We’ve all been here, or at least I’ve been through this.. On the road, alone, late at night, returning home from work. And then suddenly – boom. You hit a pothole without even seeing it and you end up with a flat tire.

Just perfect.

At least it was in the summer and the weather outside was warm. I knew it was time to get my hands dirty once more.

I won’t say anything about the fact that nobody stopped to ask me if I needed help (thank God I was prepared with a spare tire and tools, and knew exactly what to do).

Unfortunately this happens to a lot of people that are not prepared for such situations and don’t have an idea what to do. That’s why I’ve created this article and I’m sure that it will answer you how to change a flat tire on a car.

Don’t panic!

The most important thing is to stay calm.

Nothing bad happened, just a flat tire.

It happened to me a lot of times, now it happens to you, tomorrow it will happen to somebody else. Everything is going to be fine, just keep up with the instructions step by step.

1. Safety For Yourself & Safety For the Others.

Alright, the damage is done and this is the moment you realize that your tire is going to die soon. You may have some time until the air is completely out, but for sure you have to pull over. (Having a Run-Flat Tire changes the story)

At the moment you realize that your tire is flat, try to decrease your speed, but do it slowly, and not hard. Doing it hard may endanger the driver that is moving behind you or might result in losing the control of your vehicle.

If you drive a car with a manual transmission, try to kill the speed using the gears, and use the brakes just to help the speed decrease.

Indicate with the emergency flasher that something isn’t alright and try to kill the speed as softly as possible.

Continue driving slowly and carefully until you find a suitable site on the road where you can stop your vehicle without being an obstacle and if that is impossible, try to stop as far to the right.

Try to find a place that is flat and the surface is solid, like asphalt. If it’s possible, avoid stopping on top of dirt, sand or rocks as the surface won’t be stable when you raise the car. However, avoid driving long distances with a flat tire as it will damage the rim.

Turn off your engine to save fuel, apply the handbrake / parking brake, and if your car is with a manual transmission, put it on first gear or on “Reverse”. In that manner you will secure the car in one place without the possibility of moving unintentionally.

If you have some wheel wedges, put them in front of the other wheels. If you don’t have, a big rock, a brick or a wooden object will do just fine.

Keep the emergency flasher on and if it’s possible put a warning triangle somewhere behind the car in a place that can be noticed by others.

2. Preparing the Spare Tire & the Other Tools.

After the car is secured you should step out and note the damage.

Be careful when opening the doors as you may be hit by another passing car! Always look at the mirrors before exiting.

Observe which tire is damaged and see if the ground underneath it is stable before taking any action. If you think that the surface is not safe for raising the car, better move the car slowly until it’s standing on solid ground.

Don’t skip this step as it is critical.

Alright, now is the time to prepare everything we need.

There you have a list of what equipment you should ALWAYS carry for situations like this:

• A fully functioning, ready-to-use spare tire. It may be temporary one.
• A car jack – for raising the car.
• A Socket Wrench (preferable) or a Lug Wrench for tightening or loosening the wheel nuts.
• A Torque Wrench (optional). It is used to tighten up the lug nuts with the right torque.
• A metal tube (optional). You can extend your Lug or Torque wrench with it, making it easier to loosen the wheel nuts.
• Wheel wedges (optional, but important). If you don’t have, rocks, bricks or some wooden object will do fine.
• Gloves for not getting your hands dirty (optional).
• An old blanket for the ground (optional).
• A torch for a light source if it’s necessary (optional).

If you don’t have any of those tools you should purchase them as soon as possible as they are really important. They will save you tons of money.

And what is even better? I have prepared a list of some great tools you can check out HERE. I know that searching for and comparing stuff can be frustrating sometimes. Check the list, you won’t be sorry!

There is a fun story: once we were traveling to Greece from Bulgaria when late at night we hit a pothole. Our lug wrench wasn’t good for the wheel and we didn’t have anything better (I know, we should’ve checked everything before the trip).

