{"id":5606,"date":"2009-10-22T15:52:01","date_gmt":"2009-10-22T22:52:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/?p=5606"},"modified":"2009-10-22T15:52:01","modified_gmt":"2009-10-22T22:52:01","slug":"changing-a-tire-101","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/changing-a-tire-101\/","title":{"rendered":"Changing a Tire 101"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"mr_social_sharing_wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t<!-- Social Sharing Toolkit v2.2 --><span class=\"mr_social_sharing\"><a href=\"http:\/\/pinterest.com\/pin\/create\/button\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.myrideisme.com%2FBlog%2Fchanging-a-tire-101%2F&amp;media=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.myrideisme.com%2FBlog%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2009%2F10%2FSUC56663-400x300.jpg&amp;description=Changing+a+Tire+101\" class=\"pin-it-button\" count-layout=\"none\" rel=\"lightbox[5606]\"><img border=\"0\" src=\"\/\/assets.pinterest.com\/images\/PinExt.png\" title=\"Pin It\" \/><\/a><\/span><span class=\"mr_social_sharing\"><fb:share-button type=\"button_count\" href=\"https:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/changing-a-tire-101\/\"><\/fb:share-button><\/span><span class=\"mr_social_sharing\"><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/share\" class=\"twitter-share-button\" data-count=\"horizontal\" data-url=\"https:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/changing-a-tire-101\/\" data-via=\"myrideisme\" data-text=\"Changing a Tire 101\"><\/a><\/span><span class=\"mr_social_sharing\"><div class=\"g-plusone\" data-size=\"medium\" data-annotation=\"none\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/changing-a-tire-101\/\"><\/div><\/span><span class=\"mr_social_sharing\"><a class=\"mr_social_share_email\" href=\"mailto:?subject=Changing a Tire 101&amp;body=https:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/changing-a-tire-101\/\" target=\"_blank\"><img src=\"https:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/plugins\/social-sharing-toolkit\/images\/icons_small\/email.png\" class=\"nopin\" alt=\"Email\" title=\"Email\"\/><span class=\"mr_small_icon\">Email<\/span><\/a><\/a><\/span><span class=\"mr_social_sharing\"><a rel=\"nofollow\" class=\"linksalpha_button linksalpha_link\" href=\"\/\/www.linksalpha.com\/social\/mobile\" data-url=\"https:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/changing-a-tire-101\/\" data-text=\"Changing a Tire 101\" data-desc=\"Once I'd decided to start gettin\u2019 my hands greasy \u2013 the first thing I went for was the tire. It couldn\u2019t be too hard to take a tire on and off, right? Right! Changing a tire is as easy as 1-2-3! 1. Gather all your tools and jack your car up. Most modern cars come with a spare tire, a lug\" data-image=\"http:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/10\/SUC56663-400x300.jpg\" data-button=\"\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img src=\"\/\/www.linksalpha.com\/images\/social_share_button.png\" alt=\"Share\" class=\"linksalpha_image\" \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><script type=\"text\/javascript\" src=\"\/\/www.linksalpha.com\/scripts\/loader_iconbox.js?v=2.4\"><\/script><\/span><\/div><p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a class=\"highslide\" onclick=\"return vz.expand(this)\" href=\"http:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/10\/SUC56663.JPG\" rel=\"lightbox[5606]\"><\/a><a class=\"highslide\" onclick=\"return vz.expand(this)\" href=\"http:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/10\/SUC56656.JPG\" rel=\"lightbox[5606]\"><\/a><a class=\"highslide\" title=\"How to change a car tire\" onclick=\"return vz.expand(this)\" href=\"http:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/10\/SUC56663.JPG\" rel=\"lightbox[5606]\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-5607\" style=\"margin: 4px; border: black 2px solid;\" title=\"how-to change a tire\" src=\"http:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/10\/SUC56663-400x300.jpg\" alt=\"how-to change a tire\" width=\"400\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/10\/SUC56663-400x300.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/10\/SUC56663-150x112.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/10\/SUC56663-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/10\/SUC56663.JPG 1600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Once I&#8217;d decided to start gettin\u2019 my hands greasy \u2013 the first thing I went for was the tire. It couldn\u2019t be too hard to take a tire on and off, right? Right! <em><strong>Changing a tire is as easy as 1-2-3!<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong>1. Gather all your tools and jack your car up.