- 1). Make sure the automobile is in the parked gear and the engine is off. Park the car on as level ground as possible. If you are on the side of a road, turn on your hazard lights to warn other drivers of your presence.
- 2). Place a block, brick or rock against the diagonally opposing wheel (e.g., left rear to change the right front tire). If facing downhill, place the block in front of the wheel; if facing uphill, place the block against the rear of the tire.
- 3). Find your automobile's spare tire, the jack and the tire iron. These are usually located under the floor of the trunk. Lift the floor mat of the trunk to gain access. If the tire is attached the rear of the vehicle, the jack and tire iron are in a compartment at the back of the vehicle. Place the spare tire, jack and tire iron near the tire to be changed on the automobile. Lay the new tire flat on the ground away from the car. Place the jack and the tire iron near the tire you want to change.
- 4). Remove the hubcap from the wheel of the tire if it covers the lug nuts. Do this by using the flat end of a flathead screwdriver. Work the screwdriver between the wheel and the hubcap. Pry the hubcap off gently and place it next to you on the ground. This is where you'll place the lug nuts so that they don't roll away and get lost.
- 5). Place the rounded end of the tire iron over a lug nut, facing the arm away from you. The lug nuts loosen counterclockwise (turning left). Pull the arm toward you to loosen the lug nut. Repeat this step for each lug nut. Do not remove the lug nuts yet.
- 6). Place the car jack under the car. Look up the proper placement of the jack in the owner's manual of the automobile. Using a scissor jack, face the end with the knob out toward you. Turn the knob using the hand crank provided. Using a pump jack, insert the handle into the slot at the rear and jack the car up using up and down motions.
- 7). Raise the car jack until it comes into contact with the frame. Continue to jack up the car until the tire is about 2 inches off the ground.
- 8). Remove the lug nuts by hand and put them aside in the hubcap. Position both hands at either side of the tire, remove the tire and set it aside flat on the ground. If the tire isn't freely moving after removing the lug nuts, kick the tire once to free it.
- 9). Pick up the new tire. Position the holes in the rim of the new tire over the wheel studs. These are what the lug nuts screwed onto. Hold the tire off the ground while aligning the holes to the studs. Do this by balancing the tire on one foot as you place it into position.
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Begin screwing the lug nuts back into place. If the lug nut does not turn easily, stop, remove the lug nut, straighten it out and try again. Hand-tighten each lug nut. Attach each lug nut diagonally from the one before it to ensure the tire goes on evenly. Make sure the tire is flush against the wheel hub. - 11
Carefully lower the jack by slowly turning the handle the opposite direction you used to lift the jack. Pump jacks simply require you to shift the lock on the handle to the opposite side and slowly move the jack handle up. This will release the pressure and lower the car frame. The jack will continue to lower until it clears the frame. Remove the jack. - 12
Use the tire iron and reverse the procedure in Step 5 to tighten the lug nuts securely. Place the hubcap back onto the tire, and tap it back into place with the end of your screwdriver. Clean up.
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