FREE ESSAY ON HOW TO CHANGE A FLAT TIRE

HOW TO CHANGE A FLAT TIRE

How to Change a Flat Tire on a Busy Road
You can easily get sucker into paying more than fifty dollars for having a towing company
change flat tire for you. Instead, you can save yourself money by doing it yourself. It
is a simple process that takes less than half an hour. Most of the tools you need are
already in your car. These tools include a Jack, a tire iron, a spare tire, and road
flares. 
The first step is to set up the road flares. Flares are available at most department
stores and are a very good idea to carry. Setting flares makes the car more visible,
decreasing the chance of an accident while you are changing the tire. To properly set
flares, you should have four of them. Take each flare and light it, following the
directions on the package. After you light them, lay them on the ground in the following
pattern. Lay the first one about fifty feet behind your car, and about four feet from the
white line on the side of the road. Set the rest of the flares in a straight line, with
the last one being about three feet from the driver's side rear corner of your car on the
white line. This will allow other drivers to see that there is an emergency, and allow
them time to merge.
The next step is to begin the tire change. To do this you must take the rest of the tools
out of your car. The tire iron is probably in the trunk along with the spare tire. The
car jack might be in the trunk, or it might be under the hood next to the engine. It
depends on what type of car you have. Once you have all of the tools out, find the tire
iron. The tire iron in most vehicles is a bent piece of steel flattened on one end, with
a socket on the other. Use the flattened end to pry off the hubcap. Then use the socket
to loosen all five lug nuts. Do not remove the lug nuts at this time because it will
cause the car to fall. 
Once you loosen the lug nuts, you will begin lifting the car with the jack. There are
only four places on the car where you can put the jack. They are close to the tires, and
reinforced to hold the weight of the car. There are pictures and written directions on
the side of the jack, telling you where to use it. Find the spot where the jack goes, and
determine if the ground will support the weight of your car. If it might not, you will
want to stick a board, or another hard object under the jack. This will allow you to jack
up the car, even in the softest ground. Once the tire is off the ground about four to
five inches, remove the lug nuts, and take the tire off. Take your spare tire, line it up
with the lug bolts, and slip it on. Put all five lug nuts back on and tighten them as
much as possible. It is easier to put the top ones on first, because this will keep the
ire from falling off. Lower the car back to the ground, and remove the jack. Tighten the
lug nuts as tight as possible. There is a special way to tighten the lug nuts, if you do
not do it this way, your tire may be on the hub crooked. After tightening one lug, go
directly across to tighten the next one, be sure to re-tighten all of the lug nuts at
least four times. This will make your tire go on the hub perfectly straight. Then, put
all of the tools away, and put your flat tire in the trunk. 
Before you go, read the spare tire to see if there is any speed limitations. Some car
manufacturers design their spares to travel only at slow speeds. Check your tire for any
specific regulations. If you do not abide by speed limitations, the tire could blow out,
causing not only damage to the rim, but also possibly body damage to the car.