuts*

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shakran

couple'a things missed.

1) get a rock and chock the wheel that's on the opposite corner of the car from where the flat is. Fail to do this and the car could roll forward, come off the jack, and if the wheel's already off you could do some good damage to the brakes, hub, or suspension.

2) Put the spare on a NON DRIVE wheel. This is extremely important. Failure to do this can screw up your differential. On a front wheel drive car, that means the spare goes on the rear, so if you have a flat on the front tire you need to jack that side up, put the spare on, then jack up the back, take the good tire off, put the bad tire on there, then jack up the front again, put the good tire on, then jack up the back again and replace the flat with the spare.

Cynthetiq

oh.. I call the tow truck service since I paid for it...but my father made me change a tire before I was allowed to drive a car.

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maleficent

and I had to change the oil too.... changing the tire came in handy on more than one occassion...

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shesus

I was thinking and one very important step is missing.

The first thing you need to do is jump up and down, swear, and kick the damned tire.

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maleficent

That is one of my favorite I Love Lucy episodes

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powerclown

Buy 2 cans. Leave the spare tire alone.

shakran

That works great until you get a slash or the puncture is too big or your tire blows out. It's still quite useful to know how to change a tire.

shesus

Wondered if anyone would pick up on that. Was going to say swear in Spanish, but that would have given it away...lol

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MSD

Torque them down when it's still up, then again when it's on the ground. If you don't, you risk having one or two lugs loose and developing a wobble, followed by the mechanical condition known by the technical term, "Oh shit, my wheel fell off." Pull the handbrake if you're changing the rear tire.

I've gone almost 200 miles on a donut at an average of 75mph, but the tire is usually only rated at 63 max, so don't be like me. Do yourself a favor and get a full-size spare.

The most important thing that's been mentioned is that you should never put it on a drive wheel. You will fuck up the differential if you do. With a 14 incher and three 17's, you're going to feel the car pulling a lot at first, but you'll get used to it and subconsciously correct for it quickly.

Although some people swear by canned tire sealants, I feel that there's too much of a risk of a blowout if you use them.

edit: You'll thank yourself the first time you use it if you stop by Auto Zone or Pep Boys and get a 2-ton hydraulic jack (assuming your vehicle weighs less than 2 tons fully loaded. Check the sticker on the driver's side door frame or door and look for "GAWR" or "Gross Vehicle Weight" and buy a jack that exceeds that capacity.)

Cynthetiq

another reason to NOT use the cans is that if you have small puncture (not on the sidewall) you can have it repaired. If you use the can stuff, you will have to buy a brand new tire, and chances are you'll be buying 2 tires since you don't want them to be unevenly worn.

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canuckguy

good luck on the trip, make sure to loosen the bolts before jacking the car up though!

pattycakes

when you lose all the lug nuts because someone was holding them in the hub cap you have to say ohhhh fudge


anyway, one thing they missed is undo the lugnuts part way before you jack it up it will help you alot, unless your e brake will stop the tire from turning ( mine dosent work )

AND when tightening or losening dont be afraid to but the lug wrench on and stand on it to losten up the lugnuts. if you want to d the same which i suggest to tighten them hand tighten them the best you can, then unjack the car and stand on the wrench to make em tight

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pattycakes

dont do this is you dont have to this is how you screw up your alignment, doughnuts are only supposed to be used for a short time. you can use them longer but then you start running risks

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canuckguy

i love that movie!

pattycakes

lol someone got it

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kutulu

mmm... doughnuts...

pattycakes

ROFL that is great

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Jesus Pimp

Shouldn't this be in Tilted How-to?

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