Art of Manliness: How To Change A Flat Tire | The Art of Manliness
Fr. Cory Sticha
· 1 year ago
Don't forget that the only time a flat tire occurs is when your trunk is full of stuff and the spare is buried underneath all of it. This means that the first step in changing the tire, after stopping the car, is to empty out the trunk so that you can get to the spare tire and jack.
William Bargo
· 1 year ago
Don't forget the rain. Flat tires always occur during a torrential rain...unless it's snowing.
Alex
· 1 year ago
I appreciate the diaghram about the star pattern. I hadn't heard that before.
alfred
· 1 year ago
how long should you be driving on a spare?
dajolt
· 1 year ago
Already had to do this myself (without having any clue about it)- and guess what - it is covered in the car's manual, just like other tasks you could perform yourself.
So just leaf through that manual once and make sure you have it in the car at all times and you'll be OK most of the time...
Dennis
· 1 year ago
Originally Posted By dajoltAlready had to do this myself (without having any clue about it)- and guess what - it is covered in the car's manual, just like other tasks you could perform yourself.
So just leaf through that manual once and make sure you have it in the car at all times and you'll be OK most of the time...
Speaking of manuals, it will probably recommend that you should pull over after a few miles on the spare to re-tighten the lugs on the spare before continuing on as well as max speed, distance and weight limitations. All of these items can change significantly if you have a compact or full size spare.
In the spirit of the Man of the Year recommendations, kudo's to my Dad who taught me how to change a tire.
Overstroming
· 1 year ago
Safety is important, always make sure that you minimise your exposure to traffic when changing a wheel. Especially at night and poor visibility. It's better to drive slowly on a flat tyre to a safe stopping place, than try to change it and get hit on the head by a truck.
Also, because the flat tyre is, well, flat you don't need to jack the car too high to remove it, however you will often have not enough clearance to fit the spare and have to jack it up some more. This isn't a problem if you're safely set up but it';s better not to risk the car coming down on the naked hub, so jack it to a good height before removing the flat.
And most important - get the flat tyre repaired or replaced. You don't want to find it in your tyre-well the next time you get a puncture.
@alfred - depends on the spare. If you have one of those little donut things, you are supposed to keep it under 50mph and, IIRC, 50 miles.
If it is a real tire, well... its a real tire. You should have a real tire for a spare. Go buy one.
Glen
· 1 year ago
Along the lines of William's comment, flat tires will usually happen when you are wearing nice clothes. They never happen when you are driving around in your dirty work clothes. Get an inexpensive oversized jumpsuit (even the disposable kind work). Also toss in a pair of gloves. You will do a better and faster job if you are not worrying about getting dirty.
James III
· 1 year ago
When the Firstone tires where flying off tires all around the country it happened to me as well. Luckily, even though I was drving 70+ miles an hour and lite new rain was on the road the tire did not come completely apart...
However, the tire was then completely bald and missing all tread. The tread, which flew up into the window, scared the piss out my friends. I nearly lost control of the Jeep except that my father had taught me how to regain control from hydroplaning when he taught me how to drive. (I was 18 at the time and still a new driver, though I had gone mudding quite often by this point.) It seems that the principle was the same and I reacted with muscle memory and remained calm. I firmly believe that because I neither jerked the stirring wheel in the "natural" direction nor slammed on the brakes I saved the lives of my good friends that summer.
There was another important lesson after the nearly dieing part.
I pulled off the highway on to some really soft ground. The jack sank into the soft sandy ground of East Texas. So I had the three friends who were in car get out, with their stuff that was mostly water proof. (We were on our way home from camping.) We used a large piece of my tire tread that we had retrieved from the side of highway to support the jack. The scrap was wide enough that the jack could not displace enough ground to sink. Ever since then I have carried a small piece of plywood in my trucks to facilitate an easier change.
Jim Nutt
· 1 year ago
Since I off-road a fair amount, I have a 20# CO2 cylinder, air tools and a trolley jack in the back of the jeep. Makes short work of changing flats on the side of the road (or on the trail) and the look on someone's face when you pull out the air tools is priceless. Of course, it's not nearly as much fun when I'm driving my wife's car...
Dennis
· 1 year ago
Keep a can of WD-40 or some other light oil somewhere in your vehicle. If your lugnuts are stuck so tight your manly strength can't loosen them, squirt a little oil on them and let it sit for a few minutes. A lot of times, WD-40 can loosen up the threads inside the nut, and it will allow you to break it loose. I learned that trick from a 74 year-old tree farmer.
