If you have a flat tire, you might wonder – How Long Does It Take To Change A Tire? The answer to this question is found in this article.
Every driver must know how they can change a car tire. Don’t always rely on calls to save your roadside emergencies because there’ll always be times you may forget the phone at home, or the phone might not be charged, or it might be out of service.
You can get a flat tire anywhere; phones are not suitable for you to know how you can change your flat tire.
The time taken to change tires depends on the car’s model and its process.
Continue reading to learn more about how long you could spend changing a car/trunk tire, whether in a tire service center or DIY.
How Long Does It Take to Change a Tire?
The time it takes to change a tire can depend on your car’s model and the conditions of the place you are to change it. For a well-experienced person, changing a tire can only take 15 to 30 minutes.
However, a novice could take up to an hour to change the same tire. It also depends on the number of tires you are changing, who is to change them, and the place you are changing them. The average time for changing a flat tire alone could take fifteen to thirty minutes.
Related: Walmart Tire Installation Cost
How to Change a Tire
There are different measures you have to take before you start replacing your flat tire with a spare one. Follow the easy steps below to change your car tires.
1. Locate a Secure Place
The first thing to do is to locate a safe place to stay and change your tire. Don’t make sudden stops or turns when you find out that you have a flat tire. Instead, just slow down gradually and find a leveled spot with enough room to change a tire.
Depending on your location, it is best to go to a roadside that’s straight or a parking lot that’s empty to avoid your car rolling down. To be extra safe, use your parking brake.
2. Turn On Your Hazard Lights
Turning the “flashers” or hazard lights on will make you seen on the roadside by other drivers. This helps avoid accidents, so turn on your flashers immediately you notice you need to stop.
3. Apply the Parking Brake
Once you’ve stopped, always use your parking brake when you’re preparing to get your flat tire replaced. This minimizes the chances of your car rolling.
4. Wedges for the Wheels
Place wheel wedges against your tires to help keep your car from rolling while you do the change. If you’re changing your rear tire, the wedges should be placed in front of your front tires, but if it’s the front tires you’re changing, the wedges should be placed behind your rear tires.
If you don’t have wheel wedges, you can use bricks or huge stones as an alternative.
5. Remove the Hubcap or Wheel Cover
If a hubcap covers your car’s lug nuts, it is easier to get rid of that hubcap before you lift the car with a jack. If the lug nuts are exposed, just skip to the sixth step.
The hubcap can be removed using the lug wrench’s flat end. This works for most cars, but some hubcaps need different tools to go off. Read through your car’s owner manual to know the proper procedures to remove your wheel cover or hubcap.
6. Loosen the Lug Nuts
With the aid of a lug wrench, keep turning the lug nut counter-clockwise till the resistance is broken. It’s okay to be forceful and to use just your foot or the entire weight of your body if need be.
Lose the lug nut about ¼ and ½ a turn, and do not completely remove them yet. Instead, save the removal for when you’re ready to remove the wheel/tire from the car.
7. Raise the Car
Carefully put the jack underneath your car. Consult your manual’s direction again because you might need to place the jack in certain areas in your car frame.
Once you discover the correct position, Put wood under the jack and raise the automobile. Once you position the jack appropriately, the car should be raised till the flat tire is about 6inches away from the ground.
8. Unscrew the Lug Nuts
Now remove the already loose lug nuts entirely. Because they’re loose already, you’ll be capable of unscrewing them mostly with your hand.
9. Remove the Flat Tire
Holding the tire’s treads firmly, gently pull it towards you till the hub behind is completely separated from the tire. Then, place the tire on its sides so it does not roll away.
Related: Tire Won’t Come Off? Here Is What to Do
10. Mount the Spare Tire on the Lug Bolts
Line up its rim with lug bolts as you place your spare tire on the hub. Gently push till you can see the lug bolts through the rims.
11. Tighten the Lug Nuts by Hand
Put back all lug nuts on lug bolts, then tighten them completely by hand. Check each of them once you’ve put all of them back on. Then, tighten them the best you can with a wrench after you’ve lowered the car back to the ground.
12. Lower the Vehicle and Tighten the Lug Nuts Again
Using the jack, lower the car to allow the spare tire to rest on the ground while the car’s entire weight doesn’t rest on the tire. On getting to this point, tighten all lug nuts using a wrench and turn it clockwise the best you can. Use your body’s full weight to push the lug wrench down.
14. Lower the Vehicle Completely
Bring the car to the ground entirely, and get rid of the jack. Then, pull all lug nuts again with a wrench to ensure they are very tight.
15. Replace the Hubcap
Put the hubcap from your flat tire back the same way it was removed initially if it fits the spare tire you just fixed. If it does not fit, put it away alongside the equipment when you’re stowing your equipment.
Related: Why Does Gas Mileage Drop With New Tires?
16. Stow All Equipment
What you’ll end up having before you is a jack, your flat tire, wheel wedges, a lug wrench, and most probably a hubcap. Carefully put them all in your car before you drive away.
The process of changing your car’s tire is not complicated. Rather, it is just a case of following a few steps correctly in the right order.
Whether it’s one or all four tires you’re changing, expect you’ll be spending parts of your time completing the changing. If you’re curious about how much time it’ll take from your day to replace all four tires, this post should be able to give you an approximate time.
Why Do We Need to Change Our Car Tires?
