How To Repair A Foot Pump

Thwump-thwump-thwump-thwump... if you've e'er heard that noise from your wheels while driving, you know information technology normally means but one thing: you lot've got a flat tyre.

Merely there's no need to panic, and you may non demand to call out a breakup service either; changing or repairing a tyre is easier than you might think. Read on to learn how to change a machine tyre safely past yourself, or set up a puncture with a tyre repair kit.

We also give our top tips on keeping your tyres in good health, to help minimise the adventure of bug in the start place.

Is a apartment tyre the last harbinger for your current auto? If you're considering ownership a new one, detect the ones nosotros recommend by viewing our best cars guide.

What to do if you lot take a puncture

If you desperately harm a tyre by striking an obstacle or especially nasty pothole, it may debunk quickly. Y'all'll likely feel a tug on the steering wheel and will probably hear it too – a blindside or thud followed by a repeating 'thwump-thwump' sound.

If the tyre is deflating slowly, for example after driving over a nail, the steering may but feel heavier than usual or drag to i side.

Either way, yous'll need to pull over and stop equally before long every bit possible. Exercise so somewhere condom if you can, such as a lay-by or side street. Try to avoid stopping on a decorated, fast or poorly sighted road.

If you're on a motorway, pull as far over to the left of the hard shoulder every bit you can to maximise the distance between you and moving traffic, while still giving yourself room to access the flat tyre.

Plough your engine off, put your hazard lights on, engage the handbrake and put the auto into neutral (or 'park' if you drive an automatic). Make sure anybody is out of the automobile and safely away from the route, and place a warning triangle on the route behind the automobile if you have ane.

What y'all do next volition depend on whether your car has a spare tyre or, every bit many modern cars do, a tyre repair kit. Information technology will likewise depend how badly the tyre is damaged: repair kits simply piece of work with small holes, then if you tin see a visible slash in the tyre and have no spare, you lot should call a breakdown service.

If this isn't the first time you lot've been left stranded, you'll appreciate the benefit of skilful breakdown encompass. Discover which providers we recommend, in our guide to the best car breakdown providers.

How to change a automobile tyre safely

Our video guide takes you through how to change a car tyre, step by pace. If you're in an area with limited connection and tin't see the video, our written step-by-step guide is beneath.

How to fit a spare tyre

Not all new cars come up with a spare wheel. To save weight and price, manufacturers now oft supply a tyre sealant kit. If this applies to yous, whorl down to read our step-past-step instructions to using a tyre repair kit.

Firstly, go out your spare bike and tools, including the jack. They'll normally be found in the boot of the car, under the boot flooring. And then grab your education manual, and thumb through it to locate the car's jacking point. The manual may also have instructions on how to change a tyre.
You'll also need the adaptor for removing your car'southward locking bike basics. This is normally located with the jack (unless yous've moved it somewhere else for 'prophylactic keeping'). Refer to the instruction manual if not.
Double bank check that your handbrake is fully engaged. Then, enhance the car up past placing the jack under the jacking point closest to the wheel you're going to change. Rotate the jack'southward handle clockwise. Ensure the jack is resting properly on the ground equally information technology takes the weight of the car.
Once the tyre you're irresolute has cleared the ground, remove any trim that covers the cycle basics. And then apply the wrench provided, and the locking wheel nut adapter, to remove them completely.
With the fixings removed, y'all should now be able to remove the wheel with the puncture and replace information technology with your spare. Exist careful – a motorcar bike is normally quite heavy.
Reattach the wheel nuts and then lower the motorcar to the ground. Once the auto is lowered, tighten up the nuts, ideally working in a diagonal pattern. And then, if your automobile has v nuts arranged in a star shape (which is quite common), tighten the first one, and then move to the third, fifth, 2d and, finally, the fourth.

How long tin can I drive on a spare tyre?

Spare wheels supplied with cars are typically 'infinite savers' – narrower than normal and with a depression speed rating, which will ordinarily be marked on the wheel rim (typically 50mph). These tyres are only designed for emergency use, and won't provide the braking or grip that a normal tyre will.

It's best to become the faulty tyre replaced and a full-size wheel put back on your automobile equally shortly as possible. Even if your car has a total-size spare bicycle, we'd recommend visiting the garage anyway and getting the bolts re-tightened to the manufacturer's recommended torque settings.

How to use a car tyre repair kit

Many cars are now sold without a spare cycle and are instead supplied with an emergency tyre repair kit. These typically consist of:

Car tyre sealant – usually this is pressurised liquid latex, which may come with a connector to fit information technology to the tyre valve.
Machine tyre pump – a compressor powered by the motorcar'south 12V socket, which will slowly reinflate the tyre once the hole has been sealed.

Using a repair kit is fairly fuss-free, only like a space-saver wheel, it'southward only a temporary measure. Become to a garage to become your tyre repaired or replaced as presently equally possible.

If you don't feel comfortable changing your spare wheel – particularly in a precarious state of affairs similar a expressway hard shoulder – tyre sealant kits and compressors are available cheaply at both online and at automotive retailers, and are a useful, less-labour intensive backup. Nosotros wouldn't advice using tyre sealant on a punctured space saver, however.

Nor should you use a tyre repair kit if your auto is fitted with 'run apartment' tyres. These feature strengthened sidewalls and are designed to exist driven for limited distances at low speed, even when deflated. These can be identified past markings on the sidewall, though these can vary betwixt manufacturers.

Step-by-step: how to repair a car tyre puncture

Follow the aforementioned procedure for stopping safely as described above. Grab your repair kit – it's normally found under the boot floor.
Follow any provided instructions. In almost cases, using it is just a case of connecting the bottle of tyre sealant to the valve on the bike rim. Most bottles are pressurised, so the latex will flow through the valve into the tyre.
Once inside the tyre, the sealant should find and seal the hole. Now, connect the compressor to the 12V socket. Starting time the engine, and then the compressor, and pump up the tyre to the recommended pressure.
If the pigsty does not seal immediately, disconnect the compressor and try driving the auto forrard or backwards a few metres to spread the sealant around the within of the tyre. And so reattach the compressor and try again.

A tyre repair kit will often get you out of firsthand trouble but is no good for holes larger than about 4mm. If you have a serious blowout or have damaged a tyre sidewall, you will have to call a breakdown service. Bank check out our guide on how to observe good car breakdown cover.

How to check your car tyre pressure

Ensuring your tyres are at the recommended force per unit area is the easiest pace y'all can take to maintain your tyres. Information technology won't forestall a puncture, but even if they're only slightly underinflated, information technology can accept a negative impact – non only on your fuel economy, but your automobile'south braking functioning also.

Over-inflating tyres can hateful they article of clothing unevenly and may become more susceptible to damage from striking kerbs or abrupt stones.

How practice I know the tyre pