If you have a flat tire while driving your car, come to a stop as quickly as you can. Pull to the side of the road as far as you can without tilting the vehicle. Better yet, get off the road entirely if it’s just a few feet to get there. Be certain you are on a level area or forget the idea altogether. Put your car in gear or in park, engage emergency brake, and turn on hazard flashers. Pop the trunk if you can do so remotely (this helps passing cars to see that you are stopped). Carefully watch traffic at all times, especially as you exit the vehicle. If you have flares, lights, or cones, now is the time to set them out behind your car.

Remove the jack and spare tire from the trunk. Using the flat end of your tire iron, pop off the hubcap if there is one. Set your spare upright against the car, near your flat but aside. Now you must “break” each lug, before you do any jacking. Place the wrench onto the lugs one by one, and just barely loosen them – all you are doing is making them easier to remove later, so do not try to remove them yet. Just a slight break is all you are after for now. Watch for traffic.

Place your jack in the exact spot that your vehicle’s instructions recommend, nearest to the flat of course. Jack it up to where the tire just barely clears the ground. Now go ahead and remove all the lug nuts from the wheel, and slide the tire toward you and off the hub. Use your hubcap as a handy holder for your lug nuts – it’s easy to lose them while you work. Watch for traffic.

Roll your spare into position directly in front of the bare hub, making sure that the holes more or less match up with the bolts. Usually you will have to jack up the car a little more so that this tire will clear the ground about two inches. Grasp the tire on both sides, lift and press forward onto the bolts. Push it up snugly and place a nut on it quickly, finger tight, then add all the nuts in opposing pairs. Tighten the nuts fairly well with your wrench, again working in opposing pairs. Watch for traffic.

Lower the car just until the tire is touching the ground firmly. Now you may give each nut a full-on tightening. Again, work in opposing pairs as you do this. Finally, let down the jack and remove it. Put your flat tire in the trunk and off you go. Although quite safe and durable, don’t drive on your mini-spare any farther than you must, and keep your speed under 50 mph.

TIP:
If your flat tire is (from the beginning) still whole, not blown out, and entirely on the rim, you can try a fix-your-flat can of repair goo. This will only work if your tire is completely together and every inch on the rim. Follow the directions on the can, and drive your car directly to a repair station at a conservative speed.

R.E. Walker is a freelance writer, and editor of http://easyduzzit.com, an online magazine featuring internet business and lifestyle features for both men and women. His many travels have presented a multitude of challenges, including changing tires and making other mechanical repairs on demand. This jack-of-all-trades quality is reflected in both his writing and many personal interests.

For more information on dealing with a flat tire, visit:

http://www.doityourself.com/stry/how-to-change-a-flat-tire