When it comes to changing a tire, many car owners dread doing such work. For some people, it is dirty and tiring. While for some others, it is a heavy-duty job that requires the services of car mechanics. Whatever category you belong to, we agree that changing a tire may not be your most favorite thing in the world. Still, then there comes a time when you are left in the middle of nowhere with no way to reach a car mechanic or hitch a ride. What do you do in such a situation? If your answer is as right as my guess. Then you will most certainly want to know how to change a tire on a rim.
Come to think of it, changing your tire is not as hard as you may have heard or imagined. The good news is that anyone can do it.
Why Should You Change A Tire
The simple answer to the question of why you should change your tire is that it is the wise thing for every vehicle owner to do. The lifespan of a vehicle tire depends on a lot of factors. Usually, original new tires that you expect to last the user for up to 50,000 miles. Some users were lucky to reach this milestone before needing a change of tire. We had received complaints from car owners who used their tires for far lesser mileage before the tires packed up. Also, some tires that come with a guarantee of 50,000 miles only end up lasting up to 30,000 miles.
Another thing to consider when it comes to how long a tire can last. This happens when the tire is an all-season tire or a performance summer tire. You would also consider the type of car sitting on the tire. And how it is driven as well as the places or routes the tire treads on.
With that said, there are no guarantees that your brand new tires will last you up to the stipulated mileage. And that is why you should know how to change a tire on a rim. And to help you get right into it, we have mapped out simple steps. This you can follow to make changing your tire an easy one.
Step 1: Pick A Good Place
One thing about a tire is that it can blow up when you least expected and usually at odd places. Assuming there was a way to tell the exact time your tire will blow up. Then the chances are that you will most likely take it in for repairs or replacement or at least choose a comfortable spot. However, wherever you may have experienced, the tire burst. Then you should aim to move your vehicle to a good and safe place before attempting to change the tire. Avoid pushing or driving your car on just the rim for a mile. This may end up ruining your rim. Try as much as you can to get a level and hard surface that is safely off the road. We don’t want you getting hit by a reckless driver.
Step 2: Prepare The Tire For The Next Step To Change The Tire From A Car
Once you have gotten the right place, set your parking brake and turn on your car’s hazard lights or emergency flashers. Ensure that the vehicle cannot roll on its own when you lift the tires. You can block or chock the wheels with large stones by the roadside or with wheel wedges. This will prevent the car from rolling while you are changing the tire. If you are replacing a rear tire, place the block in the front, and if it is a front tire, block the car from the rear tires. It’s time to search your vehicle boot for some lug wrench and jack that you will need to change the tire. And of course, a spare tire to replace the flat one. Once you have gotten these ready, you make a move on changing your tire.
Step 3: Breaking The Bead Of Your Car Tire
Another thing to bear in mind is breaking the bead of the car tire. Just lay the tire on the ground, place a breaker bar between the rim and the tire, then with a hammer or a solid rock, target some hits between the rim and the tire. When you hear the sound of air escaping, make sure the breaker bar is facing the ground so that you can completely break the tire bead. In what looks like 6 inches, slide the breaker bar around the tire while making sure the end is still under the rim. Break the bead with the hammer or rock and move the tire around until it comes off. Do the same thing for the opposite side of the tire.
Step 4: Removing A Tire From A Rim Without Any Machine
We have finally come to the vital part, which is how to change a tire on a rim. Get some tire irons and aim to create some gap between the tire and the rim. To make things easy, pour some liquid soap or lubricant to the rim so that the tire can come off easily. Then try to separate the tire from the rim with the tire irons or screwdrivers. With some extra push, you will have the tire out in no time.
Step 5: Apply Some Grease
The idea behind applying some grease to the inner part of the tire is to make adding the rim smooth. No one wants to spend the rest of the day battling with this part of the job. So, it helps to apply some grease to the tire. But since we are assuming this is an emergency and such that you didn’t know you would be dealing with, you may not have grease handy. Not to worry, if you still have the liquid soap, this you can use in the place of the grease. But in this case, you would need more liquid soap than you would need grease. However, it will still get the job done. And while you are at it, try to apply some on the outer part of the rim as well.
Step 6: Put A New Tire On A Rim And Fit The Tire
You have gradually come to the end of this annoying but rewarding process, and you deserve a pat on the back. To put a new tire on your rim, you need to make sure that the tire is well-positioned. Once you are sure of the position, go ahead and push the tire in a downward movement. This may sound like a very daunting and challenging task, but not to worry.
You have dealt with a more difficult part, and this would not be any different. Just keep pushing and applying some force, and with time the tire will fit into the rim. Should this not seem to be working, if you have a crowbar, you can make use of it at this time. But if you don’t, keep at it with pushing the tire downward, and after some attempts, the tire will fit in properly. Once the tire fits in, you are good to go.
Final Thoughts
If you successfully changed your car tire following our process, then you sure are an achiever! You have graduated from searching for how to change a tire on a rim to doing it yourself. While you sure deserve some accolades, you also get to spend that money you would have spent on car mechanics on other personal things. Talk about more gratifying feelings.
However, there is something you should form as a habit, and that is checking your car spare tire as often as you can. Don’t let a month go by without you checking it twice or at least once. You may think you have a spare tire in your car booth only to bring it out on the day you need it and find it deflated. So, make sure that you inflate your spare time each time you carry out your regular checks. The best time to check your spare is when you are about to embark on a long road trip.
Other things you may need to put in your car booth are a tire gauge, a headlamp or flashlight, some hand towels or paper towels. And if you can reach a floor mat that can fit in your booth without taking up so much space, you should include that too. This will help in reducing the amount of grease and dirt that rubs off on your clothing in the process.
While reading this how to change a tire on a rim article on changing your tire may seem like a long read, the entire process of changing the tire wouldn’t take more than 15 minutes. So, it’s time to try out what you have read. And while you are at it, let us know how it all turned out in the comment section.
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