How to Fix a Flat Tire
How to Fix a Flat Tire | Goodyear Tires
We’re sorry. You’re using an outdated browser. For the best experience, please consider upgrading to the most current version of your browser.
70f70f34-ba0f-446d-855f-3d91f9db3cdc
Use our step by step guide if the need for a tire change arises:
- Park the Vehicle. It’s important to make sure that your vehicle is parked both away from traffic and on a flat surface.
TIP: You will want to use your hazard lights, or flares if there is heavy traffic. - Brace the Tires. Place bracing material (such as pieces of wood or bricks) behind and in front of a tire that will not be lifted by the jack to prevent rolling and increase stability.
- Identify Spare Tire and Jack. Next, you can use your vehicle’s owner manual to locate your spare tire and jack.
- Position the Jack. Now use your owner’s manual to make sure that the jack is in the necessary position on your car in order to prevent damage.
- Jack Up the Car. Begin to jack the car up while keeping pressure on the ground (without lifting the car up entirely).
- Remove Hubcaps. Remove any hubcaps or center covers so that you can access the lug nuts.
- Loosen Lug Nuts. Using the lug wrench, turn the lug nuts counterclockwise to loosen them.
- Remove the Tire. Next, after making sure that the jack is stable, jack up the car enough so that you are able to slip the tire off with ease.
- Attach the Spare Tire. Put the spare tire on the wheel and place the lug nuts in the correct positions.
- Tighten the Lug Nuts. Tighten the lug nuts with your tire wrench, this time turning clockwise.
TIP: Make sure the lug nuts are tight, but don’t use too much force. This may knock your car off of the jack. - Check the Lug Nuts After Driving. After driving a few miles it’s a good idea to stop and make sure that the lug nuts are still tight.
When it comes time to change a tire, you’ll be glad to have this flat tire kit on hand:
- Your vehicle’s owner’s manual
- An inflated spare tire
- A jack
- A lug wrench
- Bracing material, such as a small piece of wood or a brick
If you’re driving on a tire that continuously loses air or has a puncture, it is very important to your safety to have it inspected immediately. A service professional should inspect the inside and out to determine whether tire repair is possible or if it needs to be replaced. Flat tire repair services may help to:
- Properly repair punctures in the tread
- Prevent further tire damage
- Maintain tire air pressure at manufacturer recommended levels
There are, of course, situations where tire repair is not the right answer. You should replace your tire, instead of attempting to repair it, if you are dealing with any of the following situations:
- If you notice a bulge or a blister on the sidewall of a tire, you should replace that tire immediately. These are signs that lead to tire failure and could be dangerous.
- If a tire has gone flat due to a blow out, that tire should be immediately replaced.
- If a tire has suffered from lacerations or other significant damage, you should replace a tire immediately rather than attempting to fix a flat tire.
Are you noticing a continuous loss in tire air pressure? Before you can attempt to fix a flat tire, you’ll need to find the source of the leak.
- Examine the Tire for the Source of the Leak. First, check to see if you find a screw, nail or other kinds of debris sticking out of the tire. If not, finding the source of the leak can be a little bit difficult – but we have a trick that will help make this easy.
- Use Leak Detection Liquid. Fill a squirt bottle with a vegetable base soap and water solution or tire manufacturer approved leak detector liquid.
- Inflate and Spray the Tire. Inflate the tire and then spray the entire tire with your bottle full of cleaner.
- Identify the Puncture. As the cleaner runs down the tread of the tire you should notice a small volcano-like eruption of bubbles right where your puncture lies.
Now that you’ve found the hole in your tire, we recommend having a qualified tire professional inspect the tire and make a proper plug and patch repair if allowable by industry standards. The experts at a Tire & Service Network location near you will be able to assist you with this.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
You are leaving Goodyear.com, and are being directed to a website run by a company other than Goodyear.
You are leaving the Goodyear.com Website and you are being directed to a website run by Citigroup, which issues the Goodyear Credit Card.
You are leaving the Goodyear.com Website and you are being directed to a website run by Citigroup, which issues the Goodyear Credit Card.
CONTINUE Cancel
Manage Your
Goodyear Credit Card
Pay your bill, manage your tire financing and review your account.
Goodyear Credit Card Log In
Managed by Citi Group
Log in to Your
Goodyear.com account
Check your online order history and manage your profile.
Goodyear.com Log In
You have successfully logged out.
Ok
How would you like to search?
-
Vehicle Type
Match tires to my year, make, model & version.
-
License Plate
Match tires to my state’s public vehicle records.
-
Tire Size
Match tires to the size found on my tire’s sidewall.
Looking for TRAILER TIRES? Browse all sizes here
Start Over
Search by Vehicle
Search by Tire Size
Trailer Tires
Search by License PlateBeta
- by Vehicle
- by Size
- for Trailers
- License Plate
First Number
Finding your tire size is simple. When you’re looking at your tire, your sidewall should look similar to one of these two options. Start entering the first number as highlighted below.
or
Size
Finding your tire size is simple. Select the number that matches your trailer tire sidewall.
Enter Info
License Plate Number Please enter a valid license plate.
State SelectAlabamaAlaskaArizonaArkansasCaliforniaColoradoConnecticutDelawareDistrict Of ColumbiaFloridaGeorgiaHawaiiIdahoIllinoisIndianaIowaKansasKentuckyLouisianaMaineMarylandMassachusettsMichiganMinnesotaMississippiMissouriMontanaNebraskaNevadaNew HampshireNew JerseyNew MexicoNew YorkNorth CarolinaNorth DakotaOhioOklahomaOregonPennsylvaniaRhode IslandSouth CarolinaSouth DakotaTennesseeTexasUtahVermontVirginiaWashingtonWest VirginiaWisconsinWyoming Please enter a valid state.
Searching our database…
Matching your license plate…
Looks like you previously searched for tires for a:
Would you like to see tires for this VEHICLE or start a new search?
SEE YOUR TIRE RESULTS
OR
Start A New Search
Not sure? We can help.
How to Find Your Tire Size
Finding your size is simple. Once you are at your vehicle, write down the following highlighted numbers located on your sidewall in the order shown below.
Passenger Tires
Example: The size of the tire below is 215/60/16.
High Floatation Tires
Example: The size of the tire below is 35/12.5/17.
Continue Search by Size
Not sure? We can help.
Find your version/option
Find your tire size instead
Find your version/option
You can usually find your vehicle’s version/option in one of the following places.
Example: The version/option of a Honda Accord EX V6 is EX V6.
DRIVER’S DOOR JAMB
OWNER’S MANUAL
BACK OR SIDE OF CAR
Continue Search with Vehicle
OR
Find your tire size instead
Can’t find your version/option? Try searching by your vehicle’s tire size instead.
Finding your tire size is simple. Once you are at your vehicle, write down the following highlighted numbers located on your sidewall in the order shown below.
Example: The size of the tire below is 215/60/16.
Continue Search with Vehicle
QUICK NOTE
Not all tires fit every vehicle or tire size.
If you change your vehicle or tire size, the tire in your cart will be removed.
Continue
Cancel
Updating your cart …
You entered a Canadian address. We’re sending you to Goodyear’s Canada site to see results – don’t worry, we saved your tire information.
We couldn’t find this location in the U.S. or Canada. Please enter a valid U.S. or Canadian address and try again.
We couldn’t find this location in the U.S. Please enter a valid U.S. address and try again.
Please choose the correct address
vehicle or tire
size
Would you like to see tires for this VEHICLE or start a new search?
Would you like to see tires for this SIZE or start a new search?
Full Address or ZIP
trailer
Would you like to see tires for this TRAILER or start a new search?