Tyre change - E17latic

I changed a tyre following a puncture. Should I now have it professionally fitted, or is my roadside job good enough?

Tyre change - Doc

Have you changed the wheel or the tyre?

Tyre change - bathtub tom

The OP doesn't explain if it's a wheelbarrow, pushchair, bike or anything.

I suspect it's a car and if they don't know if they've done it right they should get it checked professionally, IMMEDIATELY.

Tyre change - E17latic

Apologies, given this is a motoring forum I thought it would be a given that I was referring to a car, my mistake.

It's a car.

I got a puncture on the A41 and changed the punctured tyre for the spare. Should I get it checked?

Tyre change - Doc

You are obviously not confident in what you have done- so get it checked.

Tyre change - E17latic

I'm happy with what I did. I guess what I'm asking is should tyres be professionally fitted, or can you do it yourself without having done it before?

Tyre change - HandCart

You're confusing us: These days, I should think hardly anyone at all changes their own TYRES.

But it's perfectly feasible for you to swap a WHEEL.

Are you wanting to have a go at removing and replacing a tyre from a wheel yourself??

Tyre change - E17latic

Sorry, wheel.

Tyre change - HandCart

Leaving aside the subject of those manufacturers who don’t even include a spare wheel with their car, car wheels are intended to be able to be removed and replaced by the owner/driver/layman.

But to be on the safe side, if it‘s the first time you’ve ever done it, it’s worth asking someone who IS familiar with doing it, to check things over.

Tyre change - Bobbin Threadbare

I'd check it, but then I'd need somebody stronger than me to ensure that I'd done the wheel nuts up tightly enough.

Tyre change - alastairq

If you've doen the nutz up as tight as you can , by hand....why not pop into your nearest loacl friendly garage, and ask sweetly if they wouldn't mind checking and re-torquing those wheel nuts?

It is a two minute job [for me, at least]...and ensures the nuts are not only tightened evenly, they are also tightened to the correct pressure. [torque]

I recommend buying/using one of those cheap, extendable-handle wheel wrenches...they come usually with two szes of socket, to fit most wheel nuts/ bolts.

The extended handle adds considerable leverage [do not stand on hte spanner at all]...

In my experience, I have found I actually tighten up my wheel nuts too tight...when I check the torque, I need to undo them a bit first, then re-tighten using the torque wrench.

I might add, I wont see 60 again, but in my head, I'm only 12.

Tyre change - Andrew-T

If you've doen the nutz up as tight as you can , by hand....why not pop into your nearest loacl friendly garage, and ask sweetly if they wouldn't mind checking and re-torquing those wheel nuts?

One snag is that if you get a professional to tighten your wheel nuts, the chances are that next time you need to change the wheel at the roadside, you won't be able to shift them. It shouldn't be necessary to call for assistance just because the wheel nuts/bolts are too tight.

If my wheel nuts have been tightened by someone else, I retighten them as far as I can while still being confident of loosening them if required. And you can deploy a little copper grease to prevent things seizing after a year or two.

Edited by Andrew-T on 11/07/2013 at 22:07

Tyre change - brum

One thing to check is the spare you fitted the same size as the rest? Check the sidewall info (e.g. 195/60 R 15H) is the same as the other wheels. The reason being that a lot of new cars have "space savers" or spares that are different sizes to the ones actually fitted (e.g. a lot of VAG cars with alloy wheels have different sized steel spare)

Its also good practice to have the same model of tyre on each axle as having different designs on each side can give unsafe handling problems. Unless you are on original tyres, the tyres on the vehicle are probably a different make/model to the spare.

Oh and check the tyre you fitted is not directional (big arrow on the tyre showing the direction of rotation) - this is unlikely if its a factory original spare.

And check the tyre pressures - spares are often ignored or pumped up to maximum pressure.

Or just get a "professional" to check it for you......

Tyre change - 1litregolfeater

What you did is fine.