Pictorial Guide: How to change a flat tyre!

[iraghava]

So, for all the lazy bums like me, here goes:

In the case of a flat tyre which needs immediate replacing to avoid damage to the tyre/tube, here is what you need to do.

STEP I: Parking the car on Level ground & securing it.

First make sure that you park the car by the side of the road on level ground (this is very important). Then engage reverse gear & also engage the handbrake! This is to ensure that the car does not move when we are fastening/loosening the punctured wheel:


Here are the tools you need for this task: (L to R) Wheel Spanner, Jack Handle, Jack.


STEP II: Loosening the Wheel Nuts.

First step in any wheel removal is to loosen the wheel nuts. This has to be done before we position the Jack to raise the car. You do not under any circumstances raise the car first & loosen the wheel nuts later.

So you attach the Wheel Spanner & loosen the wheel nut slightly but not completely. We just need it to be slightly loose not completely removed. To loosen the nut, move the spanner anti-clockwise. If need be, stand on the spanner to exert full force as sometimes the tyre shop chaps can over tighten them using their air guns.


Also, always remember that whenever you loosen/tighten a wheel, the nuts have to loosened/tightened in a diagonal fashion. You always work on the wheel nut opposite to the one you were working on never on the one next to it, like this:


STEP III: Jacking up the car.

Here is what the top of the Jack looks like. As you can see it has a slit in between & that is for a specific purpose which is explained below:


Unlike old cars where we had to position the Jack on a point of the Chassis/Suspension etc. to raise the vehicle the newer vehicles come with specific strengthened sections on the side sills which enable them to be used specifically for jacking up a vehicle to change the tyre(s). These strengthened locations are marked (like shown in the pic below) to enable easy location for positioning the jack.


Now when we see under the front door (We'll see an area with two triangular sections cut away from the sill. We have to position the jack in the middle of these two marks and raise it so that it fits with the sill. Also, the slit in between has to positioned so that the sill goes into the slit. Like this:


Now, attach the Jack handle to the Jack & also attach the wheel spanner to the handle to elongate the handle for better grip. Spanners with holes in them for attaching the Jack handle in them are a feature in most new cars. In case your car's spanner does not feature such a hole, just use the Jack handle only. Turn the handle clockwise to raise the car up:


Now the car is raised:

[iraghava]

STEP IV: Removing the wheel.

Now once the car is raised, just use the spanner to loosen the wheel bolts & remove them completely. Again remember to this in a diagonal order.


And the wheel is off! Hurrah!






Remember to keep the wheel nuts safely, loosing them can be dangerous.

STEP V: Re-installing the wheel.

Now, you either replace the punctured wheel with the spare or the same wheel after repairing (Using the other guide! ). Here is how to go about re-installing it:

Now pickup the wheel & align it with the Hub bolts. It's helpful if you have someone helping you with this especially if it's dark. Once you've aligned the holes on the wheel with the bolts, simply push the wheel in on them:


Then put back the wheel nuts one by one (again in a diagonal order) to secure the wheel:


Tighten the nuts using the wheel spanner but don't tighten them fully. They are to be fully tightened once we remove the jack & the car has all 4 of its wheels back on level ground.


Once the wheel nuts are tightened, lower the jack by turning the handle anti-clockwise and remove the jack from its mounting point.Then take the wheel spanner & fully tighten all 4 wheel nuts, again in the same diagonal order.


And if need be, please stand on the spanner again!


And so, you've changed a flat tyre! Remember to keep all the tools backs into the boot & the spare tyre too!

[iraghava]

Apologies about having to use two different cars for compiling this guide! The guide was shot in two parts & I had to use Dhanno for the latter part of the guide as the i10 was not available!

One clarification about Jacks though; Some of your cars might have jacks which do not have a slit in them but rather have an indent at roughly the same spot. In this case, the sill (Which was inserted into the slit) has to be rested on that indented portion, like this:

[Cyrus43]

you really are a tyre freak arent you!! Good one though!! Quoting One of my famous sayings here..
"If you cant change you car's tyre, you dont deserve to be called a man!!...."

[theMAG]

Wow. Now I know whom to contact if I get a flat the next time.

Jokes apart, very educational article.

[hemanthisgreat]

Excellent guide is an understatement. Thanks for the guide.The tyre section deserved this guide. Now only if we can take this guide and the tubeless puncture guide together and make a sticky thread it will be awesome. .

