Change tyres yourself

From summer to winter and vice versa - Tires usually need to be changed twice a year. You could go to a garage for this, where you can also have the wheels stored at the same time. But of course, this is associated with costs. With storage, it costs between 50 and 100 EUR every six months.

If you want to save money and have space in the garage or basement, you can easily change your wheels yourself. For this you need a good jack and preferably a torque wrench or a simple wheel spider.

Knowing how to change wheels yourself is especially helpful in the event of a breakdown. Here's a step-by-step guide to exactly how to go about it.

One tip in advance: The regular check that takes place when changing wheels in a workshop makes a lot of sense, because the wheels can also be balanced if necessary. If, for example, you have ever driven hard against a curb, the wheel may no longer run smoothly. This deficiency can be corrected by small weights that are glued to the rim in the workshop. You often notice imbalance while driving when the steering wheel vibrates - so you can also tell whether you should have your wheels checked.

If you get a flat tire while driving, park your car on firm, level ground and turn off the engine. Make sure you have the handbrake on. Before you raise your car with the jack in the next step, first loosen all the screws without removing them completely. The wheel bolts can only be completely loosened when the wheel is firmly on the ground.

As soon as you have loosened all the wheel bolts a little, use the jack. You will find jacking points under the side of the car near the wheel housings. When the tire no longer touches the ground, you can loosen all screws completely.

After removing the wheel bolts, you can now remove the wheel. When changing the summer or winter wheels, it is best to mark the removed wheel with a pen (e.g. FL for "front left"), so that you can assign them correctly when you change them again.

Now the new wheel can be mounted. To do this, press the wheel against the wheel hub and lightly screw all wheel bolts into the threads provided, but do not tighten them yet. Tightening takes place when the wheel is again on solid ground.

Almost there! Now lower your car again and tighten all wheel bolts crosswise. The wheel bolts must be tightened to the correct torque, so it is best to use a torque wrench. You will find information on this in the owner's manual for your car.  

Important:
After you have driven about 50 to 100 kilometers, tighten all wheel bolts again. This will ensure that everything is really tight.

Last but not least, check that everything is right with your new tire. Drive to a gas station, check the tire pressure and top it up if necessary. You can usually find information about the correct tire pressure on the fuel filler flap or on the door frame of your car.