These 4 Steps Guarantee Successful Emergency Tire Change
1. Check the air in the spare
isotretinoin cheap online canadian pharmacy Just like the other tires on your vehicle you should check to make sure that the spare tire has the correct air pressure for your vehicle. If your spare doesn’t have enough air pressure in it then it’s not much better than your flat tire. Too low of pressure and you could lose control of your vehicle or have a blowout. I would recommend putting 5-10psi more than your vehicle requires. That way when you need the spare it will have adequate or better pressure in it.
2. Verify that you have all the tools/supplies in your car to change your tire
You’ll want to make sure that you have a jack and jack handle. Also you will need a lug wrench that fits the lugnuts and will fit inside the lug holes. Some aftermarket wheels have smaller lug holes that a factory lug wrench won’t fit inside of. You may have to purchase a thinwall socket and a breaker bar to haul around in your vehicle.
If your vehicle has lug locks, make sure that the lug lock key is in the vehicle. Storing it near the jack and lug wrench or in the glove box is a safe place.
Make sure that there is a spare tire in, on, or under your vehicle. Manufacturers like to hide these. Some are under the rear or center of the vehicle. Others are under the carpet in the cargo or trunk area. If you can easily see it that’s good too. Verify that someone hasn’t removed it and left you with nothing.
Having an air pressure gauge is an essential tool to have in the glove box at all times, now is not an exception. You may want to use it to verify the air pressure in all tires so that you don’t have a second flat or blowout.
A good flashlight will be very important if you end up having to change a flat on a moonless night. Some vehicles include a wheel chock in their tire changing tools. It’s good to have one and if you don’t you can buy an inexpensive pair to add to your kit.
3. Make sure you can remove the spare tire
My son sliced open a tire on a trail run this last summer. When we went to pull his spare tire we found that there was a cable with a padlock on it. The key was missing and as I looked closer I had high doubts that the key would even work. The padlock had been under the truck for so long that it was rusted solid. We ended up having to cut the cable to get the spare off. This is not the an ideal situation since most likely you won’t have the right tools to cut the cable.
Another issue I had once was that the spare tire winch was rusted so bad that it wouldn’t budge. When your tire is held up under the vehicle by a winch or other mechanism you want to check it. Drop it down all the way to the ground and verify that you can remove it from the vehicle. While it is down it would be wise to spray some grease in the mechanism so that it works smoothly when you need to use it.
4. Practice changing the tire in the driveway
The easiest way to know if you have all the right tools to change your tire is to do it in your driveway. There is less stress and less danger when you’re sitting in the driveway or your garage or in front of your house. You’ll have access to all of the tools you own, which may not be a lot. Calling a friend for a ride is easier when you’re at home and need a tool you don’t own. Or if you have a second vehicle you could grab the keys to that. Sitting on the couch and waiting for a friend is less stressful than sitting on the side of the road helpless.
Once you have changed the tire in your driveway you will have the skills and the confidence to be able to do it on the side of the road. I hope you never have to use these skills on the side of the road, but if you do you won’t feel stranded and stuck.
Conclusion
If you take these 4 steps now you will guarantee you can do an emergency tire change on the side of the road.