So, you have a flat tire. These really are just the worst, aren’t they? You’re moving along and suddenly, you’re sidelined. You’re freaking out because you either need to call a tow-truck company or change the tire yourself. But, you don’t have a jack. How are you supposed to change out the flat tire with the one in your trunk without a jack? For some, this is one of the most terrifying moments, because you never know where you might get a flat tire. You can walk out after food shopping to find that your car has experienced a flat while in the parking lot or you could dreadfully get a flat while on your morning commute. No matter the way you’ve experienced a flat tire, it is a situation no one wants to be in, especially when you think you don’t have the right tools to change it yourself.

Luckily, there are tips that you can follow if you are not wanting to call anyone or can’t find a friendly stranger to help you out. Take a look below at the steps that you need to take in case you find yourself needing to change a flat tire.

Get to Safety First

When you first get a flat tire, you need to drive your car away from traffic. Take it slow, as you have a flat tire, but do not attempt to change your tire with oncoming traffic still moving. Once you’re on open Earth, turn your car off and lift the emergency brake. You will then want to find either a stump, log, woodblock, or piece of concrete to slide under the side of the axle that is closest to the flat tire. From there, stack everything up until it makes contact with the axle.

Dig, Dig, Dig

Once you have done step one, start digging at the soil that is underneath the flat tire. You will want to dig away from the soil until the axle is solely resting on the blocking materials. Use anything from your hands, a stick or tire iron to dig a hole down and out about a few inches on all four sides of the tire. Keep in mind that the hole should be big enough to remove the flat tire and put on the new one.

Time For the Nuts to Come Off

You will use a tire iron to bust the nuts on the tire until all the nuts are removed. Then pull the rim off to remove the flat tire from the hole. Then place the new tire onto the studs until the studs are poking through the holes in the rim. You will then want to thread the nuts back on and use the tire iron to tighten them.

Finishing Touches

You will want to push a large rock in the front and rear of the tire before filling the hole back up with soil. Once you have let loose of the emergency brake, you can start the car and slowly give the car gas so that that spare tire can climb out of the hole. If it has a hard time, rock the car back and forth to get it going.

You don’t need to fear getting a flat tire when you have the know-how when it comes to changing a tire. With these steps and a calm demeanor, you can change your tire into either a spare tire or a donut in order to give yourself time before you get to a repair shop. Don’t worry about relying on a tow-truck company anymore when you can change your own flat.