Can you change a flat tire?

[Jeff7181]

We need an option for, "I can, but my time is worth more so I pay someone else to do it."
Or... "I can, but I have roadside assistance so I stimulate the economy by letting someone else get paid to do it."

 

[moshquerade]

no, i cannot. i also cannot change the oil in my vehicle or maybe i just don't want to learn. i rely on my mechanic and also on those who help damsels in distress.
so shoot me.

 

[BurnItDwn]

Been there done that several times ....

That said, I've had really terrible luck with flats on my last car.

1st flat tire I got in it was a blowout. The car was a 300m, and it had a decent jack, but the tire iron was a piece of crap. I set the parking brake, jacked up the car, and tried to loosen the lug nuts. I wound up bending the shit out of the tire iron. I was on my way to work, and in a hurry, so I called up the local Marathon station and had em tow me and set me up with a new tire....

MAJOR PITA.

I went to the hardware store and got a proper 4 way lug wrench so that would NEVER happen again.


Few years later .... I get a flat, so I put the spare on, and I'm a bit late for work, but not too bad.....
Get out of work at like 7:30pm, and it's thursday, so I figure no big deal, I'll pick one up Friday after work (as I work a short day on Fridays.)
Yep, you guessed it, I'm driving to work Friday morning, and another fvcking tire blows out. Let's just say I'm not very happy at this point. Have to get fvcking towed, and buy 2 new tires (the 2 that had blown out were rated for 60K miles, and only had about 30K miles on them!)

All in all, I think I must have had about 7 or 8 flats on that car, TWICE needing to be towed .... What a PITA.

 

[BurnItDwn]

Originally posted by: zerocool84
I timed myself and have removed an engine in 24 min.

You know, you don't actually need to even pop the hood to change a tire, right?

 

[TridenT]

No and no. I never had the opportunity... I also don't drive, so maybe that's why.. Hmm...

Also, never had a flat with anyone I have ever driven with.

 

[GeekDrew]

Originally posted by: K1052
yes and the skill is a relative rarity for my kind

*chuckle*

I know how to change tires, and have done so in the past (cars, pickup trucks, wagons of varying type, etc).

That said, I pay for AAA and have no intention of ever changing a tire again.

 

[olds]

With my eyes closed.

 

[JTsyo]

I had a flat once, then I realized my wrench wouldn't fit my new rims. Good thing for AAA.

 

[James Bond]

Got a flat this morning actually.

I do know how, and I have done it before.

Someway, somehow, this fucking wheel was stuck on the axle. Must have been rust or something. I spent like 30 minutes hitting the inside of the wheel with a 2x4 I found, but it still wouldn't budge. I finally called Geico and they sent someone out. The guy did the same as I did, and also kicked the wheel from the outside in as hard as he could several times.

After both of us spending about 15 additional minutes on it, we both decided it was either time to call a tow truck or just put more air in the tire and try to make it to the tire store. It was either that, or hit it harder and risk having the car fall off the jack.

He said that he sees this happen all the time to BMW's... Not sure why that is, but it really pissed me off.

 

[FeuerFrei]

Originally posted by: oldsmoboat
With my eyes closed.

:thumbsup: I find it heightens the sensations actually. The scrape of your knuckles across the asphalt is exquisite.

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

We need a new pohl. I'd be willing to bet that 99% of the folks who've never had a flat are <25.

I snapped a lug bolt on my first car. Who'da thunk just the front wheels on a '68 Chrysler would have left hand threads?

 

[BW86]

of course i can change a tire

 

[spidey07]

Originally posted by: James Bond
Got a flat this morning actually.

I do know how, and I have done it before.

Someway, somehow, this fucking wheel was stuck on the axle. Must have been rust or something. I spent like 30 minutes hitting the inside of the wheel with a 2x4 I found, but it still wouldn't budge. I finally called Geico and they sent someone out. The guy did the same as I did, and also kicked the wheel from the outside in as hard as he could several times.

After both of us spending about 15 additional minutes on it, we both decided it was either time to call a tow truck or just put more air in the tire and try to make it to the tire store. It was either that, or hit it harder and risk having the car fall off the jack.

He said that he sees this happen all the time to BMW's... Not sure why that is, but it really pissed me off.

If it was one of the drive wheels I would have let it back on the ground with the lugs on, but backed out maybe 1/4 inch. Then do a hard start and immediately slam on the brakes, moving maybe 5-10 feet. That should have broken it free.

 

[StageLeft]

Yes. If you get your tires mounted at a place that cranks the lugs on too much though you will never get them off on the side of the highway.

 

[DingDingDao]

Just had a flat tire two days ago, heading from Las Vegas back home to L.A. Hit a piece of metal debris on the 15S. Love changing a wheel on a downslope in the dark on dirt, using my cell phone as a source of light :thumbsup:

 

[mizzou]

only time i had to call AAA was when I tried to change a flat and my wheel was stuck solid to the hub from corrosion. Basically they needed a big pry bar to get the tire removed.

Sucked, I looked like a fool

 

[sdifox]

double poste!

 

[sdifox]

Originally posted by: Skoorb
Yes. If you get your tires mounted at a place that cranks the lugs on too much though you will never get them off on the side of the highway.

Depends on what kind of wrench you got in the kit.1 I was jumping on the mb emergency wrench and it did loosen the nuts without breaking. And the jack did not sway on me either, so that should be the standard kid for all cars. I can't see it costing more than the crap you get on other cars.

 

[sdifox]

Originally posted by: Skoorb
Yes. If you get your tires mounted at a place that cranks the lugs on too much though you will never get them off on the side of the highway.

Depends on what kind of wrench you got in the kit.1 I was literally jumping on the MB emergency wrench and it did loosen the nuts without breaking. And the jack did not sway on me either, so that should be the standard kid for all cars. I can't see it costing more than the crap you get on other cars.

 

[Toastedlightly]

FUUUUUUUUUUUDDDDDDDDDGGGGGGGGGGGGEEEEEEEEEEEE..... But I didn't say fudge.

 

[Crono]

I know how to, but I've never had to in the past 7 years that I've been driving.

 

[Bignate603]

Originally posted by: JulesMaximus
I'm a dude and I've changed a fair number of flat tires on my cars over the years. In fact, I don't even call AAA because it would take longer for them to come change a tire for me than if I just did it myself.

This. As long as I've got the the tools and the tire (which all of my cars have) it's faster just to do it myself.

 

[SSSnail]

I don't think there is anything on a car that I can't change, given time and tools. More often than not, I'd just change the car, less work that way...

 

[yh125d]

Yes but I don't because it's against my religion

 

[rockyct]

I've done it twice. It would have been three times but the third time I couldn't get the keyed lug nut off so I just called AAA. Of course, they can't get it off at first either and they shattered the lug nut key with their air wrench. They then called in a second guy who came with a universal keyed lug nut remover (it basically just digs into the lug nut) and they get it off after destroying the key and the keyed lug nut. Basically, the dealer didn't hand tighten the keyed lug nut when they rotated the tires. Fortunately, they replaced the set of keyed lug nuts.