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a class=\"highslide\" title=\"car tire change tools\" onclick=\"return vz.expand(this)\" href=\"http:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/10\/SUC56655.JPG\" rel=\"lightbox[5606]\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignleft size-large wp-image-5608\" style=\"margin: 4px; border: black 2px solid;\" title=\"Tools for changing a tire\" src=\"http:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/10\/SUC56655-400x300.jpg\" alt=\"Tools for changing a tire\" width=\"400\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/10\/SUC56655-400x300.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/10\/SUC56655-150x112.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/10\/SUC56655-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/10\/SUC56655.JPG 1600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/a>Most modern cars come with a spare tire, a lug wrench, and a jack of some sort. Look in all of the nooks in your trunk \u2013 they\u2019ll probably be there. My Studebaker certainly didn\u2019t come with these, but I\u2019ve got them back there now (along with a pair of jumper cables!)<br \/>\nA note about jacks. A jack is a metal contraption that when worked correctly lifts part of your car off the ground. There are a number of varieties of jacks and they all work slightly differently. Most cars are equipped with small scissor jacks. I carry a small floor jack with me in my Stude though. You need to find out what sort of jack you\u2019ve got and read the instructions on how its safely operated. Do this now\u2026don\u2019t wait for an emergency!<br \/>\nBefore operating the jack, you need to know where to place it under your car. First of all, you\u2019re gonna want to be on a flat surface with your car in park (with e-brake on if ya\u2019ve got one)! It\u2019s also a good idea to put a wood block or other such thing on the front or back of the tire that is diagonal from the tire you\u2019ll be changing. This helps to keep it from rolling and whatnot.<br \/>\nWhen you\u2019re ready to place your jack, you want to look for a solid part of the car, or the chassis. The chassis is like the metal skeleton of the car. You never want to put it on the bottom of the engine or gas tank or the edge of the car body. I usually place it close to the tire I\u2019m changing. But don\u2019t jack it up yet, first we\u2019ve got to start removing the tire.<\/p>\n<p><strong>2. Remove tire.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a class=\"highslide\" onclick=\"return vz.expand(this)\" href=\"http:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/10\/SUC56656.JPG\" rel=\"lightbox[5606]\"><\/a>Tire\u2019s usually have 4 or 5 lug nuts holding the tire in place. (If you don\u2019t see these lug nuts, you may need to remove a hubcap.) The lug nuts need to be loosened before jacking the wheel up. Otherwise the wheel would just spin when a turning force is put on the nut!<br \/>\nGather your lug wrench. The most common lug wrench is in the shape of an X kinda \u2013 with a different size on each of its 4 ends. This is a handy set-up because it\u2019ll give you a socket that will fit your tire\u2019s size of bolt and it\u2019s also designed in a way that you can get significant leverage with! You could also choose to carry a breaker bar or something like that in your trunk, but this one tool should be all you need.<br \/>\nOnce you find the correct fit to your tire\u2019s lug nut you can start by loosening one. And if you\u2019re in doubt about which direction to turn it \u2013 remember the saying \u201cLefty Lousy, Righty Tighty.\u201d This saying works for everything from the hose faucet to your tire lug nut. If the nut seems hard to loosen \u2013 be sure you\u2019re using good leverage on your lug wrench. One hand should be pushing down and the other pulling up.<br \/>\nAfter all the lug nuts are loosened. You can lift your car using the positioned jack. Safety note: when you\u2019ve got a car jacked up, remember that the placement of the car depends on that jack holding it there. Don\u2019t put yourself in any positions where it could come falling down on you. If you want to be extra safe you can place jack-stands underneath \u2013 but that isn\u2019t really necessary for a quick, simple tire change.<br \/>\nWith the car lifted, you can finish taking off lug nuts (be sure to put them somewhere they won\u2019t get lost or roll away!) At this point you can lift the tire off its bolts and place it to the side.<\/p>\n<p><strong>3. Put new tire on.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a class=\"highslide\" title=\"car tire star pattern\" onclick=\"return vz.expand(this)\" href=\"http:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/10\/SUC56656.JPG\" rel=\"lightbox[5606]\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignleft size-large wp-image-5609\" style=\"margin: 4px; border: black 2px solid;\" title=\"star pattern how to put on a tire\" src=\"http:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/10\/SUC56656-400x533.jpg\" alt=\"star pattern how to put on a tire\" width=\"400\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/10\/SUC56656-400x533.