One of the main difficulties of driving is getting a flat tire. You have to either contact a tow truck or fix the tire yourself if a good spare is not available. Fortunately, you just need a few tools and can fix it yourself with relative ease. The likelihood of dealing with a vehicle breakdown in a remote area without access to immediate support is higher than average for outdoor enthusiasts.
Given that tire punctures are by far the most frequent issue that a vehicle will encounter—and are more likely to occur on dirt roads—and given that you can’t always rely on your spare tire, it makes sense for us to equip ourselves with the skills and information necessary to fix them on our own.
Well, in this article, we’ll be looking at how to fix a flat tire. Be that as it may, the answers to the following questions will be discussed:
- How would you know you have a flat tire?
- What are the things needed to carry out their task?
- How to fix a flat tire?
Ok, let’s dive in!
Contents
How would you know you have a flat tire?
You have a flat tire if, while driving on a paved road, your steering wheel begins to sway slightly in your hands or if you hear a loud thumping sound that matches the rotation of your wheels. At slower speeds and off-road, you’ll probably hear that thumping before you feel it. Find the first safe place to pull off the road or trail in both scenarios to prevent further tire or vehicle damage. The presence of a full-size spare tire on new cars is getting less and less common.
Donuts, or space savers are only intended to transport you a very short distance at extremely slow speeds—basically across town to the tire shop. If at all possible, stay away from making use of a space saver on a gravel road or trail. Additionally, it’s still possible to puncture more than one tire at once even if you have a full-size spare with a matching tire and wheel. And yeah, if you’re unprepared or if it happens somewhere you can’t readily call for help, that’s going to be a big problem.
What are the things needed to carry out their task?
The supplies you need to fix a flat tire on your own shouldn’t cost much more than having the tire plugged at a tire shop. And hiring a tow costs hundreds of dollars more than using them. They are also lightweight and tiny. Really, there is no justification for not keeping this equipment in your car or truck.
We’ve learned that the Boulder Tools tire repair kit is the best and is $38. Similar to other kits, this one goes above and above by offering extra valve cores, a folding razor blade, and needle-nose pliers in addition to the rope plugs and equipment required to install them.
A compressor is also needed. That’s how you’ll air back up to road pressures if you’re airing down your tire for off-road driving or how you’ll reinflate your tire once you mend the hole. One of these $23 Slime compressors is ideal if all you need is an emergency solution. You don’t even need to open your hood because it plugs into a 12-volt outlet or your cigarette lighter.
If you regularly inflate oversized off-road tires, you shouldn’t rely on something like this, but that is another matter. Add a can of Fix-a-Flat as well. With Fix-a-Flat, you can repair small punctures like those made by screws or nails without even taking the wheel off because it comes with both a sealant and pressurized air.
And because of that, it stands out as a special weapon in your toolbox, useful for even complex repairs where it would be dangerous to try to remove a wheel or where being able to roll the car a short distance would make the situation much safer (for example, on a rocky off-road slope or the side of a busy highway where trucks are speeding past only feet away).
Also recommended for everyone to carry is a reliable tire pressure gauge. Use it to check the pressure in your tires once a month, and if necessary, bring them back to the factory-recommended levels. A tire’s pressure might change due to ambient temperatures, elevation, or simply time, which can have a negative impact on your vehicle’s handling, performance, and fuel efficiency.
How to fix a flat tire?
Here’s how you can fix a flat tire once you’ve got what is needed and you’re prepared:
- Locate the puncture
- Take the wheel off
- Review the puncture
- Remove the issue
- Expand the hole
- Put in the plug
- Get the wheel back in position
Locate the puncture
Find a safe area, get out of the car, and identify the flat tire. Look for the puncture’s origin. A foreign object may occasionally be very visible at first glance. In certain cases, rolling the car a foot or two will be necessary to reveal the issue. It’s a good sign if you can see that your tire’s tread has a visible nail or screw embedded in it.
