Comments on: How To Change A Flat Tire

By: Jeremy

Jeremy — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 09:06:11 +0000

I feel like I was born knowing how to change a tire, it’s hard to think there are people out there who really just have no clue. Hmmm…

By: Dan

Dan — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 20:18:39 +0000

couple of other tips, fwiw…

keep one of those bright LED headlamps in your glove box because when the tire goes flat, Murphy’s Law says it’l be dark out and you’ll want to work fast with both hands free.

keep a pair of work gloves and a utility blanket/towel in the car too so you can keep clean and dry and not ruin your night out with your wife.

as for wives and daughters and their safety when alone, i keep a can of that aerosol flat tire foam in the car so they can use it in a pinch and get on the road quickly without having to wait for help.

in addition to changing a tire, every man should know how to put on tire chains very fast in a nighttime snowstorm on the side of the interstate. it happens where i live all the time.

By: Judy

Judy — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 00:42:36 +0000

When I was 16 and wanting to leave house with brand new license, I had to change a tire before I left the driveway. No amount of whining and pleading got me out of this. I also had to learn to check oil, transmission fluid, brake fluid, how to drain and fill radiator. My dad said one day you will be glad you learned. I have changed a few tires, the last one was on our 4 wheel drive truck and hubby was unable to do it.(diabetic, low sugar). I’m pushing 60 now and wish all young men and women would learn these things.
PS…..I can also do plumbing!

By: Uncle B

Uncle B — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 15:04:40 +0000

What kind of problems will the new Electrics pose for changing flat tires?

By: Gregg

Gregg — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 14:23:44 +0000

I hope everyone has a car with a BIG trunk to fit all the suggested items to carry. I’m going to add to that list though. When my daughters received their driver license, I took them outside and made them change a tire by themselves before they got behind the wheel alone. This made them feel more confident as well as giving me just a little more peace of mind when they backed out of the garage armed with a real driver license. I purchased both girls a cross type lug wrench and something we don’t have a big use for in South Texas. Each got a raincoat and those yellow rain pants. Just the cheap ones they sell in drug stores. Nothing fancy. Obviously it helps keep you dry but it also makes your easier to see. We don’t get a lot of rain here so most people don’t know how to drive in the rain and having something that makes you more visible helps. By the way, my youngest had a flat in a light drizzle and she actually put those things on. Staying dry was more important than being seen in a yellow rain suit. The last thing on my list is just something I told them about. I was stuck on the side of I-10 at 2:00am with a flat just outside of Baton Rouge, LA. The trucks were flying by with only a few feet separating us. I called the LA Highway Patrol and they sent a trooper to sit behind me with his flashing lights on. It took them awhile to get to me but it was worth it. Having those trucks slow down and move over a lane was a little more comforting. My son is an officer and he agreed with what I did. He wishes more would call them as far too many people are hit while they are changing a tire . Of course if it’s a busy night for them you fall wayyyyy down on their priority list so just understand that when you call and don’t give the officer attitude when they arrive a few hours later….and to RJ Vincent about your post. I grew up in Philly and South Jersey and I know exactly what you’re talking about!!! Your list is perfect.

By: R. J. Vincent

R. J. Vincent — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 19:41:21 +0000

I’ve had to change a tire or two in my time. I keep a cross wrench, a couple of pieces of 2×4 to block the opposite wheel and a pair of Mechanix™ gloves. These are available at your local Pep Boys or other auto store or directly from the company online. They’re the same gloves used by most of the race teams so for the occasional user they’re perfect. They’re comfortable and more importantly, they save your knuckles. I also keep a set of jumper cables, a fire extinguisher and some rope, bungee cords and a few tools as well in the trunk. I also keep a flashlight (or two) and a multi-tool and a small folding knife in the glove box along with one of those survival hammers in the console. It may sound like overkill but if you’ve ever driven in the Philadelphia/South Jersey area, you’ll understand why.

By: Sean

Sean — Tue, 19 May 2009 23:16:01 +0000

A good recommendation i have from experience is to keep a hammer in your car (preferably a ball peen or claw) so that if your tire is stuck on there a good hit will loosen it. so long as you hit the rubber portion and stay away from the rim of the wheel. if you don’t have a hammer around, a large stick will do.

By: Rebecca

Rebecca — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 14:29:39 +0000

My tire has a flat today from a pothole in the road. I woud like to say that I am indeed a woman and my trunk is clean. I will be changing my tire in 20minutes with no man help

By: fathersez

fathersez — Sun, 07 Dec 2008 09:37:19 +0000

Yes, a neccessity. Many of our driving schools pass off drivers who don’t know how to change tires. I have only had to change it once (thank God) and it was quite a task.

The second time, a young man passing by on a bike stopped and changed the tires for us. God Bless him.

Cheers

By: Parsley

Parsley — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 21:46:02 +0000

I was taught how to change a tyre as a child but I once had to do it in complete darkness. The only light was the occasional headlights of passing cars. The tyre was changed successfully but I took all the skin off my knuckles in the process. Always carry a good torch!

By: Peter

Peter — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 15:56:33 +0000

@Alex - If you haven't been using the star pattern and just heard about it you probably shouldn't touch you car.. That's best for safety

By: Peter the Great

Peter the Great — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 03:36:45 +0000

To “block” a tire is to chock the tire, i.e., to wedge something between the curve of the tread and the ground on a “good” tire, to keep the wheel from turning, and consequently, the car from falling off the jack, a very unwelcome and possibly injurious occurrence. Always chock a tire, on the side you expect the car might roll. A fist-sized rock makes a good ad-hoc chock.

Setting the parking brake is a good idea, esp. to keep a rear wheel from turning as you attempt to break loose the lugs on a small, light car, where there is no engine weight to create the needed friction and leaving the car in gear is not enough. That made the difference for me once.

The coverall may be over-doing things, but a pair of gloves is a great idea. I always have a tube of hand cleaner in the trunk. The difference between accomplishing a task and accomplishing it with style is the Art of Manliness.

By: Uberhack

Uberhack — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 16:33:57 +0000

My wife once insisted that she would have an easier time changing a flat tire than I would. I called “Bravo Sierra” (BS), she called Triple A.

By: Willy

Willy — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 23:46:40 +0000

I would contend that cars with hubcaps are inherently unmanly. And don’t start about price. There are plenty of VERY cheap vehicles that don’t have hubcaps.

By: KJ

KJ — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 03:40:29 +0000

Keeping a short length of steel pipe (2-3ft) that fits over the handle of the lug wrench can be a huge help in breaking the lugs free, since it gives you a longer lever to work with. It’s especially nice if you have one of those short little 8-inch lug wrenches that makes it hard to get good leverage.

If you have the cross-shaped lug wrench, push down on the one side and pull up on the other. It’s much more effective than pushing or pulling alone.

If you change the wheels on your car, be sure your lug wrench fits into the new wheels. When I went from steel wheels to aluminum ones, I didn’t think to be check and make sure that the lug wrench I had with my spare would fit inside the holes my lugnuts were recessed into. Got a flat tire at work. It didn’t fit. Whoops.

A piece of plywood that’s about a square foot or so is awfully nice to have in the trunk in case you’ve got to change the tire in mud/sand/etc.

Changing the oil: Nice to know, not a required manly skill. When you add in the cost of the oil, the cost of the filter, and the cost and irritation of disposing of the old oil properly, the money saved by changing my own oil is so little that I’d rather just get it done at Wal-Mart or Jiffy Lube and spare myself the trouble.