Art
· 1 year ago
Have your tires rotated regularly. In addition to reducing the risk of a blowout, taking the wheels off periodically keeps them from rusting onto the hubs. There's nothing worse than jacking up a truck in a snowstorm, getting the lugs off, and finding that the wheel is still seized on.
I think "How to Drive in Crap" should be the next entry in this series. I learned how to drive in Western NY in the winter, and one of the first things my parents made me do was take the car to an empty, snow covered, parking lot and slide it around. The more time you spend getting a car out of control on purpose, the safer you're going to be when it happens unexpectedly.
TimBuck2
· 1 year ago
Great post and excellent comments. I never pass up the opportunity to assist a female or elderly couple if they have a flat tire. I'd like to add a few ideas that can help.
First, it was mentioned about safety. If you have the opportunity, pull off to a safe location such as a side road or parking lot. Put on your 4way flashers or get one of those handy flashing emergency strobes at the auto stores. If your pulling off to help others, park your car between you and the oncoming traffic.
Second, have something to kneel on, such as a small section of rug, or an old pillow, helpful for your knees. I like the idea of a pair of gloves as Glen said.
Also, since you got those lug nuts off, grease them for next time!
Cheers!
Spoon
· 1 year ago
Changing a flat tire is one of the easiest things a person can do with their car, and as dajolt mentioned, it's usually well-detailed in your car's manual; there's no excuse for a person to not know how to change a tire.
I've changed a number of flat tires on my own car or on friends' cars, to the point that it's almost routine. At the same time, it's always a pain because, as the article says, flat tires never seem to occur at opportune times.
The worst for me was when my wife and I were driving to a friend's wedding in a city 100+ miles from home on a Saturday evening. Since we were driving back home after the wedding, my wife was driving there and I would drive us back home. Just a couple exits away from where we were going, our rear right tire suddenly goes flat. My wife (who was driving at the time) pulls the car off on an exit ramp, and I get out, in some of my best clothes, and change the tire.
On the down side, we missed the wedding (but we did make it to the reception). On the up side, thank God, we were able to find a tire place that was still open to replace the flat tire (it had a big hole in it and was beyond repair).
Now that I think about it, I think I may want to get actual spare tires for our cars in the future, since the worst part of that ordeal was wondering how we were going to get home (the "doughnut" spares aren't good for driving on for 100 miles).
So, I'd add another point to the "Law of Flat Tires": Flat tires almost always occur when all the tire repair shops are closed. Perhaps I might suggest that a future post discuss how to repair a tire?
Also, to answer alfred's question, if you have one of those little "doughnut" spares (i.e., the smaller tire/wheel), those are only intended to get you as far as the nearest tire shop.
One more point (and then I'll shut up): get to know the tire places around you. Most will charge somewhere around $30 (I believe) to repair a flat. However, in my area, I know Kauffman Tire will repair a flat for free, and that applies to anyone, not just people who have bought tires from them.
SteveW
· 1 year ago
I don't understand what you mean about putting a "block" on the opposite tire. Do you mean to set something on top of it?
Adam
· 1 year ago
Solid article, I was thinking 'i wonder if he'll say..." then 2 seconds later I'd read it. You may have saved a lot of guys here, 'cause there's nothing more un-manly than not being able to change a tire haha. How about a change the oil article? I still know some people that don't know how that works.
John of Indiana
· 1 year ago
Many years ago, when I wasn't really "better off than I was 4 years ago", I had so much practice changing the $20 used tyres that I wore down to the strings that I had a personal best one rainy night of under 8 minutes.
My SO's BIL, supposedly a mechanic, drove his car 8 miles on the rim and left it at her place because he couldn't get the lugnutz loose (so he says, I think it's because he's stupid and lazy)
Dann
· 1 year ago
Good article. Learning to change a tire is a must for all men and young men. You covered everything necessary to change a flat -- once it has gone flat. I would add a few preventative measures.
Periodically check the air pressure in your tires and inspect the condition of the tread. Under or Over inflated tires is probably the #1 cause of tire failure. And while you are checking tire pressures, check the pressure in the spare also. There is nothing worse than having a flat and pulling out a flat spare from the trunk..
Read your owners manual BEFORE you have to change a flat. Every vehicle has different jacking points and the spares are not always located where you think. My wife's Caravan has the spare located under the vehicle between the front seats. You have to lower it from inside the van. It amazes me how many people have never even opened the owners manual for their car. People will spend $300 on a new camera and read every page of the manual, but will spend $30,000 on a car and never even look at it.
Practice changing a tire in your driveway when you get a new vehicle. This is a great activity for you and your son (or daughter).
Keep the great article and comments coming. Great site.
