How to Change a Flat Tyre
- Park away from traffic and on a flat surface
- Use your hazard lights and other warning devices as required by your local road code (e.g. safety vest, emergency warning triangle) to ensure that you’re seen by oncoming traffic.
- Place bracing material - like a piece of wood or brick - behind and in front of one of the tyres you’re not lifting, to prevent rolling and increase stability.
- Find the spare tyre and jack. If you don’t know where they are, check the owner’s manual.
- Line the jack up properly to make sure it’s in the right place to avoid preventing damage to your car. Again, check your manual if you’re not sure where it should go.
- Begin to jack the car up while keeping pressure on the ground (without lifting the car up entirely).
- Remove hubcaps or centre covers so that you can access the lug nuts.
- Turn the lug nuts anticlockwise to loosen them using the lug wrench.
- Finish jacking the car up so that you can slip the tyre off easily. Make sure the jack is stable first.
- Put on the spare tyre and place the lug nuts in the correct positions.
- Tighten the lug nuts a little with your tyre wrench, this time turning clockwise. TIP: Make sure the lug nuts are tight, but don't use too much force. This may knock your car off of the jack.
- Lower the jack fully until the car is back on all four wheels.
- Properly tighten the lug nuts with the wrench before driving. Make sure they’re as tight as you can get them.
- Stop and check that the lug nuts are still tight after driving for a few kilometres.