Getting a flat tyre can leave you feeling, well, a little deflated! But it doesn’t have to put a stop to your plans. With a little bit of know-how and a little bit of elbow grease, you can confidently and safely change a tyre in no time.

Whether you’re on the road or at home, you’ve had an unexpected blowout or you’re switching to winter tyres, we’ll get you ready to roll.

Did you know that when we say, “change a tyre,” we actually mean “change a wheel”? Changing just a tyre on your car requires specialist equipment and a fitting machine! When you “change a tyre” at home or on the road, you remove the whole wheel.

Preparing to change your tyre

Before you start, it’s important to make sure that you have everything you need to do the job and stay safe.

Equipment

You will need a spare or space saver tyre, a jack, a wheel brace, a torque wrench, wheel chocks, your car handbook and your wheel nut key if you have one. If you are doing a roadside tyre change, you will also want a reflective jacket and a warning triangle. Gloves can also be handy to keep you clean.

Safety

Staying safe is your top priority. You shouldn’t try to change your tyre on a motorway or busy road. Make sure that you are parked on a hard, flat and even surface before changing your tyre. You should turn on your hazard lights, put on your reflective jacket and place your warning triangle to caution other drivers. If you are changing your tyre on the road, you should remove all passengers from the vehicle beforehand too.

Step 1: Loosen up the wheel nuts

Now that you are parked somewhere safe and have all your equipment gathered, you can get started!

With the car still firmly on the ground, use the wheel brace to loosen the wheel nuts. If you have a plastic trim, you may need to remove this beforehand. You may have a ‘locking wheel nut’ – use your locking wheel nut key to remove this.

Remember righty tighty, lefty loosey! But don’t remove them just yet.

Step 2: Jack the car up

Time to lift the car. Position the jack under the jacking point closest to the wheel you are removing. Make sure the surface is flat and free from debris.

If you’re not sure where the jacking point is, you should be able to find out in your car handbook. These areas are reinforced and designed to support the weight of your car. They usually have markings like notches or arrows to make them easier to find.

Carefully raise the car so that the tyre clears the ground.

Step 3: Remove the wheel

Finish loosening the wheel nuts and place them somewhere safe.

Remove the wheel with the tyre intact and place it flat on the ground. Some wheels may need a little extra convincing to come off. Take your time to gently rock the tyre back and forth.

Remember that the wheel may be heavy and if the tread is low, it could be sharp, so be careful!

Step 4: Replace the wheel

Pop on your space saver, spare or winter tyre and tighten the wheel nuts by hand. You can tell which tyres are winter tyres by checking the labels on the side of the tyre.

Step 5: Tighten up the wheel nuts

Carefully lower your car back down to the ground and remove the jack.

Use your wheel brace or calibrated torque wrench to fully tighten the wheel nuts. Wheel nuts have to be tightened to the correct torque value. You’ll find this in your car handbook! If you don’t have a torque wrench, it’s advisable to get your wheel nuts checked over by a garage as soon as possible.

Tidy away all your equipment.

Step 6: Repair or replace your tyre

If you are changing your tyre because it’s flat, don’t forget to take it to be repaired or replaced. Run flat (self-supporting) tyres can be used for a limited period, but will still need to be replaced.

You only want to be driving on a space saver for as long as it takes to get to a garage. Remember, no faster than 50mph for no further than 50 miles for both run flat and space saver tyres.

And there you have it, you’ve successfully changed your tyre – good job!

Wherever you’re heading, get there on safe tyres

At TyreSafe, we are dedicated to raising awareness of the importance of tyre safety. Stay safe and sound and road-ready with our tyre help and advice.