6 Simple Steps to Safely Change Your Car Tyre

For those who have never changed a tyre before, here are our 6 simple steps to safely change a car tyre for you to follow, so that next time you are well prepared.    

1.) Pull over 

Slow down and pull over as soon as you can.  Try heading into an area that is slightly off the highway.  Cars speed past and that’s how accidents happen.

• Let someone know 

Call a friend or family member to let them know your location, just in case you don’t come right and need further assistance.  If you are like us, the first reaction is to freak out a little and call someone who you know will be able to guide you through the process. 

• Triangle reflector 

One of the equipment pieces that you will need – we mention all the equipment needed further in the blog post.  Pretty sure you have seen this red triangle reflector on the roads before.  If you haven’t, do you even drive? So important when you have a flat tyre.  Just gives other drivers on the road a heads up that you are stuck.  

2.) Park on a flat 

Park your car on a flat, so that your car doesn’t roll.  If it’s not you under the car changing the tyre, it will be someone else.  The last thing you need is the car rolling into the highway, grass patch or ditch and then you sit with more problems.  

• Handbreak

Remember to lift your hand break up to avoid rolling.  Best bet to leave the car in first gear.  When you start the car again, remember that your car is in first gear to avoid that sudden jerk 😉

3.) Flag down

Try flag a car down so that they can assist you in changing the car tyre or just make sure that the environment is safe around you.  

• Valuable items

Worrying about changing a tyre, one can tend to be completely unaware of who is around you.  Just make sure your items in the car are locked up or that someone is able to monitor your valuables for you.  

• Who to flag down 

That is tricky.  Because in the moment you are so desperate for anyone’s roadside assistance.  I guess as females, we have a natural instinct of being on high alert to watch our surroundings.  

We waved down a bakkie and they thought we were waving and carried on driving.  Minutes later, we saw the same bakkie coming back in our direction to ask if we were okay!  Could have shed a tear in that moment!   

While our bakkie driver was under the car, a truck driver saw us holding the spare car tyre.  We asked him afterwards what made him stop.  

He said: “I saw three females holding a tyre up, and knew something was wrong.”  

Luckily we could laugh about this afterwards when our spare tyre was changed and we were ready to hit the road again.  

4.) Must have equipment 

Totally heading to the shops to make sure we have these items in the boot of our car for incase.  Get all your tools out and prepare to get a little dirty.  

Tip: travel rookie error, don’t travel in your best clothing!  

• Bolts and spanners/ Lug wrench 

Purchase a tool set that has all the necessary equipment that allows you to remove the bolts from the wheel and safely secure the new tyre.  

Use the lug wrench to loosen the nuts in a counter clockwise direction.  

• Jack 

This is the most important, especially when you are travelling in a 4×4 vehicle.  A jack is the device used to lift the car off the ground so that you can remove the damaged tyre.  Bigger cars require a stronger jack to hold up the vehicle while changing the tyre.  You could use a standard car jack, however, it will just take a little longer and more muscle usage.  

Replace the jack under the frame, closest to the tyre that you are changing.  You will notice the tyre lifting off the ground, which will allow for you to completely remove the tyre. 

PS:  Keep nuts and bolts close by!  Whatever you took off, must go back on….  

• Spare tyre

Make sure your spare is A for away so that you are not changing your tyre to put another damaged tyre on.  After your trip, always replace your damaged tyre right away so that you don’t forget.  

Replace the damaged tyre with the new tyre and use the lug wrench to tighten the nuts to secure the new tyre.  

Once the new tyre has been replaced, lower the car by using the jack and check that the tyre is on correctly.  

• Keys for spare tyre 

Knowing where the keys are for the spare tyre would help!  Keep them separate from the main keys and somewhere you will remember.  I tied a little piece of string around the correct key.  There is nothing worse than trying every single key 3 times and apparently being incorrect.  

• Triangle reflector 

Place the triangle reflector behind your vehicle so that oncoming traffic are aware that you are there.  Also, this could encourage people to stop and assist you.  

5.) Listen to your car

It is all fun and games playing the good tunes until your car is trying to let you know someone isn’t right.  Turn down the music from time to time during your trip to make sure there are no strange sounds and that the travel is a smooth one.  

Especially after changing a tyre, you want to perhaps listen carefully to the car for some time just to make sure you are good!

6.) Watch and learn 

If someone has stopped on the highway and assisted you in changing your tyre, deem yourself as lucky.  It doesn’t happen all the time.  There might be a next time when you are forced to do it alone, so make sure that you have watched someone do it.  You can teach the next person your ways on how to change a car tyre.