Changing Tire Essay

Most people know how to change the tires of a car, it is a skill people should know in order to survive if a roadside flat tire occurs. Changing tires usually happens in a shop or when a roadside flat tire occurs, males are usually do a better job and know more about changing tires; however, there are females who changes tires but rarely. My dad had taught me how to change tires just in case a roadside flat tire occurs and it would be a good skill to know. When changing a tire, safety is the most important thing. The ground should be flat and stable when a tire is being change, the emergency brake should be on in case of sliding down the road. The right tools to use while changing the tire are very important, and if a mechanic is changing a tire for a job they usually wear something to get down on the ground and get dirty. In order to change a tire the first thing a person needs to do is to check the areas to see if it is a safe place to do so. Some people take the safety very serious, the vehicle could roll down the hill if the emergency break isn’t on or it would be bad to jack the car up when the ground is slanted. After checking the area, get out all the tools that are needed to change the tire. The tools that are usually needed are the jack, a wrench, and a spare tire. The jack is to use to lift the vehicle off of the ground so the tire can come off the vehicle. A wrench is to twist and loosen the lug nuts off of the tire and the new tire is to repair for the flat tire or the new one. Now that the area is checked and the tools are out it’s time for changing the tire. To change the tire, the vehicle needs to be lifted up with the jack. Place the jack under the frame near the tire that is needed to be change. Make sure that the jack is in contact with the metal portion of the car’s frame. After the jack is in the right place, start raising the jack up to where the tire is off the ground and make sure the jack is stabilized. After the tire is off of the ground, begin loosening up the lug nuts by using the wrench to twist. There are different sizes of wrench to fit different sizes of lug nuts. Find the correct size then loosen the lug nuts by turning it counterclockwise (left), don’t take the lug nuts all the way off, just break the resistance with the wrench first. The lug nuts take a lot of power to start loosen it up, after just loosen the lug nuts off it might be easier to use hands to twist it completely off. When all the lug nuts are off, the tire should be easy to come off as well. If the tire is hard to take off by hands, kick or hit the tire a little to loosen it up or lift the tire up a little to take it off. Sometimes if the vehicle isn’t lifted high enough it would stop the tire from coming off. In that case, pump up the jack more and lift the tire off of the ground so it might help. After the old tire is removed, replace the spare tire. To replace the spare tire correctly, the rim of the spare tire needs to be aligned with the wheel bolts, then put on the lug nuts. Tighten the lug nuts by hand until they are all snug then tighten them all the way by using the wrench. After the lug nuts are being tightened, lower the jack down. Once the car is lowered, tighten the lug nuts more to make sure the lug nuts are as tight as possible. The final step would be putting all the tools away and the flat or changed tire away. Changing a tire isn’t the hardest job but it can be tough for people who have never experienced it. It is a skill that needs to be learned if a roadside flat tire occurs and no one is around to help. A spare tire and tools are usually in the trunk when a tire is needed to be changed if it’s in the middle of nowhere. Safety is the most important part, and doing the steps correctly will make this process easier.