Those who have experienced a flat tyre will know that like many of life’s little annoyances a flat tyre usually happens at the most inconvenient of times and almost always when you have to be somewhere e.g., work, or school drop off. Unlike the old days where most young people were taught how to change a tyre as they learnt to drive, a huge portion of Australians today are clueless. It’s times like this most of us are thankful we have roadside assistance and for most of us it’s a simple as dialling RACQ for help. However, you never know when one day you might happen to be stranded without anyone to help you and you find yourself Googling ‘how to change a tyre’ in which case it is likely you have stumbled upon this article. Below is our step-by-step guide for you on how to change a tyre.

Pulling over

You know you have a flat tyre when you hear the unmistakeable thumping sound, and your vehicle feels slightly tilted. At this point, you’ll need to slow down but keep driving until you find an emergency bay or safe place to pull over away from traffic. Once you have found a safe place to stop, put your handbrake & hazard lights on, passengers should exit the vehicle and move away from the road to a safe spot while they wait.

Equipment

Retrieve your tyre changing equipment from the boot, this should include your spare tyre, jack, wrench torch, gloves, wheel brace and lastly, your car owner’s manual.

Changing the tyre

1)    Using the wrench, loosen the wheel nuts

2)    Place the jack under the frame of the car alongside the flat tyre

3)    Use the owners-manual as a guide to check correct positioning of the jack

4)    Raise the car slightly off the ground using the jack

5)    Remove the flat tyre and replace it with the spare tyre

6)    Re-install the wheel nuts & lower the jack

What’s next

Your spare tyre is just that, a spare. It is not meant to be driven on indefinitely. We recommend driving to your nearest tyre service centre to have your tyre repaired or replaced as soon as you can. While you are there, ask your service centre tyre technician to check all remaining tyres for correct pressure (including your spare) and conduct a wheel alignment before you leave.

At Auto Leaders we recommend RACQ roadside assistance. When you have your car serviced at Auto Leaders, you’ll get FREE RACQ roadside assistance for 12 months! Book online today at https://www.autoleaders.com.au/