| Changing
the tire
Once the vehicle is safely jacked up and the lug nuts are
off, follow these instructions to change the tire:
1. Remove the spare from the trunk
if you haven't already done so.
Actually, it's easier to do this before jacking up the car.
If you haven't' checked your spare recently, keep your fingers
crossed that it has enough air in it! Roll the spare to the
scene of the action.
2.
Grasp the flat tire with both hands and pull it toward you.
The flat tire sits on the exposed bolts that the lug nuts
screwed onto.' As you
pull the flat off, it should slide along the bolts until,
suddenly. It clears the end of the bolts and you find yourself
supporting its full weight. Tires are heavy, and you'll be
quite happy to lower it to the ground (if you haven't already
dropped it).
3. Roll the flat along the ground to the trunk to get
it out of the way.
4. Lift the spare onto the lug bolts.
Because tires are heavy, you may have a little trouble lifting
the spare into
place - especially if you're not accustomed to lifting heavy
things. If this is
the case, a bit of ingenuity may help; see the sidebar "A
little ingenuity
goes a long way" for details.
5. After you have the spare tire
in place, replace the lug nuts and tighten them by hand.
Give
each lug nut a jolt with the wrench to get it firmly into
place, but wait until
the car is on the ground before you really try to tighten
the lug nuts
6. Replace the jack, lift the car off the jack stands
(if you used them), and lower the car to the ground.
7. Once the car is resting on the
ground, use the lug wrench to tighten the lugs as much as
you can.
You don't want to twist them off the bolts or ruin the threads,
but
you don't want the wheel to fall off, either. Use your hollow
pipe if
you're worried about tightening them sufficiently, or step
on the
right-hand arm of the lug wrench after the nut is tight.
8.
If your car has hubcaps, place the hubcap against the wheel
and whack it into place with the heel of your hand.
Cushion your hand with a soft rag first so that you won't
hurt it. And don't hit the hubcap with a wrench or hammer
- you'll dent it. Whack it a couple of times, in a couple
of places, to be sure that it's on evenly and securely. (Even
secondhand hubcaps can cost from $20 to more than $100 apiece
to replace.) If it's too much of a hassle, or if you don't
have the time to replace the hubcap, you can take it home
and install it later; it's mostly ornamental, and you can
drive for a while without it. But do replace it soon because
it helps keep dust and dirt out of your brakes and bearings.
9.
Put the flat in the trunk where the spare was located, and
put your tools away. Don't forget to remove the
wheel blocks, and don't forget to have that flat fixed!
Remember, right-hand threaded nuts tighten in a clockwise
direction; lefties go the other way.
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