Change your tyres the right way!
Handbrake and gear
Ensure that your vehicle is in neutral/park while applying the handbrake. Be sure to park your vehicle on a flat and level surface so that the car will not roll or slip off the jack when the jack is applied later.
Time to get loose!
Just before you grab your car jack, make sure you loosen all of the wheel nuts with a ratchet product suggestion.
Note that is there is a rim lock, you should not choose to use an impact wrench while trying to loosen the rim lock socket.
TIP: When changing from one type of rim to another (i.e., aluminum to steel), you will most likely need differing wheel nuts. Be sure to keep a few on hand in your glove compartment!
Tyre removal
Grab your car jack and bring it to the appropriate height, then unscrew the wheel nuts that are loosened, and tyre can then be removed. If you are struggling with loosening the tyre, try a few light kicks on the rim to loosen it and it should be easier to remove. Make sure to store any loosed screws in a magnetic tray product suggestion.
TIP: Remove the wheel nut last as this way, the wheel will not twist or tilt while you work.
Squeaky clean
Time to clean and remove any dirt from the tyres. Be sure to mark the position of the wheel on the vehicle with chalk for the next tyre change.
Lastly, use a wire brush to clean any dirt or other substance before fitting a new wheel.
Tyre tread
Be sure to check that the tread depth is at least 1.6 mm. If it is lower than this, traction is severely reduced, and your safety is as well. A tyre tread depth gauge will assist in answering the question, but you could also check it yourself without the need for this instrument. Use a small coin to test the depth, if at least half the coin disappears into the tread, you do not need a change but if more than half of the coin is still visible, it is time for new tyres!
Putting the new tyres on
When putting the new tyre on, ensure that the rim matches the wheel suspension. From here, screw on the wheel nuts on hand-tight and crosswire.
TIP: Use some copper paste to lubricate the wheel hub for your next tyre change.
Tightening the wheel nuts
Lower the vehicle again and use a torque wrench to tighten the screws. It is recommended that you use a torque wrench with 40-200 N·m for the job.
Checking the pressure
Once the tyre change is complete, it is vital to check the air pressure of the tyres. Try our tyre dial gauge. Also, once you have travelled about 50 kilometers on the new tyres, double check the fitting of the wheel studs to make sure they have not come loose. Use a torque wrench to retighten all the nuts and you are good to go!
