By Myra J. Fiedler

Though Hankook tires are made to last for several thousand miles, there are often circumstances out of our control that result in unexpected flats. You never know when you may have a blow out or a flat and need to pull over and change a tire, so it is good to understand what to do in that scenario. Though this is very valuable information for a driver to have, many people are riding around without a clue about what must be done.

One thing that needs to be done before ever leaving the driveway with a vehicle is ensuring that all the necessary equipment is onboard, including a spare, wrench, and jack. Being sure that you have all of these things in your vehicle is the first thing you should do to ensure that you won’t be stranded when you lose a tire.

Now, when you find yourself dealing with a flat or blowout, pull over to the flattest, safest spot you can possibly can. Prior to jacking up your vehicle, you must put on your E-brake and activate your hazard lights so that other motorists notice you. Find something close by that you can use to chock your tires in order to make completely sure that your vehicle doesn’t roll.

When you go to jack up the vehicle, you want to jack it up by the frame, as close to the trouble tire as possible. Misaligning the jack can damage your car, among other things, so most newer vehicles include specially marked areas on the frame that are considered the most ideal point to place the jack. The maintenance manual in your glove compartment should also include some type of guide for placing the jack on your particular vehicle.

With your jack in the correct spot, go ahead and put the frame up a bit, but don’t let the tire leave the ground. Then take the wrench and begin the action of removing the lug nuts. This part does take a bit of strong arming, but with the appropriate amount of leverage, most people should be able to break the nuts and get them to come loose. With the nuts all out of the way, you may now jack the vehicle up until the tire is off the ground and can be removed from the vehicle.

When you replace your Hankook tires, you will need to follow the exact steps you did to remove them, only backwards. Align your spare tire with the lug studs and fit it onto the wheel hub, replacing and tightening the lug nuts accordingly. With your spare in place you’re finally good to go, but don’t hesitate to visit your local tire shop for a permanent replacement.

If you want to know about tires and wheels, then you can visit Hankook Tires or you can also check Pirelli Tires.