I’ve been a victim of a flat tire twice. I’ve also been to the rescue of a few friends who had flats mostly because of three reasons - 1) they don’t know how to change a flat, 2) they don’t have the right tools, and 3) friends in need of some oafish brute force.

If you’re a motorist, you risk a flat every time. Flats wouldn’t be too much of a problem especially with gas stations and mechanics every mile or so. But if for some reason there’s no mechanic in the area then you just might have to do it yourself.

Here’s a guide to the tools, steps, and a few tips on changing a flat.

Tools

Make sure you have the following in your trunk before you roll:

• Lug nut wrench (an X-type would do great)
• A two-foot sturdy metal pipe that fits in the handle of your wrench
• At least a hydraulic cylindrical/floor jack (not one of those lousy stock jacks that usually come with the car)
• A flat head screwdriver
• Early warning device (EWD, that red reflective triangle)
• Wheel chock
• Penetrating lube (WD-40)
• Inflated spare tire

Steps

Here’s how to change a flat:

1. Pull over and park the car on level ground. Put on your parking brakes. Put on your hazard lights. Pop up your hood to give other motorists a clue that you’ve pulled up for repairs. Place the EWD a few meters from the tail of your car to warn oncoming traffic.
2. Use a wheel chock (or a large rock) to prevent the car from rolling or pitching forward. If you parked on a slight incline, park your car diagonally.
3. Using your screwdriver, remove the hubcap or wheel center ornament (if your wheels have them).
4. Loosen the lug nuts. Your pipe and lug nut wrench would come in handy to give you more leverage (No need for oafish brute force here, use physics to help you out). For those stubborn lug nuts, some squirts of lube maybe needed. Loosen the nuts in a star pattern - after doing one, loosen the one opposite to it.
5. Jack up your car. Consult you car’s manual for the safe placement of jack. I recommend investing in one of those hydraulic floor jacks. You probably need to be able to bench 300 to work those jackscrews that come free with your car. Make sure make enough clearance to remove and put on the spare.
6. Remove the lug nuts and place them where you won’t loose them.
7. Remove the tire and set it aside.
8. Put in the spare. If you’re unsure which side goes where. The air valve should be facing out. You’d want the tire to be flush and aligned.
9. Replace the lug nuts following the star pattern.
10. Lower the jack and ease the car down slowly. You don’t want your precious car to slam back down the pavement.
11. Tighten the lug nuts with wrench. Avoid fully tightening a nut before you get to tighten the others. The wheel might tilt a bit and you wouldn’t be able to tighten the other nuts. Do this in two or three rounds. When the wheel’s flush, make an effort to really tighten it.
12. Put the hubcap or center ornament back on.
13. Do a quick check if everything is flush and tight.
14. Put away all your tools.

There and you’re ready to roll!

Anecdote for Emphasis

I’m dead serious about parking on even ground, using a chock, and investing on a good jack. I nearly lost my arm once when changing a flat. The ground sloped a little and it was sleek concrete. There as no chock (or large rock) and I was using a mechanical jackscrew. When I tugged at the wheel to take it out, the jack slipped, the car pitched forward and collapsed in front of me. Lucky me I got my arm out just in time. A fellow motorist offered a hand and lent me a hydraulic jack. I finished the job. The car still ran but needed an under chassis check and a wheel alignment.