The Tire

Today was a big day for me.

Why?

I changed a tire for the first time in my life.

Earlier this week, my husband bought a spare tire for the car. Today, he wanted to change out the front passenger-side tire so that the new tire would go on there and the old tire would be relegated to spare duty. It was high time I learned some basic auto maintenance, so I offered to change the tire with my hubby's supervision.

First, I jacked the car up some, but loosening the lugnuts required some help because they had been bolted on by impact wrenches at the tire shop we purchased it from. Good thing my husband has muscles. I then maxed out the jack, took off the lugnuts, and popped off the tire.

Jacking up the car

That wood underneath the jack was to keep the jack from sinking into the mud

I'd planned on changing the oil, but it was too late for that

After replacing the tire, I oiled the bolts, tightened the lugnuts, and set the car down before cleaning up and calling it a day.

Almost there!

While they might not look it, tires are incredibly heavy. Holding the tires at 4 and 8 helped make positioning them easier on the spoke.

I felt pretty good about this little job. To know how to do something yourself (like basic car maintenance) is very empowering. That way, you're not beholden to someone or something expensive like roadside assistance or car mechanics.