I offered to change my neighbors winter to summer tires last month. I showed him how to do everything. He later told me he never changed a tire before.

My brother bought a used Nissan Leaf, and tells of all the times he had to adjust his daily travels because of a compromised battery life......shook my head that he paid more for that, than I did for my 2 reliable daily driver cars.

Tip: A 1/2" drive breaker bar, a proper length extension, and the correct sized deep 6 point socket makes for a much better lug wrench than any factory one.

The tire on my 17 YO stepson's Mazda disintegrated on the highway not long ago. He calls me and asks what to do (I'd been meaning to show him how to change a flat...). I told him you can change it on the side of the road or wait for who knows how long for roadside service.

He said: "I'm not waiting around just tell me the basics and I'll change it right now". Other than telling him to loosen the bolts before he raised it and make sure the jack was on a level surface he figured it out. He did a good job on the spot.

He needs an old Beemer.
Those owners are some of the most active DIY'ers of any car brand out there.

Changing the oil is hardly one of the easiest maintenance items.
You need to jack the car up. You need jack stands.
You need to spend at least 30 mins searching the internet about how to jack up your car.
Right there, you've now entered "You could die doing this" territory.

You need a socket set.
You need torque wrenches.
You need an oil filter tool.
Undercarriage panels?
You need a large catch pan to dispose of the waste.

You need a few hours free to figure all this out.
It's much cheaper to go to Jiffy Lube, once you factor in opportunity cost.

I bet it would equate to a negative salary correlation.
People who are not handy might be busy working very demanding corporate careers that require 80 hour work weeks.

It's pretty rare to see guys who make $500k mow their lawn. Does that mean they are helpless?

Well said, and it makes perfect sense. Wealthy CEO's typically don't have time to waste fixing stuff.
"Knowing how to do stuff" also can mean "You're not working hard at a demanding high profile career"


Men who cannot change a tire ....might be too busy working very high paying careers.

What was thev 4x4 trick?

Can you lower the jack until the un-lugged wheel presses down onto the ground and break it free?

I stopped at the gas station to get gas a few years back. I heard a mid 20s year old man screaming into his cell phone for his dad to come change his tire for him. My dad would have laughed and hung up if called him to change my tire.

Even my girl can change her own tire. She was adamant in changing her own coil and helping me load her car onto my transport trailer. And she's probably 5'1" and looks like a bikini model, haha.

Just the other week I saw a car on the side of the road (small side street, nothing dangerous) with the flashers on, flat front tire and a very VERY pretty girl taking stuff out of the trunk. So, being the honorable gentleman I am (ehem) I swung a quick u-turn and pulled up behind the car to help her with the tire.

That's when I saw her boyfriend who was crouching next to the car on the curb side working the jack already SmileWavy

Gave him a thumbs up and moved on my way. Both were 25ish. There is still *some* chance that the kids today are not 100% docile.

She was pretty hot though...don't tell my wife.

I rammed the rim with the 4 x 4 to bust it loose

4x4s also work well for driving over the tire after it's on the ground to break the bead, for when you REALLY screw up the tire while off-road...

One of mine not only just received her BS in psychology but can change her own oil.
Her husband the science teacher..............couldn't change a fuse.
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1496897004.jpg

If I got a flat on the 403 or QEW, no way am I on the side of that highway changing a tire.

I'm all for changing oil myself but the disposal hassle kills it for me. I'd rather pay someone to dispose of it properly.

Another approach to get yourself back on the road if the tire isn't completely destroyed is Fix-A-Flat.

I would use that in a heartbeat if the situation allowed it... especially on the side of an interstate.

And at night? Remember what happened to Ennis Cosby? I'm sure his dad would've gladly paid for a destroyed rim if Ennis had driven to a safe area and called AAA. And IIRC, he was on an exit ramp.

But in the end, it was just wrong place, wrong time... I think the guy who killed him just happened along.

All that said, if I got a flat on an interstate, I would probably limp along on the wheel with the flashers going until I could get out of harm's way. It's just stupid to change a tire out there in a shooting gallery... I hear about cars and trucks plowing through and killing the tire changer and the occupants of the vehicle frequently enough that I know I don't want any part of it.

I have three cars. None have a spare.

Just three days ago I pulled over in my neighborhood to help a young women with a flat tire on her mini van. She said "Thank you but I have emails to do and roadside assistance is on the way". The younger generation and their cell phones, combined with much better tires and better roadside assistance, have simply changed how we look at flat tires. Nobody has to either change the tire or face a 5 mile walk to a gas station or payphone anymore.

Changing a wheel/tire isn't a specific skill. If you have 2 hands and can read an owners manual, you can change it.

Here is what we are talking about:

removing manual from glovebox
read section pertaining to changing a wheel
use tools provided in car to jack up vehicle at the appropriate corner
remove 5 (on average) bolts with supplied tools
install wheel provided in car
affix the 5 bolts you removed with supplied tools
lower vehicle and put all the supplied tools back where you found them

Forget about whether or not you have indoor our outdoor plumbing between your legs. This is basic adult stuff. Everyone should be able to do it.

Now, that said, sure, if your new car comes with road side assistance, you have nowhere to be, its raining or snowing, call the number in the book for roadside assistance. But if you have your family in the car, are not stopped in a safe place (crash hazard or societal hazard) you had better know how to complete this simple task and get on your way....

Goin down the highway in 5 o'clock traffic. Was in an older Ranger Rover...tire started those air escaping noises, whoosh whoosh whoosh. Not only pulled over, pulled off into the bar ditch. While was changing the tire, wondered if people thought I ran of the road THEN got the flat. But no way I was going to be anywhere near that 5 o'clock traffic.

My 928 had a pair of plastic gloves and a large plastic bag to kneel on wheel changing, then place the flat tire in to keep the car clean.

I mistakenly didn't teach my son how to change a flat so of course I got a call at 10pm asking what to do. First I told him to drive off the highway, then call me from a safe location and don't worry about damaging the wheel since his safety is more important. I should have told him to drive slowly because looking at how much aluminum was missing off the wheel OD, he must have gone pretty fast. The tire was destroyed so much that only the two side walls remained which I was able to pull of the wheel by hand. With a little guidance he changed to the spare without issue.

I didn't mean my daughter. She's my main squeeze, if you know what I mean.