We tried to stop some cars, but nobody could help us. Our only option was call Road Assistance. But as the closest city with an available team was far from us, they wanted a lot of money for the trip. Thank God, a road assistance truck randomly passed by and helped us change the tire.

We saved a lot of time and money because of that guy. So always be prepared.

3. Getting Your Hands Dirty.

So, it is time for some action.

You already have everything prepared, so what next? Follow these steps and you will be fine. Don’t worry, changing the tire doesn’t take much time.

1. In the first place I would put the blanket next to the tire, as the ground can be dirty, and if I have some around, I would also put on some gloves. These are completely optional but I strongly recommend them especially if you don’t want dirty clothes or hands.

2. Remove the plastic wheel trim if you have one. Something sharp would help. Some lug wrenches come with the one side flat, so you can use this. If you don’t have plastic wheel trim, skip this step.

3. Take out your lug wrench.

If you have a socket wrench, put on the right socket size for your wheel nuts. Try to loosen the nuts by turning the wrench anti-clockwise. Sometimes it may be tough. Don’t be afraid to use force. If it’s very tough, this is where I’ll extend the tool with the metal tube. It will make it much easier. Believe me, it works perfectly fine. You can even use your body weight to help you. Loosen them until the point you can turn them easily by hand, but don’t remove them yet.

4. Locate the car’s jack points. There is usually one behind both front wheels and one in front of both back wheels. It should usually match the shape of the top of the jack. But if you are not sure where is it exactly, look at your owner’s manual. It is indicated there.

The jack point is reinforced, so you shouldn’t have problems when you place the jack on that place.

Not placing the car jack correctly may cause damage to the car or injure you if the car slips from it. So very careful there!

5. After placing the car jack correctly, lift the car up at around 15 cm (around 6 inches) from the ground.

If you are not sure about the centimeters stuff, just lift the car until you can freely remove the tire without it touching the ground. But don’t over lift. Don’t worry about the popping sounds you may hear, it is normal.

6. After the wheel is in the air, remove the nuts. They should be easily removed by hand at this point. Keep them in a safe place.

7. Pull out the damaged tire, then take it out of the way and bring the spare tire forward. Lift it up until the holes are lined with the wheel hub bolts and push it until the bolts are inside the holes.

The only thing that should remain is placing the wheel nuts back on their place.

8. After placing the wheel nuts back, turn them by hand until they start to tighten. Then drop the car slightly until the wheel makes contact with the ground, but not completely.

9. Tighten the lug nuts using the wrench by rotating them clockwise. Do it in a “star” pattern, which ensures that the wheel is tightened evenly. “Star” pattern is when you tighten one nut, and then the opposite one rather than the one next to it.

For visuals, see the image.

Tighten them well until they stop moving and are secured but just don’t overdo it as it will make it hard to loosen them again the next time you need it.

If you have a torque wrench, set it up with the right torque setting (you can search more about it in your owner’s manual, as it is individual for each car and model), and tighten the lug nuts with it until you hear a “click”. Read more about torque settings here.

Double check if the tire is tightened correctly by trying to move the tire imitating vibrations.

10. After everything is done, drop the car completely and remove the car jack. Place the plastic wheel trim if there is any.

11. Put back inside your car the damaged tire and the tools. Look around and make sure you didn’t leave anything behind.

Visiting a Licensed Service.

And there it is, your tire is successfully replaced.

It is time to bring the damaged one to a professional so he can decide if it can be repaired or if it’s a time for a new one.

Sometimes the problem can also be the rim, especially after hitting a pothole, as the impact deforms the shape of the rim, makes a hole in the end, thus letting the air out. A technician can restore the rims and make them like new, so always ask what can be done before deciding on buying new ones.

If your spare tire is temporary, you should replace it with a normal one as soon as possible and never exceed the speed limit stated on the rubber. Remember, the tire is just temporary so you can reach home or a repair shop. They are not made for long-distance driving.

Do you have a fun story to tell about flat tires? I will be more than happy to read them!

Also, whatever questions – I’m here for you.

Drive safe!