How to Change a Flat Tire with an Impact Wrench
Quick Summary
You are going to learn how to change a flat tire faster and make it "more fun" by using an impact wrench instead of the standard tools provided by your car manufacturer. Knowing this technique is helpful because using an impact wrench simplifies the process, eliminating the need for traditional wrenches or cranks, though you still require the car's jack and spare tire. You will learn the proper steps for loosening the lug nuts, raising the vehicle, replacing the tire, and snugging and tightening the lug nuts in a specific alternating pattern before safely driving on the spare.
What you'll need and what to do
To try what's taught in the video, here's what you'll need and the exact steps to follow.
What You Will Need
• Impact wrench
• Jack (found hidden by the car manufacturer)
• Spare tire (found hidden by the car manufacturer)
Action Steps
1. Loosen the lug nuts on the wheel using the impact wrench.
2. Take the vehicle up off the ground using the jack.
3. Take the loosened lug nuts the rest of the way off.
4. Take the flat tire off and put the new tire on.
5. Put the lug nuts back on by hand, ensuring they do not get cross threaded.
6. Take the impact wrench and snug the lug nuts up a little bit.
7. Snug the lug nuts in an alternating pattern (starting with the bottom, skipping one, etc.).
8. Go back to the jack and let the vehicle down.
9. Tighten the lug nuts down again using the same alternating pattern.
10. Drive under 50 miles per hour and for a range of less than 50 miles until you can get the full-size tire fixed.
Word for word video transcript
Hey everyone, Brandon Nelson. And in one minute, I'm going to show you how to change a flat tire faster and more fun with an impact wrench. Now, every car manufacturer hides the tools you need—a jack and a spare tire—somewhere in the car. Because we're using this bad boy, we don't need the wrenches or the cranks. All we need is the jack. But before we lift it off the ground, I want to loosen these lug nuts on the wheel. Now, we're going to take the vehicle up off the ground. Now, let's take those the rest of the way off. Now, flat tire off, new tire on. Now, take the time to put those other lug nuts on by hand. You do not want to use the impact wrench for this step, just to make sure they don't get cross threaded. Now, with those lug nuts finger tight, go ahead and take the impact wrench. Snug them up a little bit, but do it in this pattern: we're going to start with the bottom, and then we're going to skip one, come up here, skip one, come over here—this guy, this guy. Okay, and again, they're not fully tight yet. Now, let's go back to the jack and let the vehicle down. Final step: we come back to the tire. We tighten these lug nuts down again in that same alternating pattern. Now, these miniature spare tires are meant for speeds under 50 miles an hour and a range of less than 50 miles. So, get to a tire store, get that full-size tire fixed, and back on your car as soon as you can. This has been Brandon Nelson for one minute. I'll see you next time.
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