Fixing a flat tire can mean a couple of different things. It can involve putting a spare tire onto your car or actually making repairs to the tire that has gone flat. Swapping out a flat tire with a spare requires physical strength along with the stamina to stoop, bend, kneel and lift. The average person without any serious health conditions should be able to accomplish it. However, reading and thoroughly understanding the instructions for using a tire jack and the safety steps involved in putting on a spare must be heeded.
Tire Plugging and Sealants
Gooey tire plugs and aerosol sealants work well when the cause of a flat tire is penetration somewhere in the actual tread and not the sidewall of a tire. Sidewalls are thinner than tread areas and typically should not be subject to any repair attempts as a catastrophic tire failure could result. Tire plugs are lengths of coated fibers about four inches long and are coated with sticky substances that literally plug the hole in the tire after the foreign object is removed. The coated fiber is threaded through a tool that looks like it has a needle eye on one end. The tool is then used to push a folded length of fiber into the hole partway before pulling the tool back out to create a solid plug. Excess is cut off with a knife.
Aerosol tire sealants inject air and sealant into the inside of the tire. A separate pump will be needed in most cases to inflate the sealed tire to operating pressure. Aerosol sealant can sizes should be purchased to match the tire size they are going to seal. In most cases, the large can will work best on passenger cars, pickup trucks, and vans. The aerosol in the can is not usually enough to inflate a tire to normal operating pressure. Keeping a 12-volt air compressor that plugs into a cigarette lighter/power port is wise.
Using a Spare Tire
Most passenger cars only have the small donut or space-saver types of spares. They are only meant for use to get the vehicle to a tire center where repairs or replacements can be made or installed. Plus, they normally are not rated for driving over 50 mph. The inflation pressure for a space-saver tire is also likely to be higher than a normal tire. Keep this in mind when checking your tire pressure. By comparison, a full-size spare may not be able to be lifted by some attempting to install it.
According to Car Accident Lawyers in Seattle, the biggest risk for putting on a spare tire on the side of a road is not necessarily jacking up the car. Hazard lights may not offer enough warning to oncoming traffic, and visibility may be impaired to oncoming traffic. This can make changing the tire a serious risk. Slowly pulling off to a solid flat surface away from traffic is best when a driver is going to attempt to put on a spare tire. Otherwise, professional towing or tire change is a safer option.
Your safety is paramount. Do not attempt to fix a flat tire or mount a spare tire in place of a flat if you are not sure of what you are doing, or you are not in a safe environment. If you study the techniques and practice, changing a flat or making repairs to one won’t be that hard. Just make sure you know what you are doing and are prepared enough to stay safe.