How to Change a TireBy: Crystal Vail

1. Remove the hubcap: If your car has a hubcap, remove it so you can get to the lug nuts.

2. Loosen the nuts: Grab your lug wrench and place it on the flat tire’s lug nuts. Loosen them up by turning them counterclockwise. The nuts are probably on there really tight, so you’ll have to use all your strength to unscrew them. Loosen the nuts a few turns, but don’t take any of them off yet!

3. Place the jack underneath your car: Check your owner’s manual for the correct placement of the jack. Turn the hand crank at the end of the jack to raise the jack until it comes into contact with your car’s frame. Make sure it’s touching a sturdy spot.

4. Jack it up: Start cranking the jack until the wheel is high enough above the ground to remove the tire.

5. Remove all bolts

6. Remove the flat: Remove the lug nuts from the wheel. You should be able to do it by hand because you’ve already loosened them. Remove the flat tire and lay it flat. You don’t want the wheel to roll into traffic during rush hour and cause a thirty car pile-up.

7. Slap on your spare: Take your spare tire and line up the lugs, or bolts, with the holes in the wheel and slide the wheel on. Once the wheel is on, take your lug nuts and tighten them by hand until you meet firm resistance.

8. Tighten bolts: For safety reasons you should not completely tighten all of the bolts until the car is lowered from the jack

9. Lower the car: Lower the jack until the wheel is firmly on the ground.

10. Finish tightening your lug nuts: These babies must be on super tight so the wheel doesn’t come flying off while driving to the tire shop to get the flat fixed.

11. Pack up and Drive away