EPT
- Flat tire on the side of the road; put a spare tire on yourself
- You have two sets of wheels, and you change all four of them yourself for the season
The reason why I want to write up a short guide about this is because most people don't know how to do it properly, even among people who have done the job several times. I'm not going to claim I am an expert either so other experienced drivers can feel free to add to this.
In my case I was changing tires because I have a set of wheels with summer tires, and another set with all season tires (didn't bother with snow tires). I can either swap all four wheels myself or let the dealer do it. I was going to just let the dealer do it but I forgot to bring the lug nuts for the other set (lol) so I used the opportunity instead to take pictures (and I save money I guess). Observe:
![[image loading]](http://img23.imageshack.us/img23/6701/img0308wjd.jpg)
The advantage of having a hatch is that you can fit a set of 4 wheels/tires in the trunk after putting the back seat down. As you can see, I have all four squished in there. Another picture taken in the rear driver side door:
![[image loading]](http://img14.imageshack.us/img14/7327/img0309o.jpg)
Step 1: Position the Car
![[image loading]](http://img4.imageshack.us/img4/526/img0310aca.jpg)
There needs to be a flat surface for the jack to rest on. Since my driveway has uneven segments, I moved my car until a flat segment lined up with the region under my car where I am supposed to position the jack. Also note I have the wheel I'm working on 'uphill.' If you are on the side of the road you just have to do your best to position the car so that the jack is on a flat surface and the car is not too tilted.
Step 2: Verify the Wheel
![[image loading]](http://img6.imageshack.us/img6/241/img0311b.jpg)
If you are putting on a donut/spare then this isn't a big deal, but if you are putting on a new set of wheels, look closely at the tires. They often indicate the correct orientation. You can see in the above picture that there is an arrow showing the correction direction of rotation of the wheel. Also, if you are changing sets, you generally want to rotate the tires. I suggest you read up on that specific topic online or elsewhere.
![[image loading]](http://img4.imageshack.us/img4/149/img0312ykz.jpg)
You can see I have a spare tire in the bottom of my trunk. The jack and other tools are also positioned in this region; consult with your own car's user manual.
Step 3: Gather you Materials
![[image loading]](http://img4.imageshack.us/img4/7210/img0313z.jpg)
From left to right:
- Wheel lock key (for removing the locked lug nut, if you have them on your car)
- Locking lug nut
- Regular lug nuts
- Crappy Lug Wrench
- Lug Wrench extender (needed for removing lug nets from one of my wheel sets; not needed for the other)
- Crank for Jack
- Jack
- Wheel Chock
![[image loading]](http://img18.imageshack.us/img18/3614/img0314o.jpg)
A closeup of the nuts/etc
Step 4: Chock the Wheel
![[image loading]](http://img14.imageshack.us/img14/2711/img0315t.jpg)
You place a wedge behind the wheel that is diagonally across from the one you are jacking up.
Step 5: Jack the Car Partway Up
![[image loading]](http://img27.imageshack.us/img27/7152/img0316knx.jpg)
Your car will have its own instructions for how to position and operate the jack. Mine is pictured above. I actually lifted the 3200 lb car slightly off the ground with two fingers (can YOU do that incontrol? No jack allowed) and then used the crank for the rest. You want the wheel to remain in contact with the ground, but for most of the weight to be relieved.
![[image loading]](http://img4.imageshack.us/img4/3406/img0319ptj.jpg)
The crank inserted into the jack.
Step 6: Loosen the Lug Nuts
![[image loading]](http://img6.imageshack.us/img6/8182/img0320v.jpg)
If your wheels were worked on by a mechanic previously, then the nuts are going to be very tight. I suggest you position a metal pipe over the lug wrench like I did. Be careful so that you don't cross thread the lug nuts; just make sure everything is lined up nice before you apply a large torque.
Step 7: Lift the car until the wheel is completely off the ground
![[image loading]](http://img6.imageshack.us/img6/838/img0321jtc.jpg)
Before you remove the wheel, give the car a shove in each direction. If it's going to fall off the jack, let it happen now while you are not reaching under the car, and while the wheel is still on. Even if you don't get hurt/killed, it really sucks if the car falls off the jack while there is a wheel completely missing.
Step 8: Remove the Wheel
![[image loading]](http://img24.imageshack.us/img24/5062/img0322b.jpg)
Depending on the wheels/car, this could take a decent amount of force. Some wheels also have a rubber ring that you need to make sure comes off the car and stays inside the wheel. Double check any documentation about your wheels.
Step 9: Put the Correct Wheel On
![[image loading]](http://img18.imageshack.us/img18/6773/img0323riy.jpg)
Don't pull a Lucille Ball. Be absolutely sure that you have the correct wheel ready to be put on the car. Be anal.
It will be tricky to put the wheel on, and especially so if it's a big/heavy one. If you sit down, you can use your feet/hands in combination to get the best leverage and position the wheel. Place the lug nuts for the new wheel on finger tight (if it is a spare tire then it probably uses the same lug nuts).
Step 10: Finishing Up
Lower the jack until the wheel has made contact with the ground and can no longer spin freely, but do not lower it all the way. Use your lug wrench to tighten the lug nuts. Put some force into it, but you shouldn't need to use the metal pipe extender if you did before. Lower the car to the ground. Remove the chocks and the jack.
Afterward
It's pretty easy to make a dumb mistake while doing this so be careful and take your time. If you have a pad that you can use for sitting/lying on, that helps a lot.
edit: important: When tightening the lug nuts do a VERY GOOD JOB. I've come to learn it's worth using the pipe to tighten them almost as much as what the mechanics do!
There sure are enough people who don't know how to do that properly. Damn, you can find a guide to about everything on this webpage..
