Flat Tire 101

Until the time roads are nonexistent and aerial travel is the common mode of transportation, our cars are bound to have these rubber things called TIRES. They roll nice and all, but they have a rather nasty problem of sometimes losing air in the most inopportune moments. Like when you are rushing to work for a very important meeting or on your way to a once in a lifetime date. It is during these times that you would have to face one of the things women are often unfairly judged to be incapable of doing: dealing with a flat tire.

Changing a flat tire is never a pleasant experience. Especially for us girls who dread the dirt and sweat inevitably associated with it plus the fact that most of us could be totally clueless about these things. But it isn�t as horrible or hard as you or most people may think. If you can follow simple directions, this is a good opportunity to revoke your "mechanically incompetent" status. You just need the right equipment and a little mechanical know-how and you can steer clear from flat tire hell in no time.

Things you�ll be needing:
1. A spare tire
2. Lug wrench
3. Jack

Step # 1: Choose your spot well
� Pull off the road so that you are safely out of the flow of traffic.
� Try to stop in a straight part of the road, so that passing traffic can see you from a distance.
� Stop the car on a level spot, it is unsafe to jack up a car on an incline.
� Put automatic transmission cars in park or if using manual transmission cars, put it in first or reverse gear.
� To be really safe, put two bricks or rocks (at least the size of a fist) in front of and behind the tire opposite the flat. This will help keep the car from inadvertently rolling.
� Turn on your hazard lights.

Step # 2: Remove tools from vehicle
� Retrieve the spare tire and the tools listed above from your car and place them within reach.
� The spare tire is usually located in the wheelwell, which is often on the bottom of the side of the car. It's either an indented area or a slot of some kind where the jack is meant to reside. Your owner's manual has a diagram that will locate it for you.
� Most often, the spare will be held in place by a bracket or a bolt that unscrews by hand pretty easily.

Step # 3: Loosen the lug nuts
� Remove the hubcap, if necessary.
==> Some cars won't have hubcaps. Consult your owners' manual for proper instructions in removing the hubcaps.
� Using the lug wrench, begin to loosen the lug nuts.
==> Sometimes the lug nuts are quite difficult to loosen. If this happens, steady the wrench with your hands if possible,and place your foot carefully onto the wrench. Holding onto the car, step with your full weight onto one end of the wrench. Bounce up and down on that end until the nut loosens.
� Do not remove the lug nuts yet, only loosen them.

Step # 4: Jack up your car
� Consult your owners' manual and find where the jack needs to be positioned.
==> Usually, the jack contacts the car at a small plate on the frame of the car.
==> This plate is usually located just in front of the rear tires or just behind the front tires.
� Raise the jack enough so that it just touches the car. Almost all jacks are raised by inserting the jack handle into a socket on the jack body, and turning the handle. Some jacks are raised with a scissor-type motion. In a scissors-type jack, the socket can be hidden in the center of the jack body, while in others it may be more obvious.
� Make sure the jack is steady and properly positioned.
� Extend the jack until the tire is about 6 inches off the ground.
==> Remember: Don't stop raising the car when the flat tire is just off the ground. The spare tire is fully inflated and will require more ground clearance.

Step # 5: Remove the flat tire
� Remove the lug nuts from the bolts, and put them aside.
� Grab the wheel.
==> It is easiest to grab the tire at the "nine o'clock" and "three o'clock" positions.
� Pull the wheel straight toward you, and off the car. Keep your weight forward or you'll fall backwards and land on your butt. Roll the old wheel to one side.

Step # 6: Put on the spare tire
� Holding the spare tire, try to line up the holes in the center with the threaded shafts that they fit over.
� Shift and slide the spare tire over the shafts until it's seated properly, and can't be pushed any farther.
� Take the lug nuts and spin them onto the shafts with your hands.
� Use the lug wrench to turn them so that they all rest against the wheel, but don't tighten them down yet.
� Lower the jack so that the tire just rests on the ground.
� Tighten one of the lug nuts well. Give it one good turn with the wrench, but don't crank it on. Next, go to the nut opposite to the one that you've just tightened, and tighten in the same way.
� Tighten the remaining nuts in the same way until they're all tight.

Step #7: Lower the car and pack it all up
� Lower the car with the jack until the car is again resting on all four tires.
� If the wheel has a hubcap or plate, replace it by holding one edge in place, and banging on the opposite edge with the jack handle, the heel of your hand, or the side of your fist.
� Place the flat tire where the spare was located.
� Secure the jack and lug wrench to their proper locations.

Other useful tips:
1. The best thing to have with your tire changing equipment is a strong, hollow pipe, about two feet long. You use it by slipping it over the end of the lug nut wrench for leverage.
2. If a lug nut sticks, squirt penetrating oil around its base and wait a moment, then try again. Repeat as needed.
3. Mind your hands when you remove a flat tire. Strands of steel may be sticking out of the back of the rubber (on a bald tire) and can cut you.
4. Check out all your tire changing equipment at home before you need it on the road. It�s always better to be safe than sorry.
5. Most people's spare tires are flat. Check the tire pressure once a month.
6. Whenever you loosen or tighten any bolt, an easy way to remember is this little saying: "Righty-tighty, lefty-loose."