How to Change a Tyre: The Method, a Worked Example, and the Factors That Matter

How to change a tyre is one of those questions that sounds simple until you try to answer it for your own car. The answer depends on the car, the conditions and how you drive, so there is no single figure that fits every driver. What this page does instead is give you the method, so you can work out your own answer and know exactly what it means.

For how to change a tyre, the point is this: The sections below take the question in order: the explanation first, then the step-by-step method, then the things that can go wrong and the signs that it is time to see a professional. Every number that depends on a place or a rule states the jurisdiction it applies to, because limits change and a figure that is right in one country can be wrong in another.

What you need to know first — how to change a tyre

Taking how to change a tyre as the case in point: A puncture is the most common tyre problem, and the right response depends on where the damage is and how big it is. A small puncture in the tread area, away from the shoulder and the sidewall, can often be repaired by a professional with a plug-and-patch from the inside, which seals the hole and restores the tyre. Damage in the sidewall, damage near the shoulder, a large cut, or a tyre that has been driven on while flat usually cannot be repaired safely, because the structure of the tyre is damaged in a way a patch cannot fix.

The useful thing about how to change a tyre is that it can be checked with tools most drivers already own: a gauge, a tread-depth measure and the handbook for the car.

How it works in practice — how to change a tyre

For how to change a tyre, the point is this: The difference between a plug and a patch matters. A plug pushed in from the outside is a temporary roadside fix, not a permanent repair, and it should be followed by a proper inspection and an internal patch as soon as possible. A proper repair is done from the inside, with the tyre removed from the wheel, the damage inspected, and a patch fitted that seals the inner liner. Any repair should be done by a professional who can see the inside of the tyre, because damage that looks small from the outside can be much worse inside.

Worked example — how to change a tyre

For how to change a tyre, the point is this: Take a driver covering 10,000 miles a year as an example figure. The method on this page works the same at any mileage, so the example is there to show the arithmetic, not to state a fact about your car. Start with the measurement or the figure you can check yourself — a gauge reading, a tread-depth reading, or the figure on the placard — and write it down before you do anything else. Then apply the method step by step, checking each result against the one before it, because an error early in the chain is the one that is hardest to spot later. If the result surprises you, check the inputs first: a pressure read on warm tyres, a tread depth measured in one spot only, or a figure taken from the fitted tyre instead of the placard will each give a wrong answer that looks plausible. That is why the worked example on this page states its assumptions openly, and why you should do the same with your own figures.

What changes the answer — how to change a tyre

A nail in the tread is not automatically an emergency, but it is not something to ignore either. If the nail is holding the air in, pulling it out can cause a rapid loss of pressure, so the safe course is to drive gently to a tyre professional without removing it, and to avoid motorway speeds on the way. A tyre that is losing pressure quickly, that has a visible bulge, or that makes a thumping noise should not be driven at all — fit the spare or call for help instead. That is the point this page works through for how to change a tyre.

  • Location: tread-area punctures can often be repaired; sidewall and shoulder damage usually cannot. That is the point this page works through for how to change a tyre.
  • On this page, how to change a tyre is the case in point: Size: a small, clean hole is repairable; a large cut or tear is not.
  • For how to change a tyre, the point is this: Driven flat: a tyre driven on while flat can suffer internal damage that is invisible from outside.
  • Taking how to change a tyre as the case in point: Age and condition: a tyre that is already old or worn may not be worth repairing even if the puncture is repairable.
  • Taking how to change a tyre as the case in point: Run-flat construction: a run-flat driven on while flat often cannot be repaired and must be replaced.
  • Spare type: a space-saver spare has a speed and distance limit, so it is a way to reach help, not a replacement tyre. That is the point this page works through for how to change a tyre.

Common mistakes — how to change a tyre

  • Pulling a nail out of a tyre at the roadside, which can turn a slow leak into a rapid loss of pressure. That is the point this page works through for how to change a tyre.
  • Taking how to change a tyre as the case in point: Treating a plug pushed in from the outside as a permanent repair.
  • Taking how to change a tyre as the case in point: Driving on a space-saver spare at normal speed or for a long distance.
  • Continuing to drive on a tyre with a bulge or a sidewall cut because it still holds air. That is the point this page works through for how to change a tyre.

Step by step — how to change a tyre

  1. Taking how to change a tyre as the case in point: If you find a nail or screw in the tread, leave it in place and drive gently to a tyre professional.
  2. For how to change a tyre, the point is this: If the tyre is losing pressure quickly, or you can see a bulge or sidewall damage, do not drive on it.
  3. Taking how to change a tyre as the case in point: Fit the spare if you have one, following the handbook, or call for roadside help.
  4. On this page, how to change a tyre is the case in point: Ask the professional to remove the tyre from the wheel and inspect the inside for damage.
  5. For how to change a tyre, the point is this: If the puncture is small and in the tread area, a proper internal repair can be done; otherwise the tyre needs replacing.
  6. On this page, how to change a tyre is the case in point: After any repair or replacement, check the pressure and have the wheel balanced.

What can go wrong, and when to see a professional — how to change a tyre

Most problems with how to change a tyre announce themselves early if you know what to look for: uneven wear, a vibration that was not there before, a warning light, a noise that changes with speed, or a reading that does not match the placard. None of these is a reason to panic, and all of them are reasons to check the basics first — pressures with a gauge when the tyres are cold, tread depth across the whole tread, and the figures on the placard rather than the ones on the fitted tyre. If the basics are right and the symptom is still there, or if you find a bulge, a deep cut, a cracked sidewall or a tyre that is losing pressure quickly, that is the point to see a tyre professional rather than to keep driving and hoping. A professional can see the inside of a tyre, measure the alignment angles and test the sensors, and those are the checks that cannot be done from the driveway. The cost of an inspection is small beside the cost of a tyre worn out early or a problem found too late.

Related guides — how to change a tyre

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between a tyre plug and a patch?

For how to change a tyre, a plug is pushed into the hole from the outside and is a temporary fix. A proper patch is fitted from the inside with the tyre off the wheel, after the damage has been inspected. A plug should always be followed by a proper inspection and repair, not treated as a permanent solution.

Can you drive with a nail in your tyre?

For how to change a tyre, you can usually drive gently to a tyre professional, but leave the nail in place — it may be holding the air in, and pulling it out can cause a rapid loss of pressure. Avoid motorway speeds, and if the tyre is losing pressure quickly, fit the spare or call for help instead of driving on.

How long can you drive on a space-saver spare tyre?

For how to change a tyre, a space-saver spare is a temporary way to reach help, not a replacement tyre. The limit is usually printed on the spare itself and is commonly around 50 mph, with a limited distance. Drive gently, keep the speed down, and get the proper tyre repaired or replaced as soon as possible.

Can a tyre sidewall be repaired?

For how to change a tyre, as a rule, no. The sidewall flexes constantly as the tyre rolls, so a repair there cannot be relied on, and a bulge or cut in the sidewall usually means the internal structure is damaged. A tyre professional should inspect it, and the usual answer is replacement rather than repair.

Can a punctured tyre be repaired or does it need replacing for how to change a tyre?

For how to change a tyre, it depends on where the damage is. A small puncture in the tread area can usually be repaired properly from the inside by a professional. Damage in the sidewall or shoulder, a large cut, or a tyre that has been driven on while flat usually cannot be repaired safely and needs replacing.