What to do When your Car has a Flat Tire

Almost all drivers have faced the unwelcome moment of a flat tire whilst on the move. If this happens to you, being stranded alongside the road can be the choice unless you do not know what to do with a flat tire. In the circumstance of a flat tire first of all the driver should be able to control the vehicle. You should slow down the engine speed and pull down the vehicle as far as to a side of the road.  The aim should be to replace the flat tire with the spare tire in order to reach the nearest garage to get your tire repaired.

There are a few steps to follow to replace a flat tire, for which every car should be equipped with a set of tools.  The most essential items are scissors jack, lug-nut key, leverage pipe, flashlight, lug-nut wrench and screwdrivers.

Step 1:     The vehicle should be on a flat surface because it is prone to an unexpected accident if the car falls sideways or roll forward or backward when the flat tire is raised on a slope. 

Step 2:      Make sure that the engine is switched off. Turn the flashlights on.  Set the parking brake. Put the car on a 1st or 2nd gear. Raising the hood is certainly an indication to the other drivers that the vehicle is under repairs.

Step 3:      Keep all necessary tools and the spare tire organized near the place where the flat tire is raised. This will help efficient replacement.

Step 4:      Chock the opposite wheels with two logs or large stones or other suitable objects prior to raising the tire to prevent it from rolling. 

Step 5:      Remove the hub cap with a screwdriver to facilitate the removal of the lug nuts.

Step 6:      It is very important to know how to jack up the vehicle when you are replacing the flat tire. If the jack is not properly positioned, the vehicle can slide and topple during the replacement. Therefore to avoid any such accidents, place the jack under the side sill of the body or suspension lift points as per the instructions given in the vehicle owner’s manual.

Step 7:      Loosen the lug nuts with the lug-nut wrench before raising the vehicle. It is obvious that loosening of lug nuts becomes easy if the tire is not turning when the tire is fully tight on the ground. Turn the lug nuts counterclockwise and do not remove them completely.

Step 8:      Jack up the car carefully and slowly and then remove the lug nuts and take the flat tire off the hub.

Step 9:      Put the spare through the wheel studs and tighten each of the lug nuts by hand. Lower the jack carefully and remove it. It is now easy to tighten down the lug nuts clockwise completely with the lug-nut wrench. Then replace the hubcap properly.

Step 10:      Remove the objects placed to block the other wheels and drive the vehicle at the specified speed applicable to the spare tire, because most of the spares are slightly smaller in size.

While you may adjust some of these steps to suit the situation and the terrain, applying these in to your flat tire replacement process can make sure of you getting back on the road safe and sound.