Swapping spare tyre to front

Zanzibar

Quote:
Originally Posted by Zanzibar
Its actually specifically advised NOT to change a wheel yourself in certain locations - e.g. a motorway as it has heightened risk - a fair number are killed every year there doing just that.
Obviously you need a little bit of common sense and in certain situations are you feel really uncomfortable doing it then get help. The op probably has the car on a flat drive.

Thats only in the most ideal conditions, in daylight when you are familiar with the car and everything is where you expect on an even surface.
Obviously its going to be easier in those conditions, but even in the dark on an incline its really not that difficult. Again comes down to a bit of common sense, can you move the car to somewhere more flat and has a little light to help you do the job.

e.g. if its cold, dark and icy (seen some of that about perhaps?) on an uneven road surface with poor lighting simply using the typically rubbish jack - properly - that most cars have can defeat many. Plenty a car is jacked up on their sill trim rather than on the jacking point - many who think they know about cars don't even realise what and where these are.
The scissor jacks that are standard on most cars will do the job, all your doing is changing a wheel. Again common sense comes into play you make sure the jack has a good contact with the ground and its not on a pile of slippy leaves or ice.


It needs to be in there as mentioned already as the jacking points need to be used with the typical included jack. If you don't the car can slip off the jack - nice. This is actually NOT that clear on many cars. I had a car with oval lugs to accept the jack - the dealer managed to misalign their jack and split the steel jacking point - and they jack hundreds of the same car.
Im not disputing it needs to be mentioned, the jack points location and how to change a wheel are two seperate things. One changes from car to car the other is the same principcal on every car.

A practical demonstration should be included in lessons but expecting everyone to change a wheel when out and about isn't realistic. I've seen many a fitter have fun with replacing heavy larger size wheels, as are more common these days, as they not specially easy to locate on the hub/disk while lining up the first wheel bolt - and again that's in a warm lit garage. A greasy wet wheel with no lighting can be far from easy.
It depends how long you want to wait for a recovery truck I suppose, but the average car wheel can be replaced my 99% of the people that are able to drive the car! Obviously if your driving a tractor you may struggle on your own so get help or call a fitter in.

Repeated assumption that everything is obvious and common sense indicates a somewhat sheltered view of real life. The difference between a principal and ability to implement it is as varied as there are people.

Maybe send you mum out to do a test - but armed with your pointers - quote that its 'obvious' and only needs 'common sense'. Ensure she has the 99% statistic to hand.

pitkin2020

Zanzibar wrote: »

Repeated assumption that everything is obvious and common sense indicates a somewhat sheltered view of real life. The difference between a principal and ability to implement it is as varied as there are people.

Maybe send you mum out to do a test - but armed with your pointers - quote that its 'obvious' and only needs 'common sense'. Ensure she has the 99% statistic to hand.

Sorry but common sense does play a major factor in most tasks in life, maybe in your sheltered life where you just get everyone do it for you it doesn't matter. Without a little common sense accidents can happen, if you don't think about what you are doing e.g changing a wheel on the motorway, common sense tells you to get the car off the motorway if you can or atleast get it over to the embankment as far as possible to give you a safe working area. Maybe you would like that little snippet of info printed in the handbook aswell, just in case you couldn't work it out for yourself.

The principle we are talking about here is changing a wheel, not stripping an engine and rebuilding it. People should atleast understand the PRINCIPLE of changing a wheel even if physically they are unable to do so.

gaz_jones

dudenstumpy wrote: »

While I agree with most of the sentiments expressed in this thread, I just can't imagine my wife ( an average woman ) being able to change the wheel on her Landrover Discovery. Even were she to receive intensive tutition, the main problem would continue to be physically lifting the new wheel onto the 5 stud/bolts.

The thought of her attempting to change the wheel, at the side of a road, in the wind and rain, with frozen hands doesn't bear thinking about.

The other problem would be uneven ground. Being a Land Rover I assume she goes off roading? Wouldn't want to be parked on a 40 degree incline and try changing a tyre :rotfl:

smk77

Zanzibar wrote: »

Repeated assumption that everything is obvious and common sense indicates a somewhat sheltered view of real life. The difference between a principal and ability to implement it is as varied as there are people.

Maybe send you mum out to do a test - but armed with your pointers - quote that its 'obvious' and only needs 'common sense'. Ensure she has the 99% statistic to hand.

I was wondering the source of that statistic!

As for the whole "doing it yourself" arguement I'm sure that many people don't have the confidence or strength to do it even if they knew the theory. I'm not too sure that my wife would have the strength to change a wheel. She's always asking me to open food jars because they're too tight so what chance would she have with a wheel!

DaveMacD

smk77 wrote: »

I'm not too sure that my wife would have the strength to change a wheel. She's always asking me to open food jars because they're too tight so what chance would she have with a wheel!

Yet another reason why women shouldn't drive..... And that IS a joke ladies, before the hate emails come flooding in.

It should surely be common sense though for everyone who has a car to know where everything is on their car, and what it's for. Even if they can't physically use it, it must be good practice to know where the tools for changing a wheel are located, and where the jack-up points are underneath. I wouldn't expect my OH to be able to change the wheel on my pick-up (since the tyre is about the same height as she is ) but at least she can find the tools needed if someone stops to offer help, or she has to stop to help someone else.

thescouselander

I cant belive so many people on here are saying everyone should know how to change a tyre. Jacking a car up is one of the most dangerous eliments of car maintenance and if you mess up the consequenses could be severe. If someone doesn't have the confidence and the competence to change a wheel they shouldn't be encouraged or forced to do it.

DaveMacD

If they don't have the confidence or competence to do so, they should at least ask someone to show them the procedure. Surely that must be better than relying on blind chance to get you out of trouble.

I cant belive so many people on here are saying everyone should know how to change a tyre.

There's a world of difference between knowing how to change a tyre, and actually demanding someone does it.

thescouselander

DaveMacD wrote: »

If they don't have the confidence or competence to do so, they should at least ask someone to show them the procedure. Surely that must be better than relying on blind chance to get you out of trouble.

There's a world of difference between knowing how to change a tyre, and actually demanding someone does it.

But why shoud anyone have to know how to change a wheel any more than they should know how to completly re-build the engine? Obviously there are times where it might be more convieniant to DIY but its not essential knowlege as you could always get someone else to do it - Just ask my Girlfriend, she gets me to do all of her car maintenance!

gaz_jones

thescouselander wrote: »

Just ask my Girlfriend, she gets me to do all of her car maintenance!

Even when she is stranded 200 miles away with work?

I agree that changing a tyre isn't a neccesity. But it's bloody useful sometimes! And I agree that even if the driver can't change the tyre, they should at least know how to change the tyre.

Wig

dudenstumpy wrote: »

While I agree with most of the sentiments expressed in this thread, I just can't imagine my wife ( an average woman ) being able to change the wheel on her Landrover Discovery. Even were she to receive intensive tutition, the main problem would continue to be physically lifting the new wheel onto the 5 stud/bolts.

The thought of her attempting to change the wheel, at the side of a road, in the wind and rain, with frozen hands doesn't bear thinking about.

:rotfl:Oh she must be a real flower bless her, do you have her permission to call into question her abilities so severely?