Decide first whether to try it
Most of the danger in a tire change has nothing to do with the wheel. It comes from where the car is sitting. Leave the jack in the trunk and make a call if any of these are true:
- The car is on a shoulder with fast traffic and less than a full car width of clearance.
- The ground is soft, sloped or loose, such as grass, gravel or a ramp.
- It's dark and you don't have a good light, or the weather is bad.
- The spare is flat, missing or damaged, or the locking lug nut has no key.
- You can't find the lifting points, or the lug nuts won't move with steady force.
The steps
On level, firm ground such as concrete or asphalt, with the hazard lights on, the parking brake set and the car in Park (or in gear for a manual):
- Take out the spare, jack and lug wrench. Check the manual for the lifting point. It's a reinforced spot on the frame near the flat wheel, not the plastic trim.
- Loosen each lug nut about half a turn while the tire is still on the ground, turning counterclockwise. Don't remove them yet.
- Raise the car until the flat is just off the ground. No part of you goes under the car, at any point.
- Remove the nuts, pull the wheel straight toward you and lay it flat so it can't roll away.
- Lift the spare onto the studs, thread the nuts on by hand, and snug them in a star pattern.
- Lower the car, then tighten the nuts fully, again in a star pattern, and put the flat and the tools away.
Mistakes that cause injuries
The common ones are lifting the car on soft ground so the jack tips, loosening nuts after the wheel is already in the air so the wheel spins, and reaching under the car to retrieve a dropped nut. A factory jack is meant for a short, careful change on flat ground and nothing more.
Lug nuts are also tightened to a specific torque. A roadside wrench can't measure it, so after you've driven a short way, have a shop check them with a torque wrench. Nuts that are too loose can work free, and nuts that are too tight can warp parts.
When it's better to call
If you decide not to change it yourself, TRA does the job with the spare already in your vehicle. A flat tire change is from $75, plus a $19 dispatch fee charged once per job. Without a usable spare, we supply a tire and install it on site, and tire replacement is from $129. If the locking nut key is missing, say so in your request, because the lock has to come off first.
Common questions
Counterclockwise to loosen and clockwise to tighten on nearly every modern car. If one is stuck, lean steady body weight on the wrench instead of jerking it, and don't hammer on it.
Don't. A car on a slope can slip off the jack. Move it, slowly, to level ground if you can do that without driving far on the flat. If you can't, call for help.
Yes. Check the spare's air pressure as soon as you can, and get the lug nuts checked with a torque wrench after a short drive. Then get the flat repaired or replaced.