How to Change a Tire

A flat tire can happen to any vehicle. It is important to know how to safely replace a flat tire in case of an emergency. Follow these steps and you'll be ready to change your flat tire just in case.

1 - Tire Wrench

2 - Jack Handle

3 - Jack

4 - Spare Tire

Most vehicles have all of these items stored under the floor panel in the trunk. Gather your tire wrench, jack handle, jack, and spare tire, and set them close to the tire you will be changing. Make sure the jack is fully lowered to fit under the vehicle.

Park your vehicle in a safe place where you will not be in traffic while changing your tire. You can pull over onto the shoulder of the road, or into a parking lot.

Make sure your vehicle's parking brake is engaged and the vehicle is in park, and the vehicle is turned OFF. If your vehicle has a manual transmission, put your car into first or reverse gear. This will prevent the vehicle from rolling while you are changing the tire.

Break loose the lug nuts while the vehicle is still on the ground by turning them counter-clockwise with the tire wrench. This will allow you to break loose the lug nuts without the wheel turning.

Loosen the lug nuts following an X or star pattern depending on how many lug nuts your vehicle has (see second image for patterns).

Do not fully loosen and remove the lug nuts. Keep the lug nuts slightly threaded onto the wheel studs so the wheel does not fall off when you jack up the vehicle.

Find the safe jacking points for your specific vehicle. Typically they are identified by two half crescent cut outs located on the frame rails under the doors. Refer to your specific vehicle's owner manual for exact locations.

Position the jack under the vehicle so that it is aligned between the two crescent cut outs on the frame rails.

Raise the jack up by rotating the jack handle clockwise. Raise the jack high enough to where it begins to contact the vehicle and make sure the jack is oriented properly. If your jack has a slot cut into the head of the jack, make sure it is aligned parallel to the jacking points so that the frame rails sit into the slot on the jack.

Once you are sure that the jack is aligned properly under the vehicle, you can continue to raise the vehicle up. Only raise the vehicle high enough so that there is a small gap underneath the tire and the wheel can spin freely.

Refer to your specific vehicle's owners manual on how to operate your jack.

Remove the lug nuts by loosening them counter-clockwise with the tire wrench until they come off. When all lug nuts are removed, carefully lift the tire up and pull it back towards yourself.

Once the tire is off of the studs, you can lay it face down so that it does not roll away.

Lift the spare tire and align the lug nut holes with the wheel studs. Push the wheel forward to seat on the wheel studs. Attach the lug nuts to each wheel stud by turning them clockwise. DO NOT FULLY TIGHTEN THE LUG NUTS. The lug nuts only need to be HAND TIGHT, they will be fully tightened in the next step.

Lower the vehicle by turning the jack handle counter-clockwise. Fully lower the jack back to it's initial position so that you can remove it from under the vehicle.

Fully tighten the lug nuts in an X or star pattern by turning them clockwise with the tire wrench. Tighten them as much as you can without straining yourself.

Return tire wrench, jack handle, and jack to their storage areas and store the flat tire in the trunk or back seat of the vehicle.

Refer to your specific vehicle's owners manual for information on your spare tire. Be careful when driving on a spare tire and always follow the manufacturers safety and speed recommendations for your spare tire.