Car owners that don’t know much about car repair and maintenance don’t always recognize signs telling them that some parts of the car need replacement. The wheel is one of the most commonly underserved and overlooked car parts.
Your car tires work very hard whenever you’re out on the roads. They get more worn out as the day goes by, especially when you’re using the same tire set year-round. This results in the need to replace your tires.
Tire failure can damage the car and that of other drivers if it happens on a busy road; this shows that it can be very dangerous. This can incur far more extra costs than just replacing your tires alone.
The reasons your tires need to be changed are listed below:
1. Excess Vibration
There are bad and good vibrations. The bad ones should not be ignored when you experience them in your car. You’ll feel vibrations when you drive through a worn-out or dirt road, which is normal. However, if you’re feeling vibrations on a freshly paved road, something might be wrong somewhere in your car.
Many things can cause your car to vibrate, and most of them end up damaging your tires. Vibrations can equally be a sign that your tires are problematic. When your car shakes excessively, it signals you to change your tires.
2. Worn Tire Treads
Tires get traction on roads through the treads on the tires. It could be dangerous not to have traction, especially if you’re driving on icy or wet roads. Insufficient treads could result in losing control over your car and skidding. If your tire tread goes below 1/16 of one inch, you’re to replace the tires immediately.
Another problem you may encounter is tires that its tread has different depths. Not rotating the tires could cause this or indicate problems with your car’s alignment. When your tires have different treads, it can make it difficult for you to handle your car.
When you’re done fixing all alignment problems and vowed to regularly rotate your tires, you have to replace the tires so that you don’t encounter future problems with the tire’s uneven tread.
3. Damaged Tires
Your tires could sustain damages, apart from tear and wear on their tread, not minding the tire’s age. You notice damage easily in the tire’s sidewall, and it’s not difficult to check. Cracks on the sidewall can be a signal that you have been driving an under-inflated tire or the tire is beginning to leak.
Other signals that show damage are blisters and bulges. If the tire’s structure is beginning to get weak, it will show signs of a bump coming out of the tire’s side. If these bumps are not addressed, they could become significant problems because they can make the tire blow out.
When you note any crack or bulge appearing, take the car to one who specializes in tires and seek their advice. However, the chances that you’ll have to replace those tires are high.
4. Tire Age
Tire technicians and manufacturers have different ideas on how long a tire should run before it’s too old to run on a road. Six years is a considerable age for you to start thinking of replacing your tire.
Although tread is a good way of knowing whether the tires are fine or not, there might be internal problems you won’t be able to see with your naked eye and could be a threat to your safety.
Wear and tear are dependent on the type of roads you drive on, how you drive, how you brake, how often you drive and the amount of pressure you put on your tires. If you’ve ever patched your tires for leaks, or your tires have punctures by sharp objects like nails and others, the tires will get old faster.
Old tires can cause issues, as the tire can burst, or its treads can separate inside the tire when driving. This situation can make a driver lose control of the car and, in turn, cause accidents.
Additionally, most people purchase tires that have been used without knowing their condition or age. These situations put many drivers at high risk for an accident.
Also Read: How Long Can You Drive on a Spare Tire? (+ Safety Tips)
Frequently Asked Questions – How Long Does It Take To Change A Tire
Do You Need a Wheel Alignment After Changing Tires?
Simply put, yes! Although it’s not mandatory, ensuring your wheels are properly aligned when you put on new tires makes a big difference in your driving smoothness and your wallet. It’s unnecessary to get a wheel alignment each time your tires are changed for the season. Misaligned tires can cause more wear on their treads, mandating you to purchase new tires earlier than you should.
Why Does It Take So Long To Change a Tire?
Many factors affect the time you’ll spend changing your car tire. The size and type of the tires you’re to replace are one most common factors. When you’re removing the tires from your car, all the extra care, like removing the wheel cover and hubcap before putting them back, is another process that takes time.
How Long Are Tires Meant To Last Before They Are Changed?
On average, drivers drive between twelve thousand to fifteen thousand miles annually, which means that the average all-season good quality tire will last between 3 to 5 years. But, of course, this depends on maintenance, conditions, driving style, etc.
What if my car doesn’t have a spare tire?
Ensure you have a kit for repairing tires at hand. A small patch on your flat tire could be just what you need to get to the service stop. Things in the kit include; sealants you can use to close up a small puncture on the tire’s tread and an air compressor you can use to inflate your tire.
How Much Do New Tires Cost?
What new sets of tires cost depends greatly on many factors. The brand and model of the tire are significant. A tire gets more expensive as its lasting durability increases. Using potential sales as our average range, to determine what a tire set would cost, expect to spend anything from $200 to $600 for a set of tires with a lower-end model. The mid-range model will be between $400 to $1000 per set. Then on a higher range model, expect to spend from $800 to $1600.
Conclusion – How Long Does It Take To Change A Tire
Now you have the answer to the question – How Long Does It Take To Change A Tire?
Whether you do it yourself or have a professional do it for you, changing a tire is simple. Someone who has practiced and is skilled with the right equipment and tools can get the four car tires done within ten minutes or even less, while a person with typical tools and a jack will normally take twenty to forty minutes to get all four tires done.
Follow all the safety precautions outlined in the car’s owner’s manual, not minding how you do your tire changes. Never attempt what you’re not confident in doing. Drive safely!