Guides ยท Everyday Life
Wheel and Tire Change Basics
Swap a car tire safely
This guide covers parking safely, loosening lugs, using the jack correctly, swapping the tire, and torquing lugs to spec before driving.
- tire change
- car safety
- jack
- lugnuts
- spare tire
Park and secure
Pull over safely, hazard lights on, parking brake engaged, wheel chocks placed.
Loosen and lift
Break lug nuts loose before jacking; position jack at the correct lift point and raise until tire clears.
Swap the tire
Remove lugs, replace with spare, hand-tighten lugs in a star pattern.
Torque and stow
Lower vehicle, torque lugs properly, stow tools, and check spare pressure soon after driving.