This week's tip: How to save money with a blowout
Ever see people struggle on the side of the road with a flat tyre? If you've been there you know it's not a good feeling. I bet that 90% of people don't know how to change a flat tyre. Even if you have free towing you're almost always better off changing it yourself and be on your way.
I recommend you have the following tools in your car:
* Emergency jack and handle
* Lug wrench
* A long cheater bar. You can go to Home Depot and buy a long pipe. You slide it over the lug wrench to give you more leverage to break the stubborn lug nuts.
* A rubber mallet. You use this to pound on the sidewall of the tyre if the wheel is stuck.
* Torque wrench and appropriate socket for torquing the lug nuts. Check with your local auto parts store. Ask for a good high quality lug nut torque wrench and a deep well 6 point socket that fits your car.
* Glow in the dark triangles.
* Fix-a-flat as last resort.
* 12v air pump that plugs into your cigarette lighter.
* Air pressure gauge
While at the parts store you may also want to pick a can of brake cleaner and a canister of antiseize compound. See below.
The hardest part with changing a flat tyre is that you need to rehearse it like a NASCAR pit crew. The more quickly you can fix it and be on your way the safer you will be. Changing a flat in your driveway on a sunny afternoon is not the same as 2am in the rain on the side of the interstate.
I recommend doing this maintenance every 6 months because of the temperature change.
1) Go find your owner's manual. If you don't have one, you may purchase one from your dealer.
2) Read the section on how to change a flat tyre.
3) Go find your spare tyre, tools, and jack. Not all cars will have a spare because they have run flats. If you're missing anything you can check with your dealer.
4) If you have wheel locks make sure you have the key. As a rule of thumb I do not recommend wheel locks because they are not an effective theft-deterrent. It actually takes less time to break a wheel lock than to undo a regular lug nut.
5) Park your car in a safe and flat surface overnight. You want the wheels and tyres to be cold for best results.
6) Pick a corner of the car to work on. Remove the wheel as per the instructions in the owner's manual. If you're struggling, use the breaker bar to give yourself more leverage. If you're still struggling, take the car to your mechanic and have them remove the wheel lugs with air tools and retorque properly.
Sometimes the lug nuts rust and seize themselves to the car. Also, sometimes your mechanic will be sloppy and overtighten the lug nuts.
If you're struggling now, imagine how it would be on the side of the road.
7) If you have removed all the lug nuts but the wheel is stuck, hit the outside sidewall of the tyre with your rubber mallet. Go around in circle and tap lightly. Eventually the wheel will free itself.
What happens is rust and lack of maintenance causes the wheel to glue itself to the hub of the car.
8) Once the wheel is off, you'll want to inspect the brakes and suspension. Look for any leak or broken parts and fix as necessary. Go ahead and spray the brakes with brake cleaner liberally. Be sure to hit the area where the wheel mounts onto the hub.
9) Now is a good time to inspect the tyre. Check the tread and sidewall for punctures as well.
10) Before reinstalling the wheel, give the hub a light coat of antiseize compound where it meets the wheel and lug nuts. This will prevent seizing in the future.
11) Install the lug nuts and lower the car as per the owner's manual. Use the torque wrench and apply the amount of torque specified in the owner's manual.
12) Repeat for all tyres.
After you're done, go around and check tyre pressure, including the spare. I recommend adding +5 psi to the factory recommended pressure.
The first time you do this you'll find that it may take you several hours, but with practice and good maintenance you can cut down your time to about 5 minutes. Spend the time and struggle up front. You'll be safer and save money later.
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