Barry
· 1 year ago
Your article covers the step of loosening the lug nuts before jacking the car. It is easy to forget. But if you try to loosen them with the tire off the ground, the tire will spin (if it is a front tire).
Also note that you should not try limp along on a flat tire. Often a tire can be repaired if it is not driven on. It is also quite easy to damage the rim that way.
Steve
· 1 year ago
Make sure not too tighten the nuts too hard. When I was younger (16) my buddy helped me change multiple flats (2 slashed tires, I was pissed), tightened the nuts too tight and stripped the lugs. Had to replace them and it wasn't cheap.
They need to be tight, but not to the point where you strip the lugs.
Cardo
· 1 year ago
The block on the opposite side helps keep the car from moving, especially when you have a drive wheel off the ground. Also, especially if its your wife or daughter, remember that a steel rim costs about $20 from the junk yard and it might be better to have them drive on it to a safe place to get off the freeway, especially in bad weather or bad neighborhoods, instead of getting into trouble. There is no law in my state against driving on a flat as long as you do it safe (4 ways, low speed out of the traffic flow as much as you can) instead of worrying about getting hurt.
I wouldn't recommend this for aluminum or more expensive rims. (just my disclaimer).
Joel
· 1 year ago
One other thing that wasn't mentioned, but is quite important, is to regularly check the condition of the spare. I've been personally caught out by this once, and been caught out again in a friend's car. In both cases, the car had been bought second-hand, and the spare was very badly worn, probably because the previous owner was just being cheap and just replaced a worn tire with the spare. In my friend's case, the spare was so worn that the canvas was showing, absolutely not road legal. In my case, the spare was not as bad, but still looked pretty bad, still probably not road legal. Luckily that flat was in the carpark at work, and it wasn't right at the end of the day, so I took a work car to the closest garage and got them to replace it on the spot.
The other point is that "manly strength" isn't really required to get lug nuts off if you are having trouble, just smart application of physics. Most vehicles come with a L shaped lug wrench, making smart application of physics easy. Just attach the wrench to the lug nut with the handle parallel (or close to parallel) to the ground, and pointing to the left as you are facing the wheel. Then stand on the lug wrench with one foot, and do a bit of bouncing with all your weight. It should move, but be very careful you don't fall over once it suddenly moves. I don't think this method would be suitable for the older X shaped lug wrenches, as there is a possibility that the weld in the middle may break, leaving you probably injured, with the nut still in place, and without a lug wrench.
The jack that comes with your car is lousy and not 100% safe, protect yourself and your rotors and when mounting the spare lay the wheel you just removed under the sill of the car so that if the jack collapses the car will land on the wheel and not you.
KJ
· 1 year ago
Keeping a short length of steel pipe (2-3ft) that fits over the handle of the lug wrench can be a huge help in breaking the lugs free, since it gives you a longer lever to work with. It's especially nice if you have one of those short little 8-inch lug wrenches that makes it hard to get good leverage.
If you have the cross-shaped lug wrench, push down on the one side and pull up on the other. It's much more effective than pushing or pulling alone.
If you change the wheels on your car, be sure your lug wrench fits into the new wheels. When I went from steel wheels to aluminum ones, I didn't think to be check and make sure that the lug wrench I had with my spare would fit inside the holes my lugnuts were recessed into. Got a flat tire at work. It didn't fit. Whoops.
A piece of plywood that's about a square foot or so is awfully nice to have in the trunk in case you've got to change the tire in mud/sand/etc.
Changing the oil: Nice to know, not a required manly skill. When you add in the cost of the oil, the cost of the filter, and the cost and irritation of disposing of the old oil properly, the money saved by changing my own oil is so little that I'd rather just get it done at Wal-Mart or Jiffy Lube and spare myself the trouble.
Willy
· 1 year ago
I would contend that cars with hubcaps are inherently unmanly. And don't start about price. There are plenty of VERY cheap vehicles that don't have hubcaps.
Uberhack
· 1 year ago
My wife once insisted that she would have an easier time changing a flat tire than I would. I called "Bravo Sierra" (BS), she called Triple A.
Peter the Great
· 1 year ago
To "block" a tire is to chock the tire, i.e., to wedge something between the curve of the tread and the ground on a "good" tire, to keep the wheel from turning, and consequently, the car from falling off the jack, a very unwelcome and possibly injurious occurrence. Always chock a tire, on the side you expect the car might roll. A fist-sized rock makes a good ad-hoc chock.
Setting the parking brake is a good idea, esp. to keep a rear wheel from turning as you attempt to break loose the lugs on a small, light car, where there is no engine weight to create the needed friction and leaving the car in gear is not enough. That made the difference for me once.
