How To Replace a Tire.

One of the most important thing a car owner should be able to do on his or own is replacing a tire.
 You can't be stuck up on road out of town with a flat tire, it might be difficult to get help in such situations.
 Knowing how to replace a tire will also help you perform your car's tire rotation by yourself  and save you some money.
This article will guide you on how to safely replace a tire, probably when it's flat or to perform your tire rotation by yourself.

Tools needed:
let's go through the tools needed for replacing tire.
1.  lug wrench. you need the lug wrench to loose the lug nuts or.
2. car jack; your car should have a Jack for you to raise your car up so you can remove the tire.
 The Jack that comes with your car can only be suitable for replacing a flat tire, which does not take much time. In case you want to perform a tire rotation it's advisable that you get an hydraulic Jack for safety purposes.
3. Jack stands: if you are rotating your tires you will need a Jack stand that your car can rest upon while you remove tire from another position.
4. flat head screw driver: you may need a flat head screw driver to remove the wheel cover or hub cover/cap if your lug wrench is not having a flat end that can be used for that.
5. wheel choke. you place this on the front and back of the diagonal opposite tire to prevent the car from moving incase of parking brake failure. if you don't have a wheel choke you can improvise by using stones, or wood.
 So that's all you need to replacing a tire, now let's move to listing the step by step procedure for replacing a tire.

step 1. park your car on a safe place. you should try to park your car on a level, flat, smooth and strong surface to avoid rolling while you jack it up. if you are on the road side to replace a flat tire make sure you put on your caution/hazard light and place a reflective triangle in place so that other drivers can see ahead.

step 2. put your car in pack and engage the parking brake or emergency brake.
use the wheel choke to choke the wheel on the opposite diagonal to the wheel you want to remove the tire.

step 3. Bring out the tools needed and the extra tire to replace the flat one.

step 4. remove the wheel cover or hub cap and keep it aside where it wouldn't be broken.

step 5. use the lug wrench to loosen all the lug nuts, still have them in place but loosen.

step 6. set your Jack on the right position, you will see a reinforced area or the pinch flange where you should place the Jack. check your car's owners manual to know the right place.
once the Jack is set properly now you can begin to roll it up or pump to raise the car. You will need to raise it up to have enough space so the tire can be removed easily.

step 7. once the tire is raised and not touching the floor, you can now loosen the lug nuts completely and put them in the hub cap.
remove the tire gently it might be hard.
if you're performing tire rotation, you'll need to use the jack stand to support the car as you remove the Jack to remove the tire on another position to be exchanged with.

step 8. install the spare.
now you can install the spare by aligning the wheel studs with the hole on the spare tire. 
ones the spare tire is properly installed you can pick your lugs and finger tighten it on the studs, you'll need to use your leg to hold the tire in place.

step 9. lower the car.
 once you've finger tightened the lugs, gently lower the car by rolling the Jack in the anticlockwise direction.

step 10. once the car is lowered, you can tighten the lugs clockwise in a crisscross pattern. consult your owner's manual for the appropriate pattern.
reinstall the hub cap.
park the tools and the tire and return to the trunk.

You're done with changing you tire.
note: if your spare is not the full size tire, try to get the full size tire fixed as soon as possible and install it on the wheel.