Oh no, you are driving to work, and now you have a flat tire. You find a flat tire and suddenly you are now stranded on the side of the road. You will be an expert on how to change a tire after reading this.

You want to always make sure you have a spare with the tools to replace it with in your car. You should have a spare tire, a jack and a lug nut wrench. Be familiar with these tools and where they are located.

First thing to know is how to use a jack. If you have your owners' manual, read this section well. You should do this for all your vehicles.

Some vehicles have "wheel locks". If your vehicle does have "wheel locks", you will need the "key.," you can't use a regular lug nut wrench on these.

Another great tool to keep in your car is a can of "Fix A Flat." This is something that will fill your tire with enough air, and seal the hole, long enough to get you to a station.

Another tip is to have an orange vest on for your protection from oncoming traffic. Now you are ready to learn how to change a tire.

Once you have the tire lowered back to the ground, tighten the lug nuts with the wrench. Now time to put all your tools away, including your flat. Now you know how to change a tire, good for you! But remember, it is wise to head to the a station that can repair your tire before you go anywhere else. Travel safe!

Put the parking brake on and make sure the car is in park. If your car is a manual shift, put it in gear. Use your emergency flashers to alert oncoming traffic that you are there.

Take all of your tools out and lay them on the ground by the tire. Take out the spare and roll it over by your tools. And don't worry about whether you get dirty or not, because you will. Ok, the next step is very important and often done wrong.

Loosen each lug nut while the tire is on the ground. If you try to loosen them after you have jacked up the car, the tire will just spin. Use the "star" pattern as your loosen them, this will keep the weight properly distributed. This is going to take a lot of strength, so use your body weight to help you. You will need to use your body weight to give you strength needed to loosen the lug nuts.

Your jack needs to be placed in the appropriate place for your car, may want to recheck your manual. Jack up the car so that you have a couple of inches under the tire.Remove the lug nuts and then the tire. Now time to remove the lug nuts and the tire.

Place your tire on the bolts making sure the air valve is facing your direction. Again, using the "star"pattern, replace the lug nuts. Give each lug nut a few turns before lowering the car back down.

Now that you know how to change a tire, You can be confident that you will be prepared.

Discover the tricks of the trade to save hundreds of dollars every year by doing your own car maintenance at Car Care Tips.