Treading where others fear to go

When was the last time you checked your tyres? I have mentioned in the past that only thing between your $200,000, or even $2000, car is that small patch of rubber on the road. Those that do check their tyres and pressures on a regular basis are halfway there, but what about the spare. When was that last checked? The air pressure in a tyre doesn't remain the same month in, month out and it'll eventually go flat.

Not much point in changing one flat tyre for another - especially those stupid little space savers most cars come with these days. These small tyres need to be pumped up to around 60psi (check the car's handbook to make sure the exact pressure) or they won't work.

Being a sensible motorist, I check my tyres regularly, including the spare, and just as well.

On Boxing Day I got a puncture and was a happy camper as I knew the spare was inflated. Thankfully the next day, a Beaurepairs in town was open so I managed to get the puncture repaired and it was the chat with a staff member that's prompted this week's article.

Stuart told me they receive numerous calls for help on how to change a flat tyre on the side of the road, or people will drive for kilometres on a flat not realising it'll destroy the tyre. He also me informed me they get other calls asking where the spare tyre is in their car and in some cases, modern cars don't even have a space saver wheel.

Some Porsches and Peugeots, to name a couple, don't have spare tyres any more, only a can of goo to fill the tyre and a compressor to pump it up again.

Even those who do check to see if the car has a spare and a jack don't know how to change a tyre. Therefore, below is a comprehensive guide on how to change a tyre rather than having to rummage through the handbook on the side of the road when the unthinkable does happen.

In an ideal world you'd want to discover you've got a flat tyre when the car's sitting in the driveway but the odds are stacked against that happening. Normally you'll discover you've got a flat when the car starts to veer either left or right while driving, or the rear starts to slide around.

Do not slam the brakes on but slow down as quickly and safely as possible, looking for a place to pull over. On a really bad day you might be on a road that has nowhere to pull over or even be on a hill. It is possible to drive for a short distance, very slowly, in order to at least get to flat ground or find a piece of road away from a corner.

Before you even try and change the tyre or call the AA if you're a member, safely walk back a number of metres and place some sort of warning on the road and put the hazard lights on. Waiting for the AA (out of the car if it's on a road with no parking) is a good idea if you have the luxury of time, but changing a tyre really doesn't take that long at long. So here goes.

Pull the handbrake on then put the car into gear or park. If possible, find something to wedge under one of the wheels that will remain on the ground. Assuming you know where the jack and spare tyre are, get them out and place them near the flat tyre. Before jacking the car up, remove and trim and loosen the wheel nuts a little but do not remove them. If the nuts are too hard to loosen by hand, place you foot on the wheel brace and give it a good shove.

Place the jack under the car at the proper load points (check handbook for their location if unsure - do not just shove the jack under the car and start cranking it up as you may just pop a hole in the floor or dent the sill) and make sure the jack is flat on the ground. Some jacks need to be fitted to a slot or lip under the car to ensure safe lifting.

Once the jack is in the correct place, and the facing the right way so you can fit the winding handle and turn it without hitting the car, slowly raise the car, paying particular attention that the jack doesn't move or tilt as the car goes up. Keep winding until the flat tyre is about five to six centimetres off the ground to allow for the inflated spare to fit onto the hub without becoming jammed on the road.

For added safety, place the spare under the car before removing the flat tyre just in case in removing the flat, the car rolls off the jack. That little bit of space will enable you to reposition the jack and raise the car again. Put the wheel nuts somewhere safe were they won't roll away, or down a drain, but remain close at hand.

Retrieve the spare and lift it onto the bolts and hub. It may take a little wiggling to get the holes and bolts lined up but it will fit. Hold the wheel hard against the hub and tighten one the nuts by hand to hold the wheel in position while you fit the rest of wheel nuts. Tighten them all up until they firmly press the wheel against the hub but do not tighten fully while the car is still up on the jack. The force could cause the car to roll of the jack.

Slowly lower the car and remove the jack. Use the wheel brace to fully tighten the nuts in a diagonal pattern and double check all are securely done up. If you have a proper sized wheel and tyre on, the car can be drive normally. Find a tyre repair shop in the next day or two. If you've got one of those ridiculous thin space safer spares, drive with extreme caution and don't speed. Go straight to a repair shop, do not pass go, do not go home and don't drive on a dirt road. These types of spares are about as good as a bicycle tyre on a tractor, and check the sticker on the tyre for the maximum recommended speed.