How to change a tire safely on a slope

Changing a tire safely on an incline requires a little more attention than changing it on a straight road. There is more chance of the car slipping or even skidding without a wheel. Someone could get hurt in the process. On a slope, certain precautions must be taken to avoid accidents.

First you have to see which tire needs to be changed, whether it is the front or the rear. The rear ones are easier than the front ones. When he’s curbside and has to change a rear tire, he then steers the car toward the curb, so it locks into position and can’t roll. That would be the front of the tire going down or the back of the front tire going up.

Get the jack and its handle, the wooden blocks, the warning sign, the stepney and the tire iron out of the trunk. Place the warning sign for other motorists to see and the wooden blocks on the opposite side of the floor. This precaution further reinforces that your car will not move while you change the tire.

Open the wheel cover of the tire in question and loosen the nuts that hold it. Then take the jack and plug it in where the manufacturer says in the book. If you don’t have the book, find a strong place so the jack won’t penetrate the car body, like an axle. Raise the car as far as you can safely fit the stepney.

Open the lug nuts all the way and switch the wheel to Stepney and hand tighten the lug nuts in place, criss-crossing as you do so to make sure the wheel is straight. Then lower the jack and tighten the wheel with a cross wrench again. Remove the jack and put everything back on the dickey.

If a front tire needs to be changed, you obviously can’t turn it towards the curb, in which case you have to find some big rocks to put behind the wheels on the other side. The wooden blocks may not support the weight of your car, and you don’t want it rolling at a vulnerable moment. Accidents happen when people are in a hurry and don’t use common sense at the time.

If you have a flat and need to change your wheel, always do things methodically and never rush. Think of the time you would lose if there is a mishap. Bad things happen and you have to deal with them. Always use the warning signal to let others know something is up and to stay away from your car.

Except for the basics, a lot of common sense should be used throughout the process of changing a tire, using wooden blocks as an example. See where the weight of your car will go and counter accordingly with the blocks.