Preparing to remove the wheel

Prepare your work area before you remove the flat tire.

  1. Use a wheel chock, brick, or large rock to block the wheel on the far side of the opposite tire. For example, if you are changing the right rear tire, position the chock on the front side of the left wheel.
  2. Remove the spare tire, jack, and tire iron from the trunk.
    Tip: Most pickup trucks and SUVs have the spare tire mounted beneath the vehicle between the back tires. See your owner's manual for removal instructions.
    1. If your vehicle has a locking lug nut to prevent wheel theft, locate the lug key.
    2. Some specialty wheels require specific lug nuts that cannot be used on the spare. Locate the correct lug nuts for the spare wheel.
  3. After you have removed the necessary equipment, close the trunk or hatch door.
  4. Locate the jack point on the underside of the vehicle. Look on the passenger side even if the flat is on the driver's side. The jack points are positioned symmetrically on the vehicle, and you should minimize the time you spend on the driver's side of the vehicle.
  5. Remove the hubcap to expose the lug nuts.
  6. Working in a generally diagonal pattern, loosen the lug nuts so that they are finger tight or a bit tighter. It is safer to put force into the task when the vehicle is on the ground than it is when the vehicle is elevated.

    If there are five lug nuts, loosen them in this order: 1, 3, 5, 2, 4. It does not matter which one you loosen first, so long as you do not move to an adjacent lug nut.

    Important: Do not remove the lug nuts yet.