- Supa Sassy-Tips/Guides
Who needs a hunk when you can be #SupaSassy and do it yourself?
There are two kinds of 'flat' in the world that women can relate to. The first kind is of the 'flat shoe' variety, the kind that makes walking a breeze without the worry of twisting an ankle or looking like a forlorn baby deer. The second kind, however, is more likely to strike terror in the hearts of most ladies; the 'flat-hair', 'flat-tyre' kind of flat. You know what we're talking about.
If in the event you end up with the latter – i.e. flat tyre, here's to hoping you're wearing the former flat shoes because we're about to give you the scoop on how to change your own tyre without the help of anything that may or may not have hair on its chest. Follow these simple steps to fix the problem yourself and be on your way in no time.
1. Find a safe spot to pull over
If you're on the freeway, taking the next exit is the safest bet, otherwise pull as far onto the shoulder as possible. If you have a manual transmission, leave your car in gear and, finally, be sure to set your parking brake so your car doesn’t roll off into the blue yonder.
2. Switch on your hazards
Then hop out and get the jack, wrench, and spare tyre from your boot and bring them over to the flat tyre.
3. Loosen the lug nuts
Use the wrench to loosen the nuts by turning the wrench to the left. Don’t remove them just yet. You may need to remove the hubcap.
4. Jack it up
Use the jack to lift the vehicle off the ground. Once the jack is securely in the correct spot, jack the car up until the tyre is about 15cm off the ground. That’s just shy of the length of your open hand.
5. Remove the tyre
Now remove the lug nuts and put them together in a safe spot. Pull the tyre towards you to remove it from the wheelbase.
6. Place the spare
Now's the time for your spare to shine. Line up the lug nut posts with the holes in the spare, and push the spare all the way onto the wheel base until it can't go any farther.
7. Put the lug nuts back on
Don’t tighten the nuts yet; just make sure that they're secure enough for the spare to stay on the car for the moment.
8. Lower the car back down
Bring your car back down to earth using the jack. Remove the jack from underneath the car.
9. Tighten the lug nuts
Work in a criss-cross pattern rather than clockwise or anti-clockwise. And don’t tighten each nut fully one-by-one. Start with one lug nut, tighten it about 50% of the way and then move to the opposite nut and tighten about the same amount. Keep tightening opposite lug nuts gradually until each lug nut is as tight as it can be.
10. Give your old tyre the boot
Put your flat tyre and tools back in the car boot and be sure not to leave anything on the side of the road.
11. Fist pump the air and drive off smiling
You have successfully just changed your own tyre all on your own, roadside assistance se voet–you're your own tyre changing hero!
Of course, a better way of never needing to change a flat tyre is to avoid getting them flat at all which, thanks to Bridgestone, is now a reality with their run-flat systems made for most modern vehicle makes and models.
With Bridgestone's Drive Guard run-flat tyres, you can drive at least 80km at 80km/h – giving you the chance to escape dodgy areas and embarrassing situations. Give your nearest Supa Quick expert a call to learn more about the perfect Bridgestone Drive Guard Run-Flat tyre for your car.
Disclaimer: This information is for educational or informational purposes only. We do not make any warranties about the completeness, reliability, and accuracy of this information. The views expressed in this article are the views of the author and not necessarily the views of Supa Quick.
