A flat tire is one of those problems that always happens at the wrong moment. Knowing how to change one turns a stranding into a twenty-minute delay — and the safety decisions matter more than the mechanical steps.
At Derham’s Alignment & Auto Repair in Wilmington, NC, we deal with flat tires and roadside damage regularly. Here’s how to do it properly, plus the parts most guides skip.
What You Need
Before anything happens, know what’s in your trunk. Check now, not when you need it.
Spare tire — Under the trunk floor on most cars, or mounted beneath the rear on trucks and SUVs. Check the pressure at least twice a year. A flat spare is the most common roadside surprise we hear about.
Jack — Usually stored with the spare.
Lug wrench — Sometimes combined with the jack handle.
Wheel wedges — Bricks or large stones work. These stop the vehicle rolling.
Flashlight — Flats don’t only happen in daylight.
Gloves — Wheels are filthy and lug nuts get hot.
Reflective triangle or flares — Genuinely important on any road with traffic.
Some newer vehicles have no spare at all, only an inflator kit. Check which you have before you need to know.
Step 1: Find a Safe Location
This is the most important decision you’ll make, and it matters more than the tire.
Pull as far off the road as you can onto level, solid ground. Avoid soft shoulders — a jack sinks into sand or wet grass and the vehicle can come off it. Avoid hills, curves where you can’t be seen, and bridges, where there’s often no shoulder at all.
If you’re on a busy stretch of Market Street or College Road at rush hour, drive slowly to a parking lot rather than stopping in a turn lane. A ruined wheel costs a few hundred dollars. Being struck by a passing vehicle costs considerably more. Nobody has ever regretted driving another quarter mile on a flat to reach somewhere safe.
Step 2: Secure the Vehicle
Turn on your hazard lights. Engage the parking brake. Put the vehicle in Park, or in gear if it’s a manual. Place wheel wedges against the tires diagonal from the flat — if you’re changing the front right, wedge the rear left. Set out a reflective triangle behind the vehicle if you have one.
Step 3: Gather Your Tools
Get the spare, jack and lug wrench out and lay them where you can reach them. Check the spare has air before you go any further — discovering it’s flat after you’ve removed the wheel is a bad moment.
Step 4: Loosen the Lug Nuts First
With the wheel still on the ground, break each lug nut loose about a quarter turn counter-clockwise. Don’t remove them.
Doing this before jacking matters, because the tire’s contact with the ground stops the wheel spinning, and pushing hard on a wrench while the vehicle is raised can knock it off the jack.
Lug nuts can be extremely tight, especially if they were last fitted with an impact gun. Standing on the wrench with steady pressure works better than jerking at it. Salt air corrosion means seized lug nuts are common here — if one won’t move, that’s a legitimate reason to call for help rather than round off the nut.
Step 5: Position the Jack Correctly
Find the reinforced jack point nearest the flat. Your owner’s manual shows exactly where. On most cars it’s a reinforced pinch weld along the rocker panel, often marked with a notch or arrow.
This step is where expensive mistakes happen. Putting the jack under the floor pan, a suspension component, or plastic trim can bend the body, damage suspension parts, or let the vehicle slip off entirely. Take thirty seconds to check the manual.
Step 6: Raise the Vehicle
Raise until the flat is about six inches off the ground — enough clearance to fit the fully inflated spare, which is taller than the flat.
Never put any part of your body under a vehicle supported only by a jack. Jacks fail, and ground shifts. There’s no reason to be under there for a tire change.
Step 7: Remove the Wheel
Take the lug nuts fully off and put them somewhere they can’t roll away — a pocket, or the upturned hubcap. Pull the wheel straight toward you.
If it’s stuck to the hub from corrosion, which is common here, strike the inside of the tire with a rubber mallet or give the sidewall a firm kick. Don’t hit the wheel itself with anything metal.
Step 8: Mount the Spare
Line the spare up with the wheel studs and push it fully onto the hub, flush against the mounting surface. Thread each lug nut on by hand until snug.
Hand-threading first is what prevents cross-threading. A cross-threaded stud is a repair, not an inconvenience.
Step 9: Lower and Tighten in a Star Pattern
Lower the vehicle until the tire touches the ground but isn’t carrying full weight. Now tighten in a star or criss-cross pattern — never in a circle.
