5 tips for making changing a tire easier.

Your car may need repair suddenly, you need some tire repair tools and some skills of changing a tire.

Carry a tarp: I always carry a tarp, and a couple of rugs in the trunk. These have a multitude of uses. I’ve used mine while changing a tire as a shelter from the rain, a carpet when I had to lay down in mud beside the car to place the jack or a pad to kneel on while I pushed the wheel on. This is just another reason to always carry a tarp and rug in your vehicle.

Include a headlamp in your car kit: Changing a tire by the braille system in the dark is really, really hard. A headlamp can illuminate the work area while leaving your hands free. Check the batteries often.

Get good tire tools: Most of the factory-supplied tire tools are adequate at best. In particular, the lug wrenches are

A cross-handle tire tool, right, provides much more leverage for loosening tire lugs. for

A cross-handle tire iron, right, provides much more leverage for loosening tire lugs than the standard factory issue.

pathetic. They usually consist of a socket at the end of a rod bent at a 45-degree angle. The average person may have a difficult – if not impossible – time removing the nuts. Invest in a sturdy, X-handle lug nut wrench with different-sized sockets.

The impact wrenches used by most tire stores tighten nuts too tight for most people to get them off. Request the technician tighten them by hand, or make sure you have a x-handle wrench. Include flares and reflectors to put in the roadway to warn off other motorists.

Check the jack: Most of the scissor-style jacks that come with a car are just OK. In mud or snow on the shoulder of the road, the small base might sink down to the point where it won't provide enough clearance to remove the tire. Think about carrying a board along if this could be a problem.

Practice in the driveway: Test drive your tire changing skills in a controlled environment. If something isn’t going to work for you, find that out in a safe area.

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