Very simple to do, but so many have never been shown how to do it.

Probably one of the most common items a driver may have to deal with during their lifetime on the roads, due to picking up things like a puncture from foreign objects in the road (nails, screws, glass etc)

The last thing you want is to be stranded at the side of the road when you have a spare wheel in the boot of your car waiting for a recovery company of tyre service if you know how to do it yourself.

HOWEVER!
If you are not confident in doing this, are not on a level surface, or are in a position that could be dangerous to you or others
it would be much safer to call the professionals instead.

Some of the basic tools you may need to change a tyre:

A wheel brace / socket wrench

The wheel brace or socket wrench is what you will need to undo the wheel nuts/bolts.

A car jack

Car jacks come in different styles and sizes.
Most manufacturers will supply a car jack with your car. Some of these are awful, and others quite quick and easy to use.
If you find you have a few vehicles in your household, have regular punctures, or are a keen car enthusiast you may rotate you tyres during the year from front to back and side to side to get the best even wear on them, if this is the case you may want to invest in a trolley jack, as they are quicker and easier to use.

Ideally a torque wrench

A torque wrench will ensure the the wheel nuts or bolts are tightened to the correct torque once your wheel has be changed.

The process to change a wheel

1. Ensure you vehicle is on a flat surface.
2. Secure the vehicle by engaging the parking brake, select a forward or revers gear, and if available, chock the wheels that are not going to be changed. This is to ensure that the car will not move once it is lifted on the car jack.
3. Loosen the wheel nuts/bolts just a small amount while the car is still on the ground as they will be tight to undo and you don't want to exert lots of pressure on the nuts/bolts while the car is in the air.
4. Find the location point for your car jack. This can be found in your owners manual. Also ensure that the jack you are using is capable of supporting the weight of you car.
5. once you have found your lifting point for the car and placed your jack in position, begin raising the car until the tyre has a gap of approximately 10mm off the ground. The car does not need to be too high, but high enough that you can remove the wheel and place the replacement wheel onto the hub. Obviously if your tyre is flat, you will need to raise the jack higher when you come to change the wheel as a fully pressurised tyre will need more space to get the wheel on then one that is deflated.
6. Once you have the wheel high enough to remove it, undo the wheel nuts/bolts fully and remove the wheel from the hub.
7. Most wheels will just fall off as soon as all the wheel nuts/bolts have been removed, but on occasion, some wheels may be so tight fitting to the hub that they will need a little persuasion with a hammer to knock them off the hub.
8. Once the wheel is off, locate the replacement wheel onto the hub / wheel studs and replace the wheel nuts/bolts.
9. Tighten the wheel nuts/bolts as much as you can so that there is no movement from the wheel. You are not tightening them up to their torques setting at this stage as the extra pressure required to fully tighten them could cause the car to fall off the jack.
10. Once all the wheel nuts/bolts have been replace and tightened, lower the jack to the floor and then with a torque wrench tighten all the wheel nuts/bolts to the recommended torque settings as per your manufacturers guide in the owners manual.
11. Ensure you check the tyre pressure is correct for the position it is now in as front and rear tyres can have different tyre pressure set for them.
12. Tidy up, and you're on your way.

As with any repair to your vehicle, if you are not confident in carrying out the work, contact a professional and have them carry out the work for you.
Carrying out work that you are not confident with could put you, your vehicle and others at risk.

Various tools that a DIY mechanic may use to assist in changing a wheel

Wheel Brace

Normally supplied with most vehicles to undo wheel nuts/bolts

Multi size wheel brace

Similar to a standard wheel brace but has 4 different sized sockets on each end to suit different wheel nut sizes

Trolley Jack

Much quicker to use than a scissor jack and usually capable of lifting up to 2Tonnes

Torque Wrench

Used to tighten the wheel nuts to the correct torques setting

Scissor Jack

Scissor Jack tends to be a standard jack supplied with cars

Axle Stands

To support the cars axles when needing the car to be more stable than on a jack. These may be used to change a wheel or when working underneath a car.

Foot Pump

DIY mechanics foot pump

Bottle Jack

Used on vehicles that may require a higher lift

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