The star pattern pulls the wheel evenly onto the hub. Going round in a circle seats one side before the other, leaving the wheel slightly angled — which causes vibration and can warp the brake rotor or damage the studs.
Lower fully, remove the jack, and check the tightness once more. A torque wrench set to the manufacturer’s specification is the right tool if you own one; the manual has the figure. Without one, tight and even in a star pattern gets you to a shop safely.
Step 10: Check Pressure and Get to a Shop
Check the spare’s pressure. Temporary spares typically need around 60 PSI, considerably more than a full-size tire — the correct number is printed on the sidewall.
Then respect the limits. Temporary spares are typically rated for 50 mph and 50 miles, and those figures are on the tire for a reason: less tread, a smaller contact patch, and weaker construction than a full tire. They change how the vehicle brakes and handles, particularly in the wet.
Get the flat repaired or replaced promptly. Driving on a spare longer than intended is how a manageable problem turns into a second one.
Can Your Flat Be Repaired?
Not every flat needs a new tire. A puncture in the central tread area can usually be properly repaired with a patch-plug fitted from the inside. Damage to the sidewall or shoulder can’t be safely repaired, and neither can a tire that was driven on while flat — the internal structure is likely compromised even if it looks fine.
We inspect the inside of every tire before deciding. A repair that fails at speed isn’t worth what it saves. If the tire is beyond repair, we carry Michelin, BFGoodrich, Uniroyal and Falken and can mount, balance and check alignment in one visit.
When Not to Change It Yourself
There’s no obligation to do this at the roadside. Call for assistance if you’re on a fast road with no safe shoulder, on a bridge, in heavy rain or extreme heat, if the lug nuts won’t budge, if the ground is soft or sloped, or if you simply don’t feel confident.
Summer heat here makes a roadside change genuinely unpleasant and occasionally dangerous. Waiting in an air-conditioned vehicle for a tow is a perfectly good decision.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long can you drive on a spare tire?
Temporary or donut spares carry limits printed on the sidewall, typically 50 mph and 50 miles. They have less tread, a smaller contact patch and weaker construction than a full-size tire, and they change the vehicle’s handling and braking. Full-size spares can be driven normally, but check the pressure — a spare that has sat for years is usually low.
What pressure should a spare tire be?
Temporary spares typically require around 60 PSI, considerably higher than a full-size tire. The correct figure is printed on the spare’s sidewall. Check it at least twice a year — a spare that is flat when you need it is no use at all, and it is one of the most common roadside surprises we hear about.
Why do you tighten lug nuts in a star pattern?
Tightening in a star or criss-cross sequence pulls the wheel evenly onto the hub. Going around in a circle seats one side before the other, which can leave the wheel sitting at a slight angle. That causes vibration and, over time, can warp the brake rotor or damage the wheel studs.
Can a flat tire be repaired or does it need replacing?
It depends where the damage is. A puncture in the central tread area can usually be properly repaired with a patch-plug from the inside. Damage to the sidewall or shoulder cannot be safely repaired, and neither can a tire that was driven on while flat, because the internal structure is likely compromised. We inspect the inside of the tire before deciding — a repair that fails at speed is not worth the saving.
What should I do if I can’t change the tire myself?
Call for roadside assistance and stay in the vehicle with your seatbelt on if you are on a busy road, or well away from traffic behind a barrier if not. There is no obligation to change a tire yourself, and a shoulder on a fast road, a bridge with no verge, or heavy summer heat are all good reasons not to. Nobody has ever been hurt waiting for a tow truck.
Bring Us the Flat
Once you’re on the spare, call 910-399-4442 or schedule online. We’ll inspect the tire, repair it if it’s safely repairable, and check whether whatever caused the flat did any other damage — a hard pothole hit that punctures a tire often knocks the alignment out too. All work is backed by our 12-month / 12,000-mile guarantee. Visit us at 6609 Market Street, Wilmington NC 28405.
Related reading:
Tire Mounting & Balancing in Wilmington NC — Repairs, new tires, balancing and TPMS service.
Why Tire Rotation Matters — Free with every oil change, and the best way to make a set last.
Uneven Tire Wear: 7 Causes — Reading the wear pattern before it costs you a set.
Precision Wheel Alignment — The pothole that flattened your tire may have moved your alignment too.
Car Won’t Start? 6 Causes to Check — The other roadside problem worth knowing how to diagnose.
What Wilmington Drivers Say About Derham’s
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