Wednesday, April 25, 2012

How You Should Go About Switching Your Continental Tires Whenever You Experience A Flat

By Hallie A. Kujawski


Like any other brand of tire available on the market, there is always the small possibility that one of your Continental tires will go flat and you will need to be able to do all of the things involved with swapping it out for a spare until you can fix or replace it. The truth of the matter is that there is not a single tire on the market that is one hundred percent safe from blowing out or going flat, so drivers will always face the chance that they will have to change a tire. Since this is the case for all drivers on the road today, it is safe to say that anyone who ever gets behind the wheel should know what it takes to change their own tire in case the situation ever arises.

You cannot hope to be able to change a tire without having the appropriate tools for the task, so you will need to know exactly what tools are required and make sure to have them in your vehicle at all times. The two primary tools you are going to want to have with you at all times are a car jack and a lug wrench - one for getting the tire off the ground so that you can remove it and the other for removing the lug nuts that hold it on. Some other tools you might like to have with you, though not always necessary, are a flathead screwdriver for removing hubcaps, some reflectors or road flares to make yourself visible to oncoming traffic, and an oil rag to wipe your hands clean on.

When it comes to the true moment where you discover that you have a flat or you experience a blow out, you will need to find a place where you can get as far off the road and away from traffic as you possibly can. Not only will you need a safe place away from oncoming traffic, you will also need a place that is relatively level, so that you can jack up the vehicle without risk of it flipping over or falling on top of you.

If you are not careful, you can accidently place the jack under an area of your vehicle that is not powerful enough to support the weight of the vehicle, damaging your vehicle and possibly injuring your self as a result. There are many vehicles that are marked in the specific places where you need to place your jack, but if your vehicle does not have one of these marks, you need to make sure to put it under the frame and close to the wheel well of the bad tire. Before you jack up the vehicle, you will need to use your lug wrench to loosen each of the lug nuts, and then you can jack the vehicle up, unscrew the lug nuts the rest of the way by hand, and remove the tire.

Now all you must do is reverse the order of the previous steps to get your spare tire on, your vehicle back firmly on the ground, and your lug nuts tightened up so that you can get back on the road safely. Anyone who can manage the aforementioned task will have nothing to worry about once one of their Continental tires has to be changed.




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