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click for larger image |
Roll your new wheel/tire up to your car. Move it so
that the holes roughly line up with the bolts. Lift up the tire and
place it on the bolts. Grab your lugs and attach them to the bolts
by hand. You will probably need to hold the tire in position until
you get the lugs securely on.
Tighten the lugs as much as you can by hand in the same pattern you
used to take them off. Using the wrench tighten them lightly. |
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Lower your jack until the tire is touching the ground.
Uuse the wrench to tighten them in the same pattern. At this point,
you should use a torque wrench to tighten the lugs to the manufacturer
recommended torque setting (about 80ft-lbs). If you do not have a
torque wrench then use both hands on the end of the wrench and tighten
as much as you can by hand (don't use all your weight though).
To lower a floor jack, remove the handle. On the end it has a small
shaped hole which fits the small nut next to the pump. Loosen the
nut slowly and the jack will lower. Do this very slowly when the car
is raised as you don't want the drop to car too quickly. |
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Lower the jack the rest of the way and you're done!
You just need to figure out how your jack and accessories fit in the
trunk again and you're good to go. Here's a side view of my new wheels.
Check out how much space is above the wheel! I gotta lower my car!
Oh yeah, it is recommended that after a few miles of driving you check
your bolts to make sure they are tightened correctly after the wheel
has been moving. And if you want to be extra cautious, you may also
want to inspect the lugs again after 500 miles.
If you just put on a spare tire and it is smaller than your regular
tires, keep in mind that they are not designed for high speed (over
50-60mph) or high distance travelling (over 50-100 miles) and should
be replaced with a full size tire as soon as possible.
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Also, your new wheel/tires should have already been
balanced otherwise they may cause vibrations when you drive. If you
notice any differences in the way your car drives, particularly shaking
or misalignment, you should take it to a tire center to make sure
everything is balanced and aligned properly.
Here you can see the tread pattern of my new tires.
Have you ever noticed that race cars don't have these tread patterns?
They usually have completely smooth tires (slicks). This is because
smooth tires provide optimal traction on dry ground. |
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So why don't we have slicks? The key word is "dry".
Slicks on wet surfaces have very poor traction because the water has
no where to go causing hydro-planing. Our tires have treads with space
between them to allow water to be channelled away.
Of course, there are also different types of rubber for all sorts
of conditions, off-road, water, snow, ice, etc. But I won't go into
that. For now, just admire your new wheels and tires. |
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| Preparation
| Installation |
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