The coverall may be over-doing things, but a pair of gloves is a great idea. I always have a tube of hand cleaner in the trunk. The difference between accomplishing a task and accomplishing it with style is the Art of Manliness.
Peter
· 1 year ago
@Alex - If you haven't been using the star pattern and just heard about it you probably shouldn't touch you car.. That's best for safety
Parsley
· 1 year ago
I was taught how to change a tyre as a child but I once had to do it in complete darkness. The only light was the occasional headlights of passing cars. The tyre was changed successfully but I took all the skin off my knuckles in the process. Always carry a good torch!
fathersez
· 1 year ago
Yes, a neccessity. Many of our driving schools pass off drivers who don't know how to change tires. I have only had to change it once (thank God) and it was quite a task.
The second time, a young man passing by on a bike stopped and changed the tires for us. God Bless him.
Cheers
Rebecca
· 1 year ago
My tire has a flat today from a pothole in the road. I woud like to say that I am indeed a woman and my trunk is clean. I will be changing my tire in 20minutes with no man help :P
All Comments
So just leaf through that manual once and make sure you have it in the car at all times and you'll be OK most of the time...
Speaking of manuals, it will probably recommend that you should pull over after a few miles on the spare to re-tighten the lugs on the spare before continuing on as well as max speed, distance and weight limitations. All of these items can change significantly if you have a compact or full size spare.
In the spirit of the Man of the Year recommendations, kudo's to my Dad who taught me how to change a tire.
Also, because the flat tyre is, well, flat you don't need to jack the car too high to remove it, however you will often have not enough clearance to fit the spare and have to jack it up some more. This isn't a problem if you're safely set up but it';s better not to risk the car coming down on the naked hub, so jack it to a good height before removing the flat.
And most important - get the flat tyre repaired or replaced. You don't want to find it in your tyre-well the next time you get a puncture.
@alfred -
depends on the spare. If you have one of those little donut things, you are supposed to keep it under 50mph and, IIRC, 50 miles.
If it is a real tire, well... its a real tire. You should have a real tire for a spare. Go buy one.
However, the tire was then completely bald and missing all tread. The tread, which flew up into the window, scared the piss out my friends. I nearly lost control of the Jeep except that my father had taught me how to regain control from hydroplaning when he taught me how to drive. (I was 18 at the time and still a new driver, though I had gone mudding quite often by this point.) It seems that the principle was the same and I reacted with muscle memory and remained calm. I firmly believe that because I neither jerked the stirring wheel in the "natural" direction nor slammed on the brakes I saved the lives of my good friends that summer.
There was another important lesson after the nearly dieing part.
I pulled off the highway on to some really soft ground. The jack sank into the soft sandy ground of East Texas. So I had the three friends who were in car get out, with their stuff that was mostly water proof. (We were on our way home from camping.) We used a large piece of my tire tread that we had retrieved from the side of highway to support the jack. The scrap was wide enough that the jack could not displace enough ground to sink. Ever since then I have carried a small piece of plywood in my trucks to facilitate an easier change.
I think "How to Drive in Crap" should be the next entry in this series. I learned how to drive in Western NY in the winter, and one of the first things my parents made me do was take the car to an empty, snow covered, parking lot and slide it around. The more time you spend getting a car out of control on purpose, the safer you're going to be when it happens unexpectedly.
First, it was mentioned about safety. If you have the opportunity, pull off to a safe location such as a side road or parking lot. Put on your 4way flashers or get one of those handy flashing emergency strobes at the auto stores. If your pulling off to help others, park your car between you and the oncoming traffic.
Second, have something to kneel on, such as a small section of rug, or an old pillow, helpful for your knees. I like the idea of a pair of gloves as Glen said.
Also, since you got those lug nuts off, grease them for next time!
Cheers!
I've changed a number of flat tires on my own car or on friends' cars, to the point that it's almost routine. At the same time, it's always a pain because, as the article says, flat tires never seem to occur at opportune times.
The worst for me was when my wife and I were driving to a friend's wedding in a city 100+ miles from home on a Saturday evening. Since we were driving back home after the wedding, my wife was driving there and I would drive us back home. Just a couple exits away from where we were going, our rear right tire suddenly goes flat. My wife (who was driving at the time) pulls the car off on an exit ramp, and I get out, in some of my best clothes, and change the tire.
On the down side, we missed the wedding (but we did make it to the reception). On the up side, thank God, we were able to find a tire place that was still open to replace the flat tire (it had a big hole in it and was beyond repair).
