How to change a tire & The professional fitting process

Step 1: Safety first

Before changing a flat tire, your safety comes first. To ensure your safety and the safety of your passengers, we strongly advise against attempting any tire change on a slope or uneven ground. If you find yourself with a flat, pull over to a stable, well-lit area. Apply the parking brake, place wheel chocks if you have them, never attempt a tire change on a slope or uneven grounds and keep all passengers at a safe distance while you prepare your tools.

Step 2: Grab your tools

Before you start, make sure that you have the essential tools ready! You’ll need a spare tire in good condition, a jack, lug wrench, and your vehicle’s owner manual for reference. If available, use a flashlight, gloves and a reflective warning triangle. Having everything ready makes the tire-changing process faster and safer.

Step 3: Loosening the lug nuts

Use your lug wrench to slightly loosen the lug nuts before lifting the vehicle. Turn them counterclockwise and apply pressure, you may need to use force. When they are loose, don’t remove them completely yet. Loosening the nuts while the tire is still on the ground prevents it from spinning and makes the next steps easier and safer.

Step 4: Jack Up the car

Position the jack under the vehicle’s recommended jack point, this is in the owner’s manual which will show the exact location. Also many vehicles have plastic mounted under the car with a metal sheet area for the jack. Make sure the car is stable as your lift and never place any part of your body while it’s supported by the jack.

Step 5: Unscrew the lug nuts

Once the car is lifted, fully remove the loosened lug nuts and keep them in a safe place. Take them off by hand or with the lug wrench, and set them aside so they don’t roll away.

Step 6: Remove the flat tire

Grip the tire firmly with both hands and pull it straight toward you to remove it from the hub. If it feels stuck, gently wiggle it side to side until it loosens. When you remove it, place the tire flat on the ground to prevent it from rolling.

Step 7: Mount the spare tire on the lug nuts

Lift the spare tire and align its holes with the lug bolts. Slide it carefully onto the hub until it sits secure. Hold it in place with your hands and thread the lug nuts back on by hand. Tighten just enough to keep it stable before lowering the car.

Step 8: Lower the car & Tighten lug nuts

Slowly lower the car using the jack until the ground carries the vehicle’s weight. Once lowered, use the lug wrench to tighten all the lug nuts in a crisscross pattern to ensure even pressure. Make them as tight as possible to keep the wheel secure before driving.

Step 9: Take your tire to a technician

Avoid driving long distances on spare tires, because they are designed for temporary use only. After installing the spare, drive to the nearest service center or tire shop and let a technician inspect the damaged tire, repair it if possible or recommend a replacement.

Replacing a flat tire takes around 15-30 minutes, depending on your experience, the tools you have and the conditions around you.

Professional technicians can complete the job even faster and safer thanks to special equipment.

Most spare tires are designed for short, temporary use. If you’re using a donut spare, you should drive no more than 50–70 miles and keep your speed under 50 mph. These spares aren’t built for long distances or high speeds.

If your car has a full-size spare, you can usually drive longer, but it’s still best to have a technician inspect your damaged tire as soon as possible.

Why choose a professional over a “Tayler”

Choosing a professional tire service over a standard tire makes a major difference in safety and long-term reliability. Michelin trained technicians are following strict procedures and using special equipment that is designed to replace tires. To ensure proper alignment, correct pressure on every lug nut and reduced risk of vibration or uneven wear.

A Tayler can help in emergencies, but they are usually relying on basic tools, while professional tire fitting guarantees expert handling. Michelin technicians are trained to spot hidden issues that a typical roadshop might miss.

A professional tire fitting service is more than simply swapping tires. It includes a full safety-focused process that is designed to ensure proper performance and durability:

Step 1: Removing the tires

Once at the garage, the technician can get started with fitting the tires. To begin, they’ll raise the car using a hydraulic lift, so all four of the wheels are off the ground.

Step 2: Taking off the wheel nuts

Now it’s time to unscrew the wheel nuts or lug nuts. These can be found just below the hub cap. These are normally round or hexagonal, and can be loosened by applying pressure and pushing counter clockwise.

Step 3: Swapping out the tires

After releasing inflation pressure by unscrewing and removing the valve insert, the old tire or tires can be taken off the wheel rim. The technician will likely use a professional tool called a tire spreader for this, which helps them do it without causing any damage to the wheel or other fittings.

Step 4: Fitting new tires

Now that the old tires are off, the technician will need to check the state of the rim and inspect whether rust and/or wear and tear are damaging it. Once the controls are made, a new tire, with width fitting the size of the wheel rim, will be installed. The car can be fitted with tubeless or tube type tires. The construction of both is very similar, the main difference is that tubeless tires do not have the inner tube to hold the pressurised air. Instead, the rim and tire both form an air container to hold air.

Once your choice between tubeless and tube type tires is made (tubeless tires are the most common), before fitting the new wheel, the professional will check that the tread patterns are facing in the right direction before using the tire spreader to fit them onto the wheel. Using a long extension hose for safety, the tire or tires will then be inflated to the correct air pressure.

Step 5: Final checks

The technician will check the old tires for any signs of uneven wear in the tread pattern, as poor wheel alignment or out-of-balance wheels can be the cause of premature tread wear. If so, the technician can alter the axle geometry of the car so it’s in the correct position or correct wheel balance to ensure the correct weight is distributed evenly.

Step 6: Lowering down

Before fitting the new tires and wheel rims on the car, the mechanic will make sure the new tires are correctly mounted. If you have directional tires, they need to be placed in the right direction to ensure they are delivering their full performance. When correctly mounted, the arrow marked on the sidewall of the tire should be positioned in the direction of rotation.

Once the tire is fitted on the car, the wheel nuts will be tightened most of the way by hand, before the car is lowered back down to the ground and the nuts tightened fully using a professional tool, called a torque wrench. After that, you’re good to go and get back on the roads!

For a perfect fit every time, trust the experts. Find a Michelin-certified tire fitter near you in the Philippines.