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/10\/SUC56656-112x150.jpg 112w, https:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/10\/SUC56656-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/10\/SUC56656.JPG 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/a>When you\u2019ve got the replacement tire in hand, take note of where the holes are that the bolts will go through. Kind of match that pattern with the pattern placement you see on the car. With those matched, you won\u2019t have to hold the tire in the air as long! Lift up your tire and place it on the bolts.<br \/>\nWhen you\u2019re putting the bolts back on, you want to put them on in a \u201cstar\u201d pattern as seen in the picture. Replacing the lug nuts in this pattern will help the tire remain even and safe\u2026.which is really important! As you replace the lug nut onto the bolt, take note of the different sides of the lug nut. You want the angled side to be closest to the rim.<a class=\"highslide\" title=\"car tire lugnut\" onclick=\"return vz.expand(this)\" href=\"http:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/10\/SUC56658.JPG\" rel=\"lightbox[5606]\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-5610\" style=\"margin: 4px; border: black 2px solid;\" title=\"SUC56658\" src=\"http:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/10\/SUC56658-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"SUC56658\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/10\/SUC56658-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/10\/SUC56658-150x112.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/10\/SUC56658-400x300.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/10\/SUC56658.JPG 1600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><br \/>\nI use my hands to put each lug nut on most of the way, and then tighten with my hands until snug (following the star pattern.) At this point you can lower your car back down to the ground and remove the jack. With the tire on the ground, use your lug wrench in a star pattern to tighten each bolt to about \u00bc turn past \u201csnug.\u201d<br \/>\nIf there\u2019s a hubcap put that back on and put your tools back in the trunk. Now you\u2019re ready to roll!<br \/>\nSo just because you might never have changed a tire, doesn\u2019t mean you can\u2019t! If you\u2019ve never changed a tire before reading this article \u2013 make a date with your car and get a little acquainted! Imagine how good you\u2019ll feel when being stranded on the roadside isn\u2019t on the list of things to be scared of.<br \/>\n<em>A few more notes\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Caring for your tires should be a part of your basic car maintenance. Be sure to check your tire pressure every month. I keep a little mini-guage in my car with me. You can find what pressure they\u2019re supposed to be at by looking at the tire just outside the rim you\u2019ll see little lettering that will tell you somewhere in there how much \u201cPSI\u201d it should have. Having deflated tires means less gas-milage and more tire-wear!<\/li>\n<li>Rotate your tires about every 8,000 miles. I put this on my once-a-year calendar, but the more fastidious might want to do it twice a year.<\/li>\n<li>With vintage hubcaps like those on my Studebaker, I suggest having a<a class=\"highslide\" title=\"Rubber mallet hubcap\" onclick=\"return vz.expand(this)\" href=\"http:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/10\/SUC56666.JPG\" rel=\"lightbox[5606]\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-thumbnail wp-image-5611 alignright\" style=\"margin: 4px; border: black 2px solid;\" title=\"rubber mallet hubcap\" src=\"http:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/10\/SUC56666-150x112.jpg\" alt=\"SUC56666\" width=\"150\" height=\"112\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/10\/SUC56666-150x112.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/10\/SUC56666-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/10\/SUC56666-400x300.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/10\/SUC56666.JPG 1600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px\" \/><\/a>\n<p>rubber mallet to ensure these are on snug \u2013 its quite hard to do with just the palm of your hand. Once I failed to do this and it resulted in my hubcap popping off as I drove over a bump \u2013 which might not be so bad, but when it hit and scratched the door of a new shiny Mercedes it wasn\u2019t very fun to deal with!<a class=\"highslide\" title=\"Rubber mallet hubcap\" onclick=\"return vz.expand(this)\" href=\"http:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/10\/SUC56666.JPG\" rel=\"lightbox[5606]\"><\/a><\/li>\n<li>I recently filmed a short TV segment, teaching a lady to do just this (change her tire!) As we were doing this using my Studebaker as our tire-<a class=\"highslide\" title=\"Side of the road tire change\" onclick=\"return vz.expand(this)\" href=\"http:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/10\/stranded.jpg\" rel=\"lightbox[5606]\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignleft size-thumbnail wp-image-5612\" style=\"margin: 4px; border: black 2px solid;\" title=\"stranded\" src=\"http:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/10\/stranded-150x150.jpg\" alt=\"stranded\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/10\/stranded-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/10\/stranded-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/10\/stranded-400x400.