What You'll Need:

A lug nut wrench
A car jack
A spare tire that is fully inflated
Optional: a knee pad and an extra piece of pipe

Step 1: Pullover in a safe place. You'll always want the side of the car with the flat tire to be facing away from traffic. Pullover to the side of the road that the flat tire is on to make sure you're never in oncoming traffic. Make sure you're on flat ground, turn on your hazard lights, and put on your emergency brake.

Step 2: Find the jack lift point on your car. This information should be in your owners manual or even listed on the jack, but when in doubt look for two notches on the metal frame of the car- the lift point will be between those two notches.

Step 3: Place the jack under the lift point and start turning the lift knob to the right to lift the car. Lift the car until some of the weight is off the ground, but the wheel is still touching the road.

Step 4: Start loosening the lug nuts with the lug nut wrench until they're loose enough to turn with your fingers, but don't take them all the way off yet. To do this, place the lug nut wrench on the nuts and turn the wrench to the left. If the nut is stuck, try stepping on the wrench for some extra force or using a spare piece of pipe to get extra leverage.

Step 5: Once you can turn the lug nuts with your hand, jack the car up until the wheel can spin freely. To do this you'll want to use the hook that comes with your car jack to gain extra leverage and turn the jack knob to the right.

Step 6: Remove the lug nuts completely by hand. Make sure to put them in a safe spot so you don't lose them!

Step 7: Grab your spare tire and line up the 5 holes with the 5 lugs on the wheel. Slide the spare onto the car and replace the lug nuts by hand, tightening them slightly.

Step 8: Lower the car back to the ground until the wheel is touching the road, but don't release all of the weight back down yet. The car should still be slightly lifted, but the wheel should not be able to turn.

Step 9: Tighten the lug nuts in a star pattern. Use the lug nut wrench to make your way around the nuts tightening them until they won't turn anymore. Make sure to tighten the nuts in the star formation shown below.

Step 10: Lower the car the rest of the way back down to the ground, put your tools back in your vehicle, and head to the nearest auto care facility to get your tire replaced. REMEMBER: A spare tire is a temporary solution! Don't drive on the highway or go over 50 mph on a spare.

How To Change and Prevent Flat Tires