There is no need to remove the nail or screw now if it is deeply embedded in the tread of the tire. Get your Fix-a-Flat can out, connect it to your tire valve as instructed, and then pour the full contents of the can into the tire. The tire should visibly begin to inflate. If it gets back to normal, start driving right away, travel a short distance, then halt to check and, if necessary, adjust your tire pressure.
You can continue driving if the tire appears to be holding air, but make sure to check the tire whenever you stop. Follow the remaining steps listed below to seal the puncture when you return from your trip and have the time. You will need to remove the wheel if you are unable to identify the cause of the puncture, if it is an exposed hole, or if you don’t have a can of Fix-a-Flat.
Take the wheel off
Before anything else, take your spare tire (even if it’s a space saver) and put it beneath the frame of your car, either in front of the front tire or behind the back tire. In this manner, the risk of both your safety and the car’s damage is reduced in the event that your vehicle drops off its jack and onto the spare tire.
Before raising the car, loosen the lug nuts. Keep in mind: lefty loosely. Then, locate the jack as directed in your owner’s manual and utilize it as directed. Finish removing the lug nuts when the wheel is off the ground. Put them in a secure place. Pull the wheel outward in your direction. Wheels can be heavy, so exercise caution.
Review the puncture
It is possible to patch a hole in your tread. There won’t be much more than a small hole there in the tires in good condition. If the tire’s sidewall, which sits almost vertically, has a hole in it, you just need to mount your spare and get the tire changed as soon as you can.
Roll the tire around to the back of your car where the tools are and where you can safely work away from traffic if the hole is in the tread and can’t be fixed by just pouring a can of Fix-a-Flat into it. As you roll it, keep an eye out for holes and foreign things. It would be a good idea to mark the hole for later easy identification if the hole is small and the tire is no longer losing air.
Remove the issue
Remove the foreign object from your tire if it is causing the tire to lose its ability to hold air. Tires have been punctured by everything from steel rods to a particularly terrible cactus spike, in our experience. Tree branches and other organic items can leave behind debris. Try to get everything out of the way.
Expand the hole
Skip this step if the hole is larger than a pencil. If not, take out the reamer from your tire-repair kit and use it to make the hole bigger until it is about the size of a pencil. This will initially be challenging if you have a very small hole. By slowly screwing it into the tread and pressing downward, you can install the reaming tool. If not, simply insert the tool all the way to the handle before pulling it out. Repeat this process until you can easily insert and remove the tool from the hole.
Put in the plug
Take a rope plug out of its plastic packaging, flatten one end with a pair of needle-nose pliers, and insert it through the installation tool’s eyelet. Pull the plug through the eyelet while holding the protruding edge firmly in your pliers so that equal lengths of the plug emerge from both sides. Apply lubrication to the tool’s plug and leading edge using a finger of lube you got from the kit.
Forcefully push the tool through the tire until the depth guide is flush with the tread by placing the tooltip down on top of the tire’s hole and securing it in place with both hands. Then, take the tool out of the hole as forcefully and quickly as you can. The rope plug needs to fit through the eyelet and stay inside the tire.
One plug should be sufficient if the hole is barely noticeable. You might need to install a second or third if not. Plan to take that tire to a shop as soon as you can if you need to install numerous plugs so that it may be inspected for safety. It might need to be replaced. But typically, just one plug will be sufficient. With a razor, trim the extra length so that it is level with the tire tread.
Get the wheel back in position
The tire should be inflated to the proper pressure using your air compressor. (That is written down inside the driver’s doorjamb.) Reinstall the wheel by going backwards through the tire removal process once it has been inflated. To fasten the wheel to the hub, first manually install the lug nuts.
After you’ve lowered the car back down and taken the jack out, use the lug wrench to tighten up all the lug nuts as much as you can. For the wheel to fit back to the hub evenly, tighten them in a star pattern. Keep in mind: righty tighty. Later that day, recheck these. Put the jack, the lug wrench, and all your tools back where they belong. You wouldn’t want to misplace this tool.
Conclusion
In conclusion, being how to change a flat tire is an important ability for any driver to have because it will enable you to resume driving in a safe and timely manner. This manual offers simple, doable methods for dealing with a flat tire, including the usage of necessary equipment such a spare tire, jack, and lug wrench. The safety and performance of your vehicle can be maintained and roadside emergencies can be avoided with proper tire maintenance and repair. You may confidently handle a flat tire issue by following the suggested measures, ensuring a smoother and safer driving experience.
