How do I change a flat tire by the road?

A flat tire is fixable at the roadside if you have a spare, a jack, and a wrench — and a safe, flat place to work. If the place is not safe or the ground is soft, call for help instead. No tire is worth your safety.

How to do it, step by step

Pull over to a flat spot as far from traffic as you can. Turn on all four hazard lights and apply the parking brake.
Put stones, bricks, or wheel chocks behind and in front of a good tire so the car cannot roll.
Take out the spare tire, jack, and wrench. Check that the spare has air — a flat spare helps nobody.
Loosen the wheel nuts a half turn each while the tire is still on the ground. Do not remove them yet.
Place the jack at the marked jacking point under the car (check the manual — the wrong spot can damage the car or slip). Raise the car until the flat tire is just off the ground.
Remove the nuts, take the flat tire off, and put the spare on. Hand-tighten the nuts first.
Lower the car until the tire touches the ground, then tighten the nuts in a star (criss-cross) pattern so the wheel sits evenly.
Lower the car fully, remove the jack, and check the nuts once more. Put the flat tire and tools away.
Drive slowly to the nearest tire shop. A small spare (donut) is limited to about 80 km/h (50 mph) and short distances only.

Stop and call a professional if…

There is no safe, flat spot, or traffic is passing close and fast — stay in the car with your seatbelt on and call for help.
There is no spare, the spare is flat, or the ground is soft (mud, sand, grass) — do not jack the car up. Call for help.
A nut will not come off or the jack feels unstable — stop and call for help. Forcing it can strip the nut or drop the car.

Tip: check your spare tire's pressure twice a year, and make sure you know where the jack points are before you ever need them. Practice once in a driveway and the roadside version is much calmer.

Kako promijeniti probušenu gumu uz cestu?

Probušena guma može se zamijeniti uz cestu ako imate rezervnu gumu, dizalicu i ključ — i sigurno, ravno mjesto za rad. Ako mjesto nije sigurno ili je tlo mekano, radije zovite pomoć. Nijedna guma nije vrijedna vaše sigurnosti.

Kako redom

Stanite na ravno mjesto što dalje od prometa. Upalite sva četiri žmigavca i povucite ručnu kočnicu.
Stavite kamenje, cigle ili klinove iza i ispred dobre gume da se auto ne može pomaknuti.
Izvadite rezervnu gumu, dizalicu i ključ. Provjerite ima li rezervna zraka — prazna rezerva nikome ne pomaže.
Otpustite matice za pola kruga dok je guma još na tlu. Još ih ne skidajte.
Postavite dizalicu na označeno mjesto ispod auta (provjerite priručnik — pogrešno mjesto može oštetiti auto ili skliznuti). Dižite dok probušena guma jedva ne odvoji od tla.
Skinite matice, skinite probušenu gumu i stavite rezervnu. Matice prvo zategnite rukom.
Spustite auto dok guma ne dotakne tlo, pa zategnite matice u križ (zvjezdasto) da kotač sjedne ravnomjerno.
Spustite auto do kraja, maknite dizalicu i još jednom provjerite matice. Spremite probušenu gumu i alat.
Polako vozite do najbližeg vulkanizera. Mala rezerva (donut) smije najviše oko 80 km/h i samo na kratke udaljenosti.

Stanite i zovite stručnjaka ako…

Nema sigurnog ravnog mjesta ili promet prolazi blizu i brzo — ostanite u autu s pojasom i zovite pomoć.
Nema rezerve, rezerva je prazna ili je tlo mekano (blato, pijesak, trava) — ne dižite auto dizalicom. Zovite pomoć.
Matica ne popušta ili dizalica djeluje nestabilno — stanite i zovite pomoć. Forsiranje može oštetiti maticu ili spustiti auto.

Savjet: dvaput godišnje provjerite tlak rezervne gume i unaprijed znajte gdje su mjesta za dizalicu. Jednom vježbajte na dvorištu i verzija uz cestu bit će mnogo mirnija.