Driving 101: the most important aspect of driving is safety. Sure, we all understand the fundamental safety tips which include obeying the speed limit, using turn signals to change lanes, knowing your surroundings, and not multitasking – especially now since using your cell phone is illegal! But what about changing a tire? If you do not know how to change a tire, waiting for an auto club response vehicle is very unsafe. Anyone learning to drive should learn how to change a tire to stay safe when on the road. If changing a tire is new to you, follow these steps on your way to successfully changing your first tire:

1. When you realize you have a flat tire, pull off the road as far away from traffic as possible, making sure you are on a solid, flat surface. Place the car in park and apply the parking brake. Do not change your tire on a hill or on soft ground. Chicopee Nissan recommends to all customers wanting to perform maintenance on their own, remember one thing: safety first.
2. Remove the spare tire and the jack from your vehicle to begin. They are most likely stored in your trunk. Your owner’s manual can also be of assistance and should be stored inside your vehicle.
3. Place the jack under your vehicle on the frame and raise it until it is supporting the vehicle, not lifting it.
4. Loosen the lug nuts by turning the socket wrench counterclockwise.
5. Next, raise the jack until the tire is off the ground. Now you can remove the lug nuts completely and then the tire from the wheel.
6. Once the flat tire is off the wheel, you can now put on the spare tire. Align the rim of the tire to the bolts of the wheel and then apply the lug nuts.
7. Tighten the lug nuts by hand until they are snug on the wheel.
8. You can now lower the car to the ground but do not put full weight on the new tire until you tighten the lug nuts as much as possible with the socket wrench.
9. Lower the car completely to the ground, remove the jack, and tighten the nuts once again.

The final step of the process is to put the flat tire in the trunk along with the jack and all of your tools so you can take the tire to a mechanic for repair. It is not advised to drive excessive distances on the spare tire.

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