By ShowMeStepByStepPublished Updated
Based on a video by ChrisFix.
Changing a tire is one of those skills everyone should know but most people skip until they are stranded on the side of a road. The actual process takes about 15 minutes once you know the steps.
ChrisFix walks through it on his van, but the technique is the same for any car, truck, or SUV. He covers the safety details that most people skip: blocking wheels, using jack stands, and torquing lug nuts in a star pattern.
For bicycle riders, see our companion guide on how to remove and install a bicycle tire and tube - same physics, smaller wheels, lower pressures, and no jack required.
Put the car in park (or first gear for a manual) and pull the parking brake. Place wood blocks or wheel chocks in front of and behind a rear tire to prevent the car from rolling while the front is lifted.
This takes 30 seconds and prevents the car from rolling off the jack.
With the tire still on the ground, break the lug nuts loose. Use a tire iron or breaker bar with a socket. Turn each lug nut about a half turn counterclockwise. Do not remove them completely.
The weight of the car keeps the wheel from spinning while you apply force. If you try to loosen them with the car in the air, the wheel just spins.
Tip
A breaker bar gives you more leverage than the short tire iron that comes with most cars. If the lugs are stuck, stand on the bar and use your body weight.
Find the correct jack point by checking your owners manual. Place the jack on that spot - never on the oil pan, transmission, or exhaust. Pump the jack until the tire clears the ground.
Place plywood under the jack to protect your driveway and spread the weight. Center the jack so the car lifts straight without leaning.
Slide a jack stand under a solid structural point on each side. Lower the jack slowly until the vehicle rests on the stands, then raise the jack back up as a backup so it touches the frame.
Shake the car hard before getting under it. Push it side to side. If it moves or wobbles, fix the stands before doing anything else.
Spin the loosened lug nuts off by hand. Hold the last one while supporting the tire so it does not fall off the hub. Grab the tire with one hand behind and one on the side, and pull it straight off.
Slide the removed tire under the vehicle as a safety backup. If the jack or stands fail, the car drops onto the rim instead of onto you.
Line up the spare with the top bolt hole and lift it onto the hub. For heavy tires, use your feet to rock the tire up on your shoes and lift it into position.
Thread the lug nuts on by hand. They should spin on with no resistance. Snug them down in a star pattern with the tire iron - opposite lugs, not around the circle.
Jack the car up slightly to remove the jack stands. Lower the car slowly back to the ground. With the tires on the ground, use a torque wrench to tighten each lug nut to spec (usually around 100 foot-pounds).
Go in a star pattern. Do a second pass because the rim can settle and loosen slightly on the first tightening.
Tip
Remove the wheel chocks before driving away. Check the lug nuts again after driving 50-100 miles.
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5 questions, answers, and one-line explanations. Tap to expand.
1.Why chock the wheels and set the parking brake first?
Answer: To keep the car from rolling while it is lifted
Blocking a tire and setting the brake stops the car rolling off the jack while a wheel is in the air.
2.Why loosen the lug nuts while the tire is still on the ground?
Answer: The ground keeps the wheel from spinning under force
On the ground the car's weight stops the wheel spinning; lifted first, the wheel just turns uselessly.
3.Where should you NOT place the jack?
Answer: On the oil pan, transmission, or exhaust
Jacking on the oil pan, transmission, or exhaust can crush them; always use the maker's jack point.
4.Once the car rests on jack stands, what's the safety check before going near it?
Answer: Shake the car hard side to side to test the stands
Giving the car a hard shake confirms the stands are solid before you trust them with your body.
5.What's the right way to tighten the lug nuts on the spare?
Answer: In a star pattern, hitting opposite lugs
A star pattern across opposite lugs seats the wheel evenly so it sits true on the hub.
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