Youngstown Towing Flat Tire service

Roadside flat tire service calls is among the most common calls we get and respond to. Everyone dreads getting a flat tire.  It is one of the most annoying vehicle problem we can experience next to a dead battery.  We hope we don't get a flat tire especially when we are far from home.  There are several things we can do to lower the chances of getting a flat tire. But eventually the dreaded flat tire happens at the most inconvenient time. It's tough to beat the odds when it is estimated that in the United States there are 220 million flat tires every year. That's over 600,000 every day.

Youngstown towing is always standing by to change a flat tire whenever you get one anywhere in Youngstown Ohio and the surrounding area.  Changing a flat tire on a busy road is not only a miserable chore, but it's dangerous too.  It's especially dangerous when it's dark or the weather is bad. When the ground is icy or wet the surface under your vehicle-jack may be unstable.  The jack itself could slip out from under your vehicle.  You are also taking the risk another vehicle might hit you while you are changing the flat tire.  You can reduce the risk somewhat by using the proper safety devices like a reflective vest and road hazard warning signs so you and your vehicle are more visible to other drivers, but even using these safety devices will not guarantee your safety.  Cal us and let us take the risk and keep you out of the night, cold, heat, or extreme weather. 

​How to avoid a flat tire

 If for some reason you must change a flat tire on the road by yourself rather than call for help, the procedures outlined later in this article can help lower your risk of not being seen by other vehicles.  Taking the proper precautions can help you more safely change a flat tire.  There are also a few ways you can reduce the risk of getting a flat tire in the first place. The tires on your vehicle are very underrated.  People tend to think more about the engine and other more complex systems on the vehicle.  Your tires are the only thing between you and the road and getting into an accident.  Making sure your tires will function properly is as important as knowing your airbag will work when needed.

Tires take a lot of abuse and are  subjected to multiple forms of wear and tear from rough roads, potholes, heat abrasion, and stopping force.  When you brake and come to a stop the entire weight and inertia of the vehicle bears down on the front tires. 

​The metal wheels also called rims need to have an airtight seal when the tires are mounted on them.  A bent wheel lip can cause a gradual air leak and reduction in tire pressure.  This in turn can lead to further damage and a flat tire or blowout.

Once a month before you get into your vehicle and drive away, do a walk around your car, SUV, or pickup truck and visually Inspect your tires. When your tires are looking a little bald don’t test your luck.  Buy new tires.  When you inspect your tires regularly, you might even catch a sharp object like a screw or nail in your tire.  It's better to buy a new tire than get stranded on the road and have to pay for a tow or roadside assistance or even worse get into an accident because your tire suddenly goes flat at highway speeds.  

If you don't have a tread depth gage an old trick is to use a penny.  Insert a penny into the tire tread with Lincoln’s head pointing down. If you can see the top of Lincoln's head, then your tread depth is too shallow.  When your tires are so worn that the tread depth is very shallow you running the risk of getting a flat tire or into an accident.  When the tread depth is not adequate water and snow on the road cannot be channeled and expelled from under the tires causing poor adhesion to the road surface by your tires.  And because the rubber on your tires has become so thin you are at risk of getting a blowout.  Tire blowout at higher speeds are a leading cause of traffic accidents, injuries, and deaths.

Planning ahead for a flat tire

Long before you ever get a flat tire it's a good idea to plan ahead as to what to would need to deal with a flat tire in multiple conditions or scenarios like at night or in bad weather.  Make a list of what you will need when you get a flat tire.  The assemble a flat tire emergency tool kit and make sure you have everything you need in your trunk to handle a flat tire. 

Your flat tire emergency kit should include a roadside emergency kit with a reflective vest and orange triangle road hazard signs.  Make sure you have a spare tire and that the spare tire is inflated to the specified inflation pressure and it's in good shape. 

Spare tires have a shelf life.  A spare tire is usually only good for 7 to 10 years.  So, if you have had your vehicle for more than 7 years, you probably need a new spare tire.  It's important that you have all the tools you will need to change your flat tire. At a minimum you should have the following tools handy in your trunk.  A wheel lug nut wrench, vehicle jack, some wheel blocks or wedges to prevent your vehicle from rolling.  The wheel blocks or wedges are especially important if you have to change a tire on a hill or road with a slight incline. You should also have gloves and a flashlight.  One of those headband flashlights would come in very handy.

