Buy Tyres in Dubai

How to Change a Spare Tyre Yourself

Most drivers can fit a spare in 20–30 minutes with the tools that came with the car. Here is how to do it safely, step by step, with a diagram for each step. If you are on a busy road, it is dark, or anything below does not go to plan, stop and let a QARO technician fit it instead — starting from AED 150, wherever the car is.

Tools you need

• Spare wheel — full-size or a thin “space-saver”, inflated
• Jack — the one supplied with the car, usually a scissor jack
• Wheel brace — the L-shaped wrench for the wheel nuts
• Locking wheel nut key — only if your wheels have locking nuts
• Warning triangle — and a hi-vis vest if you carry one
• Wheel chock — or a solid block or stone to stop the car rolling
• Gloves and a torch — wheels are dirty and roads get hot; nights are dark
• Tyre pressure gauge — to check the spare before you rely on it
• Owner’s manual — for the jacking points, the spare’s pressure and nut torque

Most of this came with the car. Check it is all there, and that the spare holds air, before the day you need it.

1. 

   Step 1: Park somewhere safe

   Pull over on flat, firm ground, well away from moving traffic. Switch on your hazard lights, apply the handbrake and put the car in P (or first gear in a manual). Get everyone out on the side away from traffic, and place your warning triangle well behind the car so approaching drivers see it in time.

   • Stop as soon as you can do so safely. Driving on a flat destroys the tyre and can damage the rim within a short distance.
   • Switch the engine off. Put on a hi-vis vest before you walk to the back of the car.
   • Place the triangle on the same side of the road as the car, around 50 metres back on an ordinary road and further on a fast one.

2. 

   Step 2: Get the kit out

   The spare, jack and wheel brace are usually under the boot floor. If your wheels have locking nuts, find the key (often in the glovebox or with the tools). Check the spare has air in it before you start. Wedge something solid against the wheel diagonally opposite the flat so the car cannot roll.

   • On many SUVs and pickups the spare hangs under the rear of the car on a cable winch, or is mounted on the tailgate. The manual shows how to lower it.
   • The correct pressure is on the sticker in the driver’s door frame or the fuel flap. Space-saver spares usually need more than a normal tyre, often around 60 psi; it is printed on the tyre.
   • If the car has a wheel trim or hubcap, prise it off with the flat end of the wheel brace first.

3. 

   Step 3: Loosen the lug nuts

   With the wheel still on the ground, loosen each lug nut (wheel nut) about half a turn anti-clockwise with the wheel brace. Do not take them off yet. On the ground the wheel cannot spin, so the nuts break free far more easily. If a nut will not move, push down on the brace with your foot, carefully, never by jumping on it.

   • Fit the brace so its handle points to the side, level with the ground, and push down on the end. Your body weight does the work, not your arms.
   • For a locking nut, fit the key into the nut first, then the brace onto the key, and keep both straight so the key cannot slip and chew the nut.

4. 

   Step 4: Jack up the car

   Find the jacking point next to the flat wheel: a reinforced notch or mark on the sill, shown in your owner’s manual. Set the jack on firm ground under it and wind it up until the flat tyre is 2–3 cm off the ground. Never put your hands, legs or head under a car held up by a jack.

   • Jacking points are usually on the sill just behind a front wheel or just in front of a rear wheel, marked by two notches or an arrow. Never jack under a plastic sill cover, a suspension arm or the floor.
   • An inflated spare is taller than the flat, so raise the car a little more than looks necessary.

5. 

   Step 5: Remove the flat tyre

   Unscrew the lug nuts the rest of the way and keep them together where they cannot roll away. Pull the flat tyre straight towards you, off the studs, and lay it flat under the sill beside the jack: if the jack slips, the car lands on the wheel, not on the ground.

   • Undo the top nut last and steady the wheel with your other hand, so it cannot drop onto your feet.
   • Wheels are heavy, and an SUV wheel can weigh 25 kg or more. Lift with your legs, keep your back straight, and roll the wheel rather than carry it.

6. 

   Step 6: Mount the spare tyre

   Lift the spare onto the studs, line up the holes and push it flat against the hub. Screw each lug nut on by hand, tapered side towards the wheel, then snug them with the brace in a star pattern so the wheel seats evenly. Do not tighten them fully yet.

   • Rest the spare on your foot or knee while you line up the holes, rather than holding its full weight in your arms.
   • If a nut will not start by hand, back it off and try again: a cross-threaded nut is weak and hard to remove later.

7. 

   Step 7: Lower the car

   Wind the jack down slowly until the spare tyre takes the weight of the car, then remove the jack. Keep feet and hands clear while the car comes down.

   • Take the flat wheel out from under the sill once the car is down.
   • Only now is the wheel held firmly enough for the final tightening.

8. 

   Step 8: Tighten the lug nuts

   With the wheel on the ground, tighten every lug nut fully with the wheel brace in a star pattern: across the wheel, not round it, so it is pulled on evenly.

   • Five nuts: tighten 1, 3, 5, 2, 4, skipping one each time. Four nuts: work in diagonal pairs.
   • Firm is enough; do not stand on the brace. The correct torque is in the manual. Have it checked with a torque wrench when the flat is repaired.

9. 

   Step 9: Check the spare and drive gently

   Stow the flat, jack and tools. Check the spare’s pressure as soon as you can. A thin “space-saver” spare is for getting you home, not for everyday driving: keep to the speed limit printed on it, usually 80 km/h. Re-check the lug nuts after a short drive, and get the flat tyre repaired or replaced soon.

   • The tyre-pressure warning light may stay on while the spare is fitted. That is normal on many cars.
   • A puncture in the tread can often be repaired. Damage to the sidewall cannot, and the tyre has to be replaced.
   • Put the repaired or new tyre back on, and return the spare to the boot inflated, ready for next time.