“Changing a tire is a straightforward task in perfect conditions,” says Ryan Pszczolkowski, Consumer Reports’ tire program manager. “But often the location is dangerous, such as a busy roadway, or there’s a wrinkle, such as when you find out your car doesn’t have a working spare tire. It’s wise to know how to change a tire, but it’s just as important to know when to summon help and who to call.”
Become familiar with how to use the tools you’ll need by reading your owner’s manual. Follow the instructions precisely; failure to do so could result in injury to you or damage to your car. Practice at least once on each of the cars you drive.
Every car has its own quirks, such as jack locations and how to access the tools. Just because you changed a tire once a decade ago doesn’t mean you know how to do it for your current vehicles. By practicing, you may discover something important, like, say, that the L-shaped tire iron that comes with the car doesn’t give you enough leverage to loosen the lug nuts. In that case, you might want to upgrade to a larger tire iron. Pszczolkowski demonstrates how to change a flat tire using a Toyota RAV4, but the advice applies to any vehicle.
The tips below outline how to deal with a flat and how to reduce the likelihood of getting one in the first place.
