Car tyres can be punctured and go flat. When it’ll happen is unpredictable, although it’s never at a convenient time, but you can change a wheel quickly and safely. Details follow, assuming you have the necessary equipment; you may wish to acquire some of the items mentioned.
There is a cardinal rule about wheel changing – never attempt it on the hard shoulder of a motorway or busy road. If reasonably close to an exit or turnoff, you can ‘nurse’ your car to a safe spot but if you can’t, call your breakdown service. Trying to change a wheel inches from a busy traffic lane is far too dangerous to contemplate.
Your safe spot needs to have a firm, smooth surface. Park your car, turn on its hazard lights and set up your warning triangle. Then find the equipment you need. Your car will have a jack and wheel nut wrench in its toolkit and the spare wheel will be either in or under the car. The handbook will tell you where the spare lives and how to extract it. Before starting, have any passengers get out of the car and stand well away from the car and passing traffic.
And so to work. Ensure your car’s handbrake is firmly applied and that the car is in gear or, if automatic, is in ‘park’. Then, chock the wheel diagonally opposite to the one you must change. Now to position the jack. Place it exactly where the handbook says – nowhere else will do – and raise the car just enough to check the jack is firmly seated. Remove the wheel trim if one is fitted, cutting through any cable ties retaining it. Alternatively, if there are any, remove the wheel nuts’ caps.
Loosening the wheel fastenings can involve applying considerable force. Ensure the wrench engages completely before starting to turn each fastening – they’re usually loosened anticlockwise. The car’s weight stops the wheel turning and all you do now is slacken the nuts or bolts. Always apply force downwards. You may stand up and press on the wrench with your foot but support yourself against the car. If one fastening is an anti-theft locking nut/bolt; there’ll be a fitting you can use with the wheel wrench to loosen it.
Next, jack the car up until the wheel with the flat tyre is off the ground – and never place any part of you between any part of the car and the ground. Now, remove all but the topmost wheel nut/bolt. Then, you can support the wheel, remove the last nut or bolt and take the wheel off. Note that a wheel and tyre combination can be heavy so make sure you lift it with a straight back and a firm footing.
Now to fit the spare wheel. Lift it into place on the hub, align the nut/bolt holes and fit the topmost one. Turn it finger tight then replace the remaining fastenings, also finger tight. Lower the jack and remove it, then fully tighten the fastenings in a diagonal pattern. You can now put the equipment you’ve used – and the offending wheel and tyre – back where it belongs.
All finished now? Not quite. Nowadays, wheel fastenings must be torque tightened to a specific degree. You also need to check the pressure in the spare tyre, adjusting it if necessary; and of course, have the punctured tyre repaired or replaced. The first two tasks should be carried out as soon as possible, for safety’s sake.
Two further points remain. The first concerns making wheel changing as easy and safe as possible. Refinements exist and you may want to take advantage of them, buying a pair of heavy gloves and a reflective waistcoat, and acquiring anything else you might need. You may also want to practise a wheel change at home, when it’s warm and dry.
The second and final point concerns ‘space saver’ spare wheels. Your car may have one and restrictions of speed (usually 50mph) and distance apply to them. In some cars, after a space saver spare is fitted, some dashboard warning lights may illuminate. Some ABS, traction control and automatic gearbox sensors can be confused by the presence of a space saver spare. Once again, your car’s handbook will tell you about this.
Merityre are a leading UK independent supplier of car tyres. Why not visit their website at www.merityre.co.uk and see where you can buy your next set of tyres.
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