Such guides do not deserve to be lost in other threads. So lets make it a sticky. Very comprehensive guide, you have explained all the points and safety measures well.

[speedzak]

Tire Bhagwan does it again!
A very good pictorial for any novice. The best part is now, anybody who gets stuck on a road without assistance or experience can use this thread. GPRS is all what he needs.
Hurray, Team-bhp!

[greenhorn]

Thanks Tyre Bhagwan. I'd been dreading what to do when I get a flat. Now i feel a lot more confident

[Sudipto-S-Team]

Great work iraghava. Will encourage a lot of people to try out this critical job on their own. Just one word of caution for those trying it out for the first time with regard to the step mentioned below

Originally Posted by iraghava

Then put back the wheel nuts one by one (again in a diagonal order) to secure the wheel:

Placing the nut back should be done in a properly aligned way. You run the risk of damaging the thread if you aren't careful and the alignment is wrong. Also with some alloy wheels inserting the nut back is slightly tricky. An easy solution is to use "gooti" wrench where you place the nut in the wrench and then tighten it gradually.

For a long time I was convinced iraghava was a tyre dealer.

[condor]

Looking at the first few snap, I thought Ishan had dressed up (in overalls) for the photo-shoot. Until the later snaps revealed who the star of the show was.


Also, re-check the nuts after some running, just to make sure.

[manjubp]

Good one, specially for the new drivers. You never know when you need to change flat tyre.

I remember reading some where "before removing the flat tyre, keep the spare tyre below the car, such that incase jack slips the car will not be grounded, and will have chance to inser the jack once again. Once the flat tyre is removed, once again place same in place of spare tyre below the car, until the spare tyre repalcement process is completed".

regards,
-manju

[anupmathur]

Splendid job, Ishan!
Good that you used two different cars for the demo - wider exposure!

What about when someone has bought an aftermarket hydraulic jack? Where does one position that? Can it be used with all sedans/hatchbacks?

[HappyWheels]

Good one, Iraghavan. It is strange, but true, that most people do not know / are not comfortable with changing tyre's. I know a couple of friends who look at changing tyre's as a pure mechanics job!!!

There few steps that I find odd, in your tutorial:

... You do not under any circumstances raise the car first & loosen the wheel nuts later. ...

Why do you say this? I loosen the nuts, very lightly, meaning, just enough for them to be rotated and then jack up. This is to use the cars load on the tyre so that I can get those really tight nuts loosened. Apart from this, I usually jack up and only then loosen the nuts further. This way, the tyre will never rest on the bolts, which I am not comfortable with. If you ask me why I am not comfortable with this, I have no answer. I feel the bolts threads needs to be taken care more than anything else.

I do not subscribe to the method of completely loosening the nuts before the vehicle has been jacked up. (If that is what is mentioned.)

...Tighten the nuts using the wheel spanner but don't tighten them fully. They are to be fully tightened once we remove the jack & the car has all 4 of its wheels back on level ground...

Again, the same as what I said above. I would tighten them as much as possible when they are jacked up. As much as possible. This will allow the wheels rims to settle well in. Once brought down, I would just do a customary tightening, just a jerk to make sure the nut is properly tightened.

... And if need be, please stand on the spanner again!...

This is one strange thing that I have notice certain people doing. One, which I believe, is completely unwarranted. Doing this is going to get the nut so jam packed that removing it will also be a pain. This can be done, if one is sure that this nut has a tendency to get loosened, if not jam-packed tightened, on regular run. Else the normal hand pressure would be enough.

All the above are my practice and what I do / have done in the various tyre changing situations that I have faced and, touchwood, never had a tyre overtaking me!

[benbsb29]

Good thread, Ishaan. Thanks for the clarification as well, regarding using two cars for the demo. I thought you got both of them punctured for the demo! LOL!!

One question, i have is why do the wheel nuts need to be removed in a diagonal fashion?

[Sudipto-S-Team]

Originally Posted by HappyWheels

It is strange, but true, that most people do not know / are not comfortable with changing tyre's. I know a couple of friends who look at changing tyre's as a pure mechanics job!!!

I have a friend who hails a cab when he has a flat tyre. Gets the driver to change the tyre. Pays him Rs 20 or so. Drives away. If stuck on the highway he says he would hail a truck. I doubt they would stop. But anyway. Different strokes work for different folks.
Talking about DIYs - lot of people don't know how to open their bonnet and check oil/coolant etc. In fact someone should show this also with a pictorial guide