Before you can change a flat tire you must have:

a) A working jack that you know how to use, including where to place the jack so it is safe and stable. Check your manual for this information.

b) A spare tire which is kept in good and usable condition. Tires that have been discarded as unfit for the road are too often made into the spare tire.

You should practice changing a tire in your driveway or garage until you feel confident about it so you will have no trouble if you have to do it at the side of the road.

1. Try to park on a flat piece of road to change tires.

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2. Before jacking up the car, loosen the lug nuts while the wheels are still on the ground.

Don't take them off, just loosen them enough so that when the car is raised you can take the nuts off easily. The longer your lug wrench, the easier it will be to loosen the nuts.

3. Raise the car up on the jack, take off the nuts, and remove the wheel.

4. Put the spare wheel in its place. Put the lug nuts on by hand and tighten just a little.

5. Lower the jack and use the lug wrench to tighten the nuts all the way. When you tighten them go from one nut to the next, tightening each one a little bit, then repeat this procedure several times around until they are all fully tightened.

6. Don't forget to get a new spare, or a new tire for the one that had to be replaced so you can, return the spare to the trunk.