How to change a flat tire......Not JUST for volvos.

by All Vovo on 03/18/12

We LOVE our Volvo repair work, but we at All Vovo also love to educate and keep people in the know.  So, we are gonna take everyone back to the basics. Volvo owner or not, everyone needs to know how to change a flat tire.  There are differences in vehicles and you can consult your car manual for more information, but as a service to our friends and neighbors in Ballard and Greater Seattle, Volvo owners and non-Volvo folks alike, we'd like to give you the basic steps!  Read and save this info for future use and practice.

Replacing that tire requires only a few essentials.  Know this easy (and all too common) automotive task, and you'll be rolling again in no time.

1. Put the car in park in a level area and apply the parking brake. Place manual transmission cars in gear.  Make sure you have pulled off of the road. Turn the engine off and put on the hazard lights.  You may want to open the hood to indicate to other drives that you are stopped for repairs.

2. Place a wheel chock or a large rock behind (if facing uphill) or in front (if facing downhill) the diagonally opposing wheel to prevent the car from rolling. Do this even on a slight incline. Get out the spare, a lug nut wrench (tire iron) and the car jack.

3. Remove the hubcap, if necessary.

4. Loosen the lug nuts, which hold the wheel in place, before jacking up the car: Place one end of the lug nut wrench over a lug nut. Use a hollow pipe (about 2 feet in length) for leverage by slipping it over the end of the lug nut wrench.  Turn the wrench counter-clockwise to loosen the lug nut.  Loosen the lug nuts in a star pattern, first loosen one a few turns, and then loosen the one opposite. Work across the tire until all the lug nuts are loose and unscrewed slightly.

5. Carefully jack up the car.  Check owner's manual for the correct and safe place to put the jack.  Jack the car up a little higher than is necessary to remove the old tire so there is room to put the new, full tire on.

6. Remove the lug nuts all the way and set them aside in a place where you won't lose them and they won't roll away. The flat tire should be essentially hanging from the threaded studs now.

7. Remove the flat tire and set it aside.

8. Lift the new tire onto the wheel studs. If you're confused about which is the right way to put the new tire on, check for the valve where you add air, it always faces out.

9. Replace the lug nuts. Tighten them the same way you loosened them: Give each nut a few turns, first one, then the one opposite, working around the wheel in a star pattern once again.  Try not to tighten adjacent nuts consecutively.

10. Slowly lower the jack and remove it.

11. Tighten the lug nuts again, as much as you can.

12. Put the hubcap back on.

Some extra tips for ya----

- The best thing to have with your tire changing equipment is a strong, hollow pipe, about two feet long, to use for leverage.

- If a lug nut sticks, squirt penetrating oil around the base and wait a moment, then try again.  Repeat as needed.

- Mind your hangs when you remove a flat tire.  Strands of steel may be sticking out of the back of the runbber (on a bald tire) and they can cut you---just be careful.

- Check out all your tire changing equipment at home before you need it on the road!

- Most people's spare tires are flat!  So, check the tire pressure in your spare once a month, or as often as you can.  Temporary spares (the small ones that have a "T" on them, require 60 PSI, and regular sized ones need 32 PSI).  A flat spare is useless.

Here are some warnings:

- Cars can slip off of jacks.  Be extremely careful. Never get under a car with only a tire-changing jack holding it up.

- To avoid bruised knuckles, pull rather than push when removing lug nuts.

- To avoid a strained back, use your knees when pulling on the wrench and pipe rather than your back.