Same problem here. Called pops and asked for advice–he said to loosen the lug nuts a bit and carefully lower the car to the ground.
Did so–no dice. Loosened the lugs a bit more and tried again–still nothing. Once again, but actually drove the car back and forth about 10 feet. Still was bonded to the damn hub. Finally, after one more try where I backed up in a wiggling pattern did the sucker break loose.
Added a thin layer of anti-seize compound to the the interface after that, but haven’t had the opportunity to see if it works.
I’m a suburban type, and I’ve found the roadside assistance and towing valuable on several occasions. In addition, there is a particular benefit for Illinois residents: at least in the past, when you got a traffic ticket, the police officer would take your driver’s license, and you wouldn’t get it back until your court date (I guess it’s a way to ensure that you show up at court). However, if you have a AAA card, they’re willing to take the card instead of your license.
(That said, given that driver’s licenses have become de facto ID cards for things like airport security these days, I wonder if Illinois still does this; it’s been well over a decade since I’ve gotten a ticket…)
The only time I ever called AAA for a flat tire is one time when I actually did change it only to find out the spare tire was also flat. :smack: So technically, I did change the tire myself, but I needed to be towed anyway.
I voted other. I know how to change the tire, but I start by taking all the materials needed, lining them up, and then try to unbolt the damn things.
Usually, some family man/male neighbor/security guard sees me setting up everything, stops, and helps me change the tire before I have to get to the “unbolt” stage.
I did have to help change the tire for someone else. I was riding a friend back to his home (not a date), when we stumbled upon some couple on campus next to a car with a flat tire. They didn’t have a jack or anything else. The female was definitely drunk. Somehow they needed help with getting their tire changed. I forgot if it was because I had the jack and stuff, or if they just were two young teenagers that didn’t know how to do it themselves. Anyways, the guys helped with the bolts (but they were not too tight), and I helped with the rest.
I’ve got a floor hydraulic jack, compressor and air wrench at home and at my shop. I always seem to be able to get to my garage, or shop, swap wheels and take the flat to the tire shop. The trick of course is to keep an eye on my tires before getting into the vehicle. If I’m ever in a situation where I need to change wheels curbside I’m able and willing. After all, I was raised to be a self reliant man of the 20th century.
I recommend a 12 V electric impact wrench, available at any major truck stop. It plugs into the car’s cigarette lighter. It’ll get your lugs off every time with no effort. Just remember to not use the impact wrench to put the lugs back on- use the wrench that came with the car.
It depends. I have changed one myself in the last year, and called AAA for one.
AAA was called because I had a 200 lb electrical box in the back and about 150 lbs. of groceries on top of that. I was in a parking lot and I wasn’t about to unload to get to the jack and tire-lowerer-thingamjig.
I rotate my own tires, which in addition to making the whole thing pretty routine assures me that the lug nuts are on at the proper torque, rather than some herculean value.
I had a sudden deflation on my drive to work about a year ago, and changed it myself in very short order. Getting the lug nuts off was not an issue (and I’d have had no one but myself to be pissed at if it had been, since the last person to bolt the wheel on was me).
I have AA membership, but change my own tyres - I can do it faster and easier than calling someone to come out.
I also help others if I see them stopped with a flat. A few occasions I have seen people with the wrong equipment - one time it needed two jacks to lift the car (the spoiler kit combined with a flat tyre meant we couldn’t get the jack under, so jacked up the back first, then inserted 2nd jack at the front)
I bought a special wrench with extendable handle to make the unbolting easier.
One tip I’ve found that helps - if the nuts are tight, try “lifting” the wrench instead of pushing down. I’ve found that I can lift far more in a dead pull than pressue I can exert by “jumping” on the handle.
I had my very first flat tire about a month ago on a lonely country road in the UK, in a rental car. I knew, in theory anyway, how to change a tire; my father had showed me how to do it when I had my first car as a teenager… but that was over 30 years ago.
I gave it a good try from what I remembered. I might’ve managed in my own car, but this was a car I’d only been acquainted with for about an hour at the time of the flat–it took me some minutes to figure out how to open the trunk, let alone find the toolkit and get the spare tire out of the well. Then there was the jack.
At this point, a man from a caravan (camping) site across the road came out and offered to help. “Help” meant he changed the tire in about 10 minutes, and I handed him tools and the spare as needed.
The last time I had a flat, it blew a hole in the sidewall so big, that if I hammered the bottle of sealant into the hole, I might just be able to fill the gap. I won’t buy a car without a spare, even if it’s only one of those small frisbee things pretending to be a spare. I believe it’s got nothing to do with fuel economy savings and more to do with the manufacturers wanting to save on the cost of a spare wheel. I’m not waiting an hour to have someone do a five minute job.
I keep a telescopic wrench in the car to help with the nuts. For the motorbike I keep a tyre repair kit and a compressor as it’s not easy to tow a Goldwing, or to get a replacement tyre in an emergency.
And have done and will continue to help anyone stuck at the roadside, even if it’s only to loan them my cell phone to call for a tow.
I put “depends on my mood” but that’s not exactly right. I theoretically know how to change a tire, but I’ve never had to do it. Note: I am a 32 year old female, and I only got my first car when I was 29 - I always took public transit before that.
I only have had a flat tire one time. My car was parked on the street in front of my house and when I came out and saw the drivers’ side front tire was flat I pondered changing it. I wasn’t thrilled about it, since it was the middle of February and it was about -20C outside. But I had decided that I would change it myself, and if I ran into difficulty I was going to call my father who lives about 10 minutes away and ask him to help me. Then I noticed that I actually had two flat tires, and on closer inspection they both had holes in the sidewall. Then I walked down the block and saw that four cars on my block had the same problem. Apparently some asshole had walked down the street and punctured the drivers’ side tires on five cars on the same block. Since I didn’t have two spare tires and I didn’t want to bother getting another spare from somewhere else, I just said screw it and called for a tow to the tire shop to buy new tires.
I haven’t had a flat tire yet, but I’m sure it will happen. My dad showed me how to change one at one point when I was learning to drive, but I remember almost nothing about it and the plain fact is that I’m a 100-pound weakling with basically no upper arms at all and it’s unlikely I’d be able to get the tire off and change it, even jumping up and down on the wrench. So I would call AAA. Or somebody might stop and offer to help, which would be gladly accepted. I was just topping off a tire in a parking lot with my portable air compressor a couple weeks ago and it was maybe 15 seconds of crouching near the tire before someone hurried over and asked if everything was OK.
I don’t know why, but my rim seems to fuse to the hub after a month of driving. Every time I’ve changed my tire, it has been almost physically impossible to remove the wheel without hitting it with a lot of force. I keep meaning to buy a small sledge hammer to keep in the trunk for just that purpose. The last time I changed the flat some old guy from a house near by came out with one and helped me smack that sucker off.
I’m the designated tire changer in our family. I change my own flats. I change flats on my husband’s car. I changed a flat on my BIL’s car.
Hardest one to change was on the big Ford van I drove for work in the late 80’s. Big heavy tire stored behind the passenger seat, just ahead of the cargo compartment. I probably wouldn’t try to change that one myself now that I’m older and creakier.
I wouldn’t change a flat on an interstate or other very busy highway unless there was somewhere I could pull off and be sure I was safe. Otherwise, I’d just change it.
My dad taught me how to change a tire in high school. I’ve always been proud of being able to do it.
The wife just noted that the passenger side front tire on the truck is flat. we are at home, in good weather, with the truck under cover and all my tools available. So what am I going to do?
Call AAA in the morning and make them earn their dues, that’s what I’m going to do!