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/10\/stranded.jpg 406w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px\" \/><\/a>changing prop, I noticed that the inner part of my front tires were extremely worn down (tire-alignment is an issue for another article!) I vowed to fix this by going to the tire shop first thing the next morning. What happened that night? That\u2019s right, I blew a tire\u2026on the freeway! Luckily I was already in the far right lane and was able to get on a very small shoulder out of harm\u2019s way (just barely)! This was not a safe spot to put these skills to the test, so I exited my car via the passenger door, stood off to the side of the embankment, and called AAA. Stude was delivered to my driveway where I took the rims off, shopped for 2 new tires, and then did a full 4-tire rotation!<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Here&#8217;s hoping you won&#8217;t have to deal with a blowout! Until next time,<\/p>\n<p>Happy Trails!<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"mr_social_sharing_wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t<!-- Social Sharing Toolkit v2.2 --><span class=\"mr_social_sharing\"><a href=\"http:\/\/pinterest.com\/pin\/create\/button\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.myrideisme.com%2FBlog%2Fchanging-a-tire-101%2F&amp;media=&amp;description=Changing+a+Tire+101\" class=\"pin-it-button\" count-layout=\"none\"><img border=\"0\" src=\"\/\/assets.pinterest.com\/images\/PinExt.png\" title=\"Pin It\" \/><\/a><\/span><span class=\"mr_social_sharing\"><fb:share-button type=\"button_count\" href=\"https:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/changing-a-tire-101\/\"><\/fb:share-button><\/span><span class=\"mr_social_sharing\"><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/share\" class=\"twitter-share-button\" data-count=\"horizontal\" data-url=\"https:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/changing-a-tire-101\/\" data-via=\"myrideisme\" data-text=\"Changing a Tire 101\"><\/a><\/span><span class=\"mr_social_sharing\"><div class=\"g-plusone\" data-size=\"medium\" data-annotation=\"none\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/changing-a-tire-101\/\"><\/div><\/span><span class=\"mr_social_sharing\"><a class=\"mr_social_share_email\" href=\"mailto:?subject=Changing a Tire 101&amp;body=https:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/changing-a-tire-101\/\" target=\"_blank\"><img src=\"https:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/plugins\/social-sharing-toolkit\/images\/icons_small\/email.png\" class=\"nopin\" alt=\"Email\" title=\"Email\"\/><span class=\"mr_small_icon\">Email<\/span><\/a><\/a><\/span><span class=\"mr_social_sharing\"><a rel=\"nofollow\" class=\"linksalpha_button linksalpha_link\" href=\"\/\/www.linksalpha.com\/social\/mobile\" data-url=\"https:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/changing-a-tire-101\/\" data-text=\"Changing a Tire 101\" data-desc=\"Once I'd decided to start gettin\u2019 my hands greasy \u2013 the first thing I went for was the tire. It couldn\u2019t be too hard to take a tire on and off, right? Right! Changing a tire is as easy as 1-2-3! 1. Gather all your tools and jack your car up. Most modern cars come with a spare tire, a lug\" data-image=\"\" data-button=\"\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img src=\"\/\/www.linksalpha.com\/images\/social_share_button.png\" alt=\"Share\" class=\"linksalpha_image\" \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><script type=\"text\/javascript\" src=\"\/\/www.linksalpha.com\/scripts\/loader_iconbox.js?v=2.4\"><\/script><\/span><\/div><p>Email Once I&#8217;d decided to start gettin\u2019 my hands greasy \u2013 the first thing I went for was the tire. It couldn\u2019t be too hard to take a tire on and off, right? Right! Changing a tire is as easy as 1-2-3! 1. Gather all your tools and jack your car up. Most modern cars [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0},"categories":[1815],"tags":[544,2512],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5606"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5606"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5606\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5800,"href":"https:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5606\/revisions\/5800"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5606"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5606"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.myrideisme.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5606"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}