Now that I think about it, I think I may want to get actual spare tires for our cars in the future, since the worst part of that ordeal was wondering how we were going to get home (the "doughnut" spares aren't good for driving on for 100 miles).
So, I'd add another point to the "Law of Flat Tires": Flat tires almost always occur when all the tire repair shops are closed. Perhaps I might suggest that a future post discuss how to repair a tire?
Also, to answer alfred's question, if you have one of those little "doughnut" spares (i.e., the smaller tire/wheel), those are only intended to get you as far as the nearest tire shop.
One more point (and then I'll shut up): get to know the tire places around you. Most will charge somewhere around $30 (I believe) to repair a flat. However, in my area, I know Kauffman Tire will repair a flat for free, and that applies to anyone, not just people who have bought tires from them.
My SO's BIL, supposedly a mechanic, drove his car 8 miles on the rim and left it at her place because he couldn't get the lugnutz loose (so he says, I think it's because he's stupid and lazy)
Learning to change a tire is a must for all men and young men.
You covered everything necessary to change a flat -- once it has gone flat.
I would add a few preventative measures.
Periodically check the air pressure in your tires and inspect the condition of the tread. Under or Over inflated tires is probably the #1 cause of tire failure.
And while you are checking tire pressures, check the pressure in the spare also.
There is nothing worse than having a flat and pulling out a flat spare from the trunk..
Read your owners manual BEFORE you have to change a flat. Every vehicle has different jacking points and the spares are not always located where you think.
My wife's Caravan has the spare located under the vehicle between the front seats. You have to lower it from inside the van. It amazes me how many people have never even opened the owners manual for their car. People will spend $300 on a new camera and read every page of the manual, but will spend $30,000 on a car and never even look at it.
Practice changing a tire in your driveway when you get a new vehicle. This is a great activity for you and your son (or daughter).
Keep the great article and comments coming. Great site.
Also note that you should not try limp along on a flat tire. Often a tire can be repaired if it is not driven on. It is also quite easy to damage the rim that way.
They need to be tight, but not to the point where you strip the lugs.
Also, especially if its your wife or daughter, remember that a steel rim costs about $20 from the junk yard and it might be better to have them drive on it to a safe place to get off the freeway, especially in bad weather or bad neighborhoods, instead of getting into trouble. There is no law in my state against driving on a flat as long as you do it safe (4 ways, low speed out of the traffic flow as much as you can) instead of worrying about getting hurt.
I wouldn't recommend this for aluminum or more expensive rims. (just my disclaimer).
The other point is that "manly strength" isn't really required to get lug nuts off if you are having trouble, just smart application of physics. Most vehicles come with a L shaped lug wrench, making smart application of physics easy. Just attach the wrench to the lug nut with the handle parallel (or close to parallel) to the ground, and pointing to the left as you are facing the wheel. Then stand on the lug wrench with one foot, and do a bit of bouncing with all your weight. It should move, but be very careful you don't fall over once it suddenly moves. I don't think this method would be suitable for the older X shaped lug wrenches, as there is a possibility that the weld in the middle may break, leaving you probably injured, with the nut still in place, and without a lug wrench.
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The jack that comes with your car is lousy and not 100% safe, protect yourself and your rotors and when mounting the spare lay the wheel you just removed under the sill of the car so that if the jack collapses the car will land on the wheel and not you.
If you have the cross-shaped lug wrench, push down on the one side and pull up on the other. It's much more effective than pushing or pulling alone.
If you change the wheels on your car, be sure your lug wrench fits into the new wheels. When I went from steel wheels to aluminum ones, I didn't think to be check and make sure that the lug wrench I had with my spare would fit inside the holes my lugnuts were recessed into. Got a flat tire at work. It didn't fit. Whoops.
A piece of plywood that's about a square foot or so is awfully nice to have in the trunk in case you've got to change the tire in mud/sand/etc.
Changing the oil: Nice to know, not a required manly skill. When you add in the cost of the oil, the cost of the filter, and the cost and irritation of disposing of the old oil properly, the money saved by changing my own oil is so little that I'd rather just get it done at Wal-Mart or Jiffy Lube and spare myself the trouble.
Setting the parking brake is a good idea, esp. to keep a rear wheel from turning as you attempt to break loose the lugs on a small, light car, where there is no engine weight to create the needed friction and leaving the car in gear is not enough. That made the difference for me once.
The coverall may be over-doing things, but a pair of gloves is a great idea. I always have a tube of hand cleaner in the trunk. The difference between accomplishing a task and accomplishing it with style is the Art of Manliness.
The second time, a young man passing by on a bike stopped and changed the tires for us. God Bless him.
Cheers