There you are driving down the highway with your friends and you’re looking at the sunshine and blue skies and can’t wait to make it to the beach, or the hike , or wherever your adventure takes you and then all of a sudden you hear a pop and just like that you watch your summer road trip deflate as fast as your tire is! Now you’re freaking out because it’s really hot without the AC and no one knows how to change a tire, and did you mention it’s really freakin’ HOT! Stay calm, it’s going to be okay. In fact, I am going to give you a couple of pointers that will have you back on the road in no time!

Make sure before you leave for a long trip that you have a spare tire that is inflated to proper air pressure. This will save you from having to inflate the tire on the spot or have your car towed in general.

1. The first step is to pull over and find a safe stop to change the tire:

• Once you’ve realized your tire is flat do not abruptly stop, reduce speed and scan the surroundings I get it the highway isn’t the safest place to change a tire and you don’t really have a lot of options, I get it! Never attempt to change your tire on a narrow shoulder near oncoming traffic. Keep moving (slowly) until you find a safer spot.

2. Turn on your hazard lights:

• Turn on your “flashers” which will help other drivers see you on the side of the road, which help avoid an accident!

3. Apply the parking brake:

• Once you’ve completely stopped moving, apply the parking brake. This will help minimize the possibility of your vehicle rolling when replacing the tire.

4. Apply the wheel wedge:

• Wheel wedges go in front of or behind the tires to further ensure the vehicle doesn’t roll while you fix the flat tire. If you’re changing a rear tire, place these in front of the front tires. If your flat tire is at the front, put the wheel wedges behind the rear tires.

5. Remove the hubcap:

• If your vehicle has a hubcap covering the lug nuts, it’s easier to remove the hubcap before lifting the vehicle with the jack. If your lug nuts are exposed, you can skip this step.

6. Loosen Lugnuts:

• Using a wrench twist the lug nuts counterclockwise until the become loose enough to twist off

7. Place the jack under the vehicle:

• The right place for the jack is usually beneath the vehicle frame alongside the tire that’s flat. Many vehicle frames have molded plastic on the bottom with a cleared area of exposed metal specifically for the jack. To safely lift and avoid damage to the vehicle, follow the instructions for jack placement in your vehicle owner’s manual.

8. Raise the jack:

• With the jack correctly placed raise the car six inches off the ground. Never put any part of your body under the car!

9. Unscrew the lug nuts:    

• Take the lug nuts all the way off

10. Remove the tire
11. Mount the new tire
12. Tighten the lug nuts by hand
13. Lower the vehicle

• Use the jack to lower the vehicle so that the spare tire is resting on the ground but the full weight of the vehicle isn’t fully on the tire. At this point, you should tighten the lug nuts with the wrench, turning clockwise, as much as you can.  Push down on the lug wrench with the full weight of your body.

14. Lower the vehicle completely
15. Replace the hubcap
16. Once you’re back home, take your tire to a technician to see how bad the damage is

Getting a flat tire can be a real bummer but don’t let it ruin the day. It’s always a good idea to be prepared so like I said before it is important to make sure that you have all the equipment you would need to replace the tire before leaving for vacation! Make sure to ALWAYS have a jack, wrench, and a spare tire. In addition, it might be a good idea to have an air pressure reader and inflater.