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How to Lose a Morning to a Flat Tire
Apr 17 2008 by Emily Hansen
A bad tire day
Have you ever had one of those mornings when you wonder what you did to upset the karma pool? Well, this was one of those days. The kids were crabby, we were running late, and when I opened the door to the garage I was greeted with a flat tire. Since I've practiced changing a tire in a non-emergency situation, this was really no big deal and the process went very quickly. Ha ha! I'm lying. The morning was officially shot to hell.
I could have called roadside assistance, but I decided that all of you MotherProof.com fans would rather see me change the tire, right? I was lucky that it went flat in the garage, I would probably have been more unsure of my ability to change the tire had it not been parked on my winter-dirty garage floor.
So here goes...
Step 1: Please, oh please, set the emergency brake before starting. It is also a good idea to put some sort of object like a big rock behind each tire to keep the car from rolling, just in case the car falls off its perch once you have it raised.
Step 2: Get the manual out of the glove box and you will find a handy-dandy page in the table of contents that is labeled "changing a flat tire" or something similar. Unless, of course, you own a British automobile, then you will be changing a tyre. Brilliant!
Next you should get the tools you'll need and find your spare tire. In the 2008 Subaru (my nemesis), the toolkit was neatly packaged in the center of the spare tire. The locations of each of these things varies with the different cars. If you can't find something you need, check out that manual you pulled out in Step 2.
Step 3. Read the manual again to see how to operate the jack, and where it should be placed on the frame of the car. This is one of the most important steps. My picture of the manual is a bit blurry but you can see the diagram points to two notches in the cars frame where the jack should be positioned.
Step 4: Place the jack under the car. This part is where you will get dirty. If your kids aren't around, feel free to cuss a lot. If they are around, cuss anyway, because you can't help it. It is important to look under the car to see that you have placed the jack where the manual has indicated. Improper placement of the jack is very dangerous and could lead to the car becoming unstable while you are changing the tire. As luck would have it, I got dirty in my own garage because of some gravel that had arrived courtesy of a couple of earlier snowstorms.
This particular jack has a big long hook that attaches to a key which I then turned a million times to raise the car to the height required to lift the front wheel off the ground.
Step 5: Now the flat tire must be removed. Hopefully the bolts on your tires are tightly secured. It took me about five seconds to determine that I was not strong enough to turn the bolt with my hands. So, I turned to my butt and thighs to have them do the work. They couldn't. Once I used my foot, the bolts came off quickly. Just for the record, my workout outfit usually does not match my shoes that nicely; I must have woken up on the right side of the bed that morning.
Step 6: Pull the wheel off to reveal the inner workings of your car's suspension and brakes. Pause for a moment to admire the round disk that keeps your family from plowing into things, and then quickly make sure there are no giant dirt clods on the bolt plate before you grab the spare.
Step 7: Line up the holes on the spare with the bolts that are sticking out and then place the spare tire on your car. Screw the bolts back on as tightly as you can. Carefully lower the car down using the jack. Here is where I hope you listened to your dad, and have checked to make sure your spare tire is full of air on a regular basis. Now step back, do a little happy dance, and admire your mad tire-changing skills.
Step 8: Drive to the nearest tire store or gas station and have someone tighten the bolts properly for you. I know that if I was not strong enough to remove the bolts, I am probably not strong enough to get them as tight as they need to be. The guys at the oil-change place about a mile down the road were more than happy to help me get the bolts tightened all the way. While my morning certainly didn't start out the way I'd planned, it wasn't too bad, after all was said and done. Next time, it'll go much faster because I've done it before.
User Comments
It’s a lot safer and easier to break the lug nuts loose before jacking up the car. Doing the final tightening after the car is off the jack is also a good idea.
I know I’m a complete stranger, but I am really pround of you and very impressed! 
Good Job! Way to go!
If you were in such a hurry, why stop to take all the detailed pictures?
Awww thanks. It really wasn’t too bad other than it being pretty cold that day. I don’t think changing a tire is ever going to make my “fun activity list”, but it will be a good conversation starter at this summer’s neighborhood barbecue.
Tom - thanks for the pointer about the loosening the lug nuts prior to jacking (is that a word?). I was so paranoid about putting the jack in the right place that I must have missed that step in the manual.
Hey Adium - I WAS in a hurry when I went out the door and found the flat. Luckily, I had another car at my disposal. I used that for the school drop-off run. After that, I was not in such a hurry. I ditched my workout partner to come back home, change the tire and take pictures to show all of you. So, that’s why - ninny, ninny, boo, boo. 
Ditto what Tom said about loosening the lugnuts before jacking, and doing a final re-tightening after putting the car down.
The next time you get your tires replaced or rotated, see if they are just using their air impact wrench to tighten (aka overtighten) them instead of hand tightening or (better still) using a torque wrench for the final check. Often standing on the wrench is still not enough. My wife got a flat a few weeks ago and I came out to help her. Since the factory lugrench wouldn’t work, I got out my trusty crossbar lug wrench. Nothing would loosen those nuts, including standing and jumping on the wrench. I finally had to get out an impact gun to break them free.
What in God’s name is an impact gun?!
Emily, I’m totally impressed! Way to go!
I thought I was going to sound so clever to suggest loosening and tightening with the car on the ground but your readers beat me to it! 
good for you for changing the tire….I did it once and prob won’t do it again.
z
If any of you have teen drivers, this tire changing routine might be a good drill to go through together. When my own mother first got her license in the 1960’s, her dad REQUIRED that she know this before getting car privileges. You just never know when you’re going to need to it, and it’s so much easier when you have time to learn how.
FYI, an impact wrench is used for rapid tightening and loosening of lug nuts. It’s usually air-powered and makes the “WHIZZZ!” sound of an Indy car pit crew. Ask around; some of your gearhead neighbors may have one you can borrow.
KC - My dad required me to do the same thing, and if my teen had not had school that day I would have had him doing this so I could just take pictures! I will have him change a tire for sure and maybe even change the oil.
Nice job. I know most people wouldn’t even attempt it.