How to change a flat tire

You'll need

• Your spare tire
• The jack and lug wrench (usually under the trunk floor)
• Your owner's manual
• Reflective triangles and a flashlight, if you have them

Do it like this

1. Pull over somewhere flat, as far from traffic as you can. Hazards on, park, parking brake on. Set triangles behind the car, about 100 feet back on fast roads (Consumer Reports).
2. Loosen each lug nut, turning counterclockwise, while the tire is still on the ground. Don't take them off yet (Consumer Reports).
3. Put the jack at the exact spot your owner's manual shows, and raise the car until the flat is a few inches off the ground (Consumer Reports).
4. Remove the nuts and the flat, put the spare on, and snug the nuts in a cross or star pattern (Consumer Reports).
5. Lower the car, tighten the nuts firmly in the same pattern, then check them again after a few miles (Consumer Reports).

If it doesn't work

• Lug nut won't budge? Make sure you're turning counterclockwise. Some alloy wheels have a locking nut that needs a special key, usually stored with the spare or in the glovebox (Consumer Reports).
• No spare, only an inflation kit? Those are designed for temporary fixes of small tread punctures. Otherwise call roadside assistance (Consumer Reports).
• On a narrow road or bridge? Hazards on and roll slowly to a safer spot. Driving on the flat for a short distance beats changing it in traffic (Consumer Reports).

Good to know