How long does it take to change a tire is a typical question when people notice a flat tire, especially during a road trip. Changing car tires is pretty easy, especially if you understand everything it takes.
In fact, it takes just about 15 to 20 minutes to replace your faulty tires. Read this guide to learn all you need to know about replacing deflated tires.
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How Many Minutes Does It Take To Change Tires for Your Car?
It takes between 15 and 20 minutes to change tires for your car. However, depending on the number of tires you are switching and the expertise of the person changing the tires, it may take longer. For example, you’ll expect an expert to take less time to replace your tires.
Also, changing four tires of a car may take about an hour or even more. Also, the circumstances surrounding the car tire change may affect your speed at replacing them.
Below is a brief review of the factors affecting the time it takes to replace car tires.
– Number of Car Tires
The number of tires you replace determines the time it takes to remove and mount a new tire. When a pin, nail or any tiny object punctures a tire, it takes a while to expel all the gas. It may take a while to notice until the tire wobbles or loses most of its gas, becoming flat. In this case, you want to examine other tires to confirm their condition before replacing the punctured one.
If you don’t know how to change tires, you might need to drive to the next tire shop, where an expert may help. However, if you know how to do this, replacing one tire may take about 15 to 20 minutes, and then you can continue on your road trip. You can multiply this figure by the number of tires you are replacing. That is, if you are replacing two tires, then it’ll take about half an hour to 40 minutes.
In the case where you need a tire change because they are worn out or expired, you may have to replace all tires at the same time, especially if you bought the tires at about the same time. Since they all experience the same conditions, they lose their efficiency at about the same time. And based on what we said earlier, changing four tires will take at least an hour or more.
– Your Location
Your location, or where you experience a tire puncture, determines the time it takes to replace the tire. For example, if you do not carry the necessary tools, like a wrench, jack, etc, you might need to call someone to bring them to you, drive your car home, or go to the auto repair or tire shop with the deflated tire.
Your car’s location determines the distance to the auto repair shop as you attempt to drive there; or from whoever is bringing the tools. These factors determine how long it’ll take to change your car tires.
In fact, if you are with the tools you need to change your car tires, you still need to drive off the road to find a suitable location to replace the deflated tires. So it’ll probably take longer when replacing your tires on the roads than in the comfort of your home.
– Type and Size of Vehicle
The type of vehicle you drive is another factor to consider. The car’s size often determines the size of the car tires. You will expect it to take longer to change a bigger tire than a smaller one.
Larger-sized vehicles may slow you down — you’d even need a more efficient jack to lift the car before removing the punctured tires. Therefore, you could also include the jack’s efficiency as one factor determining the time it takes to replace your car tires.
How Long Does It Take a Professional To Replace Car Tires?
It will take a professional about 7 to 10 minutes to replace car tires. Being an expert, they already possess the skills and more straightforward techniques to remove deflated tires. However, the type of vehicle may affect the speed it takes to replace the car tires.
Also, their activity levels may affect the time it takes to change your deflated tires. When you visit the auto repair shop and they inform you it’ll take about two hours, it’s possible that there are other pending jobs and they are understaffed. So just like there are limiting factors that may affect your speed when changing car tires, professionals too may be predisposed to some factors.
How Can You Replace a Deflated Tire?
You can replace a deflated tire by simply using the tools available in your car’s truck. First, ensure that your car is in a secure location to replace a deflated tire. If you notice it while driving, steer your vehicle off the road and find a safe parking place.
Below is a step-by-step guide on how to replace your burst tires.
– Find a Secure Spot
The first step after noticing a deflated tire is to find a secure location, such as an empty parking lot. Reduce your driving pace as you try to locate a place with adequate space that allows you to move around your vehicle freely. After parking, remember to activate the parking brake.
– Switch on Your Car’s Emergency Flashers
Switching on the hazard lights signals your presence to other drivers, especially at night. This is particularly important when parking by the roadside. Consider using the reflective warning sign if you have one.
Setting it up a few feet behind your vehicle further ensures your safety and prevents oncoming cars from hitting you or your vehicle.
– Wedge Your Car Wheels
This helps prevent the vehicle from rolling off as you attempt to replace the car tires. Place the wedges in front of the car tires when changing by the rear tires, but when changing a front tire, place it behind the rear tires. A large stone or brick will suffice if you don’t have car wedges.
– Unscrew the Lug Nuts
After placing the wedge on your car wheel, the next thing is to unscrew the lug nuts. Use the appropriate wrench to unscrew the nut by turning it in an anticlockwise direction.
Take note that you will need to apply considerable strength if you intend to unscrew the bolts.
– Using the Jack, Raise the Car
Carefully place the jack under the vehicle, preferably in an area in the car frame. Make sure to put the jack under a solid piece of wood to ensure that the jack does not slip off as you attempt to raise the vehicle.
Continue to raise the car until the deflated tire is about five to six inches above the ground. At this time, carefully detach the lug nuts.
– Switch the Flat Tire With the Spare One
Carefully grab the wheels of the deflated tire by the tire treads and pull them off. Immediately start the new tire installation and gently attach the lug nuts.
– Lower Your Vehicle to the Ground
Start to lower the jack to lower the vehicle to the ground. When the car is already at ground level, further tighten the lug bolts. This ensures that it doesn’t pull off when driving at high speed. After changing tires, you can then return the tools to your car trunk, wash your hands, and continue on your trip.
What Are the Tools You Need for Changing a Flat Tire?
The tools you need for changing a flat tire include a jack, lug wrench, wheel wedge, a wood of about 2 x 6 inches to fasten the jack, and an inflated spare tire. The wood works to prevent the jack from slipping off as it lifts the vehicle.
Besides the listed items, consider having a torch, gloves, reflective warning signs, and raincoat as part of your tools for replacing a faulty tire. This ensures you can comfortably change your flat tires even when it rains or even at night.
How Often Should You Inspect Your Car Tires?
You should inspect all your car tires every month, including the spare ones. This is something you can do during your leisure time. However, when going on a road trip, it is good to briefly inspect all tires before leaving to ascertain they are in good condition.
It may be during the weekend, such as a Saturday morning. The first thing to examine is the air pressure of each tire — you can check to see that they are not under or over-inflated. A tire-pressure gauge will help you check the air pressure in the tires. It is best to do this in the morning, as high temperatures may cause the air to expand.
Another simple test is the penny test, which helps check tire tread wear. Set a penny between two ribs on your tire, with Lincoln’s head at the base. The aim is to see part of the head, but if you see the entire head, you need to get a new tire as that tire is worn.
Conclusion
Beyond knowing how long it takes to replace a tire, this article also discusses the items you need and how to change tires.
Without much ado, let’s briefly summarize all that we discussed.
- It takes between 15 and 20 minutes to change a car tire. However, a professional may do so in less than 10 minutes.
- To replace your car tire, you need a wrench, jack, wheel wedges, etc. Also, you may need to turn on your emergency flashers and set up your reflective warning signs to provide safety as you attempt to change the tires.
- If you notice a deflated tire while driving, the first thing to do is to steer off the road and slowly find a secure space. Once safety is guaranteed, you can begin doing the hard work.
- Before leaving for a road trip, briefly check through your tires and confirm that you have a spare one in the car.
You need not beat yourself up when you notice a flat tire while driving. Just carefully follow our guidelines, and you’ll discover that having your tire changed is not as difficult as it may seem.
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