How Do You Change a Car Tire?

Many drivers won’t ask “How do you change a car tire?” until they run into trouble on the roads near Westport or Norwalk. If you’re in a similar position, don’t worry. Although it’s always a good idea to be proactive, the truth is that learning how to change a car tire only takes a minute. If you have the proper equipment on hand, it’s a job you can easily take care of at home.

How to Change a Tire

Learning how to change a car tire is simple, and the process itself isn’t much more difficult! Before you get started, make sure that you have a jack, a lug wrench, and a new tire on hand. If you’re performing tire rotation, jack stands are also essential. And of course, keeping your owner’s manual on hand is never a bad idea. With this in mind, you’re ready to get started:

1. Pull off to a safe location if you’re on the side of the road. Turn on your hazard lights and parking brakes, and place wheel wedges beneath each of the tires you won’t be changing.
2. Remove the flat tire’s wheel cover or hubcap, and start removing the lug nuts with your lug wrench. Don’t take them all the way out; it’s much easier when your vehicle is elevated.
3. Once you’ve placed the jack securely beneath your vehicle, and lifted it off the ground, you’re ready to finish taking out those lug nuts.
4. Place the new tire or the spare tire wherever it should be, and then start screwing the lug nuts back into place. Work in a star pattern when you tighten them with your lug wrench.
5. Lower the vehicle, and place your hubcap or wheel cover back where it should be.

How Often Should You Change Car Tires?

Tires can last for six to ten years as you drive around Weston and Trumble, but only if you take good care of them along the way! Make sure to schedule regular tire rotation and keep your tires inflated to the proper PSI.  Finding out how often to change your tires may require a little bit of guesswork, but there’s one simple rule you can follow. If your tread depth falls to 2/32 of an inch or lower, it’s time to replace your tires. If there’s a difference of 2/32 of an inch or greater between the tread depths on each of your tires, you probably need to schedule tire rotation or wheel alignment.

Caring for your tires is certainly important, but they’re not the only parts of your vehicle that you need to be inspecting regularly. Make sure you know how to check your brake fluid, too.

How Many Miles Can You Go on a Spare Tire?

Many vehicles include spare tires that you can use in the event of an emergency, but you should know that these tires aren’t manufactured to last for very long! If you do have to put on a spare, head straight to your local tire center. Most spare tires can only last for around 50 miles before they start to expire, and you should stay below 50 mph for the entire time that you’re using a spare.

Whatever You Need, We’re Here to Help!

Mercedes-Benz of Fairfield isn’t just a trusted source for Mercedes-Benz service near Westport. The people who make up our team are your neighbors, and when you need to take care of DIY car care at home, we’re more than happy to pass along what we know.