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Changing Your Own Tire

You may ask... "what should I do when I get a flat?" "I've never changed a tire before, so I'll just drive to the shop & get it fixed".... NOOOO!! With the high cost... & specialization of tires nowadays, don't drive on a flat tire... ever. If you do you will probably have to buy at least two new ones & probably four.

Changing a tire   should only be attempted in a flat & safe location. Block the wheel so that the car will not roll... if you don't block it, you, your company & your car will be at risk. If you have a front tire that is flat & it is feasible, rotate the rear tire to the front & mount the spare onto the rear. Your transmission will thank you. I will post a video that may guide you through the steps necessary to have a successful tire change. If you don't want to attempt it yourself, at least you can tell somebody that helps you, what they are doing wrong.


Answers to Common Questions

Here are some answers to some common and frequently asked questions:

  1. Underinflated tires cause the engine to work harder, much like riding a bike with low tires, much harder to pedal because of increased rolling resistance.
  2. Should you rotate side to side or front to back? Radial tires can be crossed from side to side in the recommended rotation pattern.
  3. Not all SUV's come with "P" (passenger) rated tires. Some have the "LT" (light truck) designation.
  4. Underinflated tires wear faster, and adversely affect the steering and handling of your vehicle.
  5. If tire pressure is too low, then too much of the tire's surface area touches the ground, which increases friction between the road and the tire. Thus, your tires wear out early and could also overheat.
  6. One sign of low tire pressure is tire squeal when cornering.
  7. A tire can lose up to half of its air pressure and not appear to be flat.
  8. Underinflation is the leading cause of tire failure. It results in unnecessary tire stress, irregular wear, loss of control and possibly accidents.
  9. Tire manufacturers (not the government) test tires and assign their own grades for treadwear, traction, and temperature resistance. There is no prescribed formula for converting the manufacturers' test results into universal grades, so be aware of the fact that number ratings from tire to tire are not objective.
  10. Tires lose air at a rate of about a pound a month, which means if they haven't been checked since the last time you had the vehicle serviced (say 4 months ago), they could be several pounds low.
  11. Underinflation, by as little as 6 psi, can cut gas mileage by 3%.
  12. Cold temperatures affect the air pressure in your tires. There is a loss of one pound for each ten degrees of temperature drop.
  13. Warning: Never buy a tire with a lower load index or speed rating than your vehicle's original tire!
  14. In North America, regulations require tire manufacturers to grade passenger car tires based on: Treadwear, Traction, and Temperature resistance. Treadwear is based on the wear rate of the tire. A wear rating of 300 to 400 is considered good; 500 to 700 is very good. Further, a tire graded 200 would wear twice as long as one graded 100. Traction grades (from highest to lowest: AA, A, B, and C)represent the tire's ability to stop on wet pavement. Temperature grades (from highest to lowest: A, B, and C) represent the tire's resistance to the generation of heat.
  15. Gas mileage decreases 1% for each 10 lbs of underinflation.
  16. If you're only buying one or two tires at a time, always put the new tires on the rear axle. It's a myth that putting the new tires on your drive-wheel position will give you the most protection; instead, doing so will make your vehicle more susceptible to oversteer (fishtailing or swinging out during fast cornering).
  17. Under-inflated tires wear more on the outside edges. Over-inflated tires wear excessively in the center of the tread.
  18. Use a penny to determine if the tread on your tires is too low. Take a penny and put the queen's head into one of the grooves of the tread. If part of his head is covered by the tread, you're ok. If you can see all of the queen's head, it's time to replace the tire. When the tread is worn down to 1/16 of an inch, tires must be replaced.
  19. Most manufacturers put "P" (passenger car) rated tires on 4WD trucks as well. Some put "LT" (light truck) tires on SUVs and four-wheel drive trucks, but most do not.
  20. The "T" on your tire's sidewall does not stand for Truck, it stands for "temporary" spare. (US thing)
  21. The "recommended" tire pressure is almost always lower than the "maximum" tire pressure printed on the tire's sidewall. Check your owner's manual to find out where to look on your vehicle for the recommended amount of air (usually on the driver's door, the glove compartment, or the gas filler door). These are minimum pressures, set for comfort driving from the showroom. We usually recommend more than the minimum, especially on a replacement tire, as the new tires, generally, have higher max pressure ratings.
  22. Since tires can harden and crack with age, you should steer clear of old tires and buy the freshest ones available. Here's how to tell: Every tire carries a, DOT, Dept. of Transportation serial number on the sidewall (EX: DOT M6 RV T1HR 499). The last 3 digits are a date code indicating the week and year the tire was made. (EX: the 49th week of 1999).

    [l]Most punctures, nail holes or cuts up to 1/4 inch and confined to the tread may be satisfactorily repaired by trained personnel using industry-approved methods.

  23. For the most accurate reading, tire pressure must be checked when tires are cold. You can check tire pressure any time of the day, as long as the tires have been sitting for a few hours or haven’t been driven for more than a few miles.
  24. Under normal loads, you should inflate tires according to the vehicle manufacturer's recommendations, and not lower check the pressure differential between front & rear. We would like you to check with us for your vehicles recommended tire pressures.