Can I Buy A Tire And Put It On Myself

Changing your own tires is a job you can handle yourself if you already have rims attached to your tires. Anyone can do it with the right knowledge, practice and confidence to build the skill.

If you want to save yourself from the spending that goes with getting a mechanic. Plus all the travel time to the garage, waiting around, delays, and headaches that go along with it. You can join the many people who have embraced the freedom of not paying mechanics to do the job.

You’d realise how easy it can be if only you set your heart to do it. It really comes down to jacking up the car and changing the tires on your own.

Is It Safe to Do the Actual Tire Change?

Yes, you can do an actual tire change with the right tools. it does involve getting your car up in the air. But that’s where a little forethought goes a long way.

A lot of people are often afraid that the jacked car can fall on you. First, when the car is jacked, never go under the vehicle as it isn’t important to do so.

Also, most car jacks come with instructions. if you jacked your car following the jack placement in your vehicle owner’s manual, you’ll be just fine.

Most vehicles have moulded plastic on the bottom with a cleared area exposed metal specifically for the jack. If you have a jack stand, place it under a secure point of the vehicle frame before you remove the wheel.

Your jack will also work correctly if you choose the appropriate place to change your tire. Concrete platforms, not softer asphalt, are preferred for this purpose.

A jack stand can actually sink into thin asphalt, especially on a hot day when it gets softer.

Tire Changing Made Easy: The Instructions

Step-One: Put your car into first gear and apply the handbrake. For automatic transmissions, put the car into “park”.

Step-Two: Using a cross wrench, loosen all the wheel bolts.

Step-Three: Place the car jack at the point indicated on the car. Jack your car up so that the tire no longer touches the ground – a few centimetres is enough.

Step-Four: Remove all of the wheel bolts with the cross wrench. Take the wheel off the hub and mark it with your grease pencil.

Step-Five: Use the wire brush to remove any rust and dirt from the wheel hub. Then place the new wheel.

Step-Six: Refit the wheel bolts. Use the cross wrench to tighten them lightly at this stage.

Step-Seven: Lower your car using the car jack until the tyre makes contact with the ground. It shouldn’t be able to turn any more.

Step-Eight: Use the torque wrench to tighten up the wheel bolts to the stipulated torque. Always tighten the wheel bolts in a criss-cross pattern. This ensures that the wheel is seated correctly and snugly.

Step-Nine: Lower your car the rest of the way and then remove the car jack. Repeat these steps for all of the other wheels.

Will the Wheels be Tight Enough?

A tightened will has nothing to do with whether you fix it yourself or not. Even if you had your tires changed at a garage, the wheel bolts will still loosen over time. That’s because the wheels will no longer be as tight as they should be over time. 

You can prevent loosen wheels by tightening the wheel nuts using a torque wrench when necessary. Ensure the wheel nuts follow the torque specifications in your car’s owner’s manual.

Wrap Up!

Changing your tire may seem like a mystery, but it isn’t. With the right tools, the process is easy. Whether you change your own tires or not, knowing how to change your wheels tighten is an important skill to have.

Also, once you get past the fear of changing your will and actually do it, all the questions will. Besides, changing tires is easier than assembling Swedish bookshelves.