Related Article
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- How to check tire pressure
- How Much Does a Tire Rotation Cost?
- How to Patch a Tire
FAQs
What is the best way to fix a flat tire?
The best way to fix a flat tire is to replace it with a spare tire. This is the safest and most reliable method for getting back on the road. However, if you don’t have a spare tire or are unable to change the tire yourself, you can try to fix the flat tire by yourself using a tire repair kit. These kits usually include a plug and a reamer tool that can be used to patch small punctures in the tire. However, it’s important to note that this method is not always reliable and may not be suitable for larger punctures or damage to the sidewall of the tire.
Can you fix a flat tire by yourself?
If you decide to fix a flat tire by yourself, you will need to first locate the puncture and remove any debris from the tire. You can then use the reamer tool to create a hole in the puncture and insert the plug into the hole using a plug insertion tool. Once the plug is in place, you can use a tire pressure gauge to check the air pressure in the tire and inflate it to the recommended level.
How do you fix a flat tire with a nail in it?
To fix a flat tire with a nail in it, you can use a tire repair kit or take it to a mechanic for repair. If you decide to fix it yourself, you will need to first locate the puncture and remove any debris from the tire. Then, you can use a reamer tool to create a hole in the puncture and insert a plug into the hole using a plug insertion tool.
Once the plug is in place, use a tire pressure gauge to check the air pressure in the tire and inflate it to the recommended level. It’s important to note that this method is not always reliable and may not be suitable for larger punctures or damage to the sidewall of the tire. If you’re unsure about how to fix a flat tire, it’s best to have it repaired or replaced by a professional.
Can a flat tire be saved?
Whether or not a flat tire can be saved depends on the severity of the damage. Small punctures can often be repaired, but larger punctures or damage to the sidewall of the tire may require a replacement. It’s important to have your tires inspected regularly and to replace them if they are worn or damaged.
How long will Fix-a-Flat last in a tire?
Fix-a-Flat is a temporary solution that can be used to get you back on the road quickly. It can last for a few hundred miles, but it should only be used as a temporary solution until the tire can be properly repaired or replaced. Fix-a-Flat is not meant to be a permanent solution and should not be used as a long-term fix.
What causes a flat tire?
Flat tires can be caused by a variety of factors, including punctures, leaks, and blowouts. Punctures are often caused by sharp objects on the road, such as nails or screws. Leaks can be caused by damage to the valve stem or corrosion of the wheel rim. Blowouts can occur due to overinflation, underinflation, or damage to the tire.
How do you jack up a flat tire?
To jack up a flat tire, you will need to locate the jack points on your vehicle. These are usually located near the wheels and are marked with arrows or symbols. Once you have located the jack points, you can use the jack provided with your vehicle to lift the vehicle off the ground. Be sure to follow all safety instructions and use caution when jacking up your vehicle.
Is it better to Fix-a-Flat tire or replace it?
It is generally better to replace a tire rather than use Fix-a-Flat as a permanent solution. Fix-a-Flat is designed as a temporary solution and should only be used as such. If you have a damaged tire, it’s best to have it replaced or repaired by a professional.
Can I use Fix-a-Flat twice?
Fix-a-Flat is not meant to be reused and should only be used once per tire. Attempting to reuse Fix-a-Flat can cause further damage to your tire and may result in unsafe driving conditions.
Is Fix-a-Flat permanent?
Fix-a-Flat is not a permanent solution and should only be used as a temporary fix until the tire can be properly repaired or replaced. It’s important to have your tires inspected regularly and to replace them when necessary to ensure your safety on the road.
That is all for this article, in which we looked at how to fix a flat tire. Even so, the answers to the following questions will be discussed:
- How would you know you have a flat tire?
- What are the things needed to carry out their task?
- How to fix a flat tire?
We hope it was helpful. If so, kindly share it with others. Thanks for reading; see you around!