The fist time you ever change a flat tire should not be late at night in the dead of winter.  That's why you should practice changing a tire at home in your driveway before you have to do it on the road under less than pleasant conditions. 
Basic preventative maintenance can reduce your risk of getting a flat tire. Check the tire pressure periodically for proper inflation.  Make sure your tire pressure matches your tires' recommended pressure requirements. Driving on over inflated or under inflated tires will case uneven tread wear and make them wear out faster.  Visually inspect your tires for sharp objects, cracks, punctures, and other damage. Even minor damage means you should replace the tire.

How to change a flat tire

The front tires wear faster than the rear tires.  This is especially true for front wheel drive vehicles.  This is because the front tires bear more weight because the engine is over them, they are used to steer, and because when braking much of the weight of the vehicle from inertia is forced on the front tires. This is why it is important to have your tires rotated every 6-months or 6,000 to 8,000 miles whichever comes first.  Rotating your tires will improve the life of your tires and your safety on the road.   Check your owner’s manual for the recommended tire inflation pressure and rotation intervals for your vehicle.

When you have a flat tire the safest thing to do is call for roadside assistance.  But when you have no choice but to change a flat tire yourself there are certain procedures that you should follow.
Driving fast on a flat or under inflated tire is dangerous.  Signs that your tire is going flat include noise coming from your tires, if a front tire is going flat you might feel vibrations through your steering wheel and steering will be more difficult.  Driving on a flat tire is dangerous for you and the for the other drivers around you. 
When your vehicle feels like you have a flat tire the best thing to do is turn on your emergency hazard flashers and slow down gradually.  Never slam on the brakes.  Pull over off the road as soon as you can find a safe place to stop.

​Follow these steps for changing a flat tire:

1. Turn the front wheels so they point straight ahead
2. Engage the emergency parking brake so the vehicle doesn't roll.
   
3. As additional safety measure place wedge blocks under and behind the tires to prevent the vehicle from rolling off the jack. Place the wedges under and behind the rear tires when you are changing a front tire, and behind the front tires if you are changing a rear tire.
   
4. Remove wheel cover from your flat tire if there is one to access the lug nuts.
   
5.  Pre-loosen the lug nuts on your flat tire by turning them counterclockwise. If you try to loosen tight lug nuts when the tire is off the ground the tire will spin and you could cause the vehicle to fall off the jack.
   
6. Use the vehicle jack to lift the flat tire just high enough to remove it from the car and to place the spare tire on the vehicle.  Jacking the vehicle up higher than needed will only make the vehicle less stable on the jack.
   
7. Remove the lug nuts and place them in a place where you will not lose them and where they will not get muddy if it is raining.
   
8. Hold onto the tire with both hands and pull it toward you to remove it.
   
9. Hold the spare tire with both hands and line up the wheel bolts with the holes in the tire wheel.
   
10. Replace the lug nuts on the wheel bolts and tighten them with the lug nut wrench by turning them clockwise.  It is best to tighten the lug nuts in an alternating crosswise pattern.  In other words, tighten a tire wheel lug nut and then tighten the one opposite from it on the other side of the wheel.  This will allow for even pressure or torque around the tire wheel.  At some point your tires may spin making it impossible to get the lug nut completely tight.  The lug nuts will have a specified torque that should be set with a torque wrench.
    
11. Slowly and carefully lower your vehicle until the tire is touching the ground but not yet supporting the full weight of your vehicle.  You want enough resistance against the wheel from the ground so that it doesn’t spin while you completely tighten the lug nuts.
    
12. Fully tighten the lug nuts with the lug nut wrench.
    
13. Now you can lower your vehicle all the way and remove the jack.
    
14. Check to make sure that the spare tire has enough tire pressure to safely drive on it before you drive off.  It’s a good idea to have a tire air pump in your vehicle as well.

Most space saver spare tires are not a full functioning or permanent tires.  For most spare tires the maximum safe speed that you can drive on a spare tire is 50 MPH.   And most spare tires can only be driven on for about 70 miles. Take your car to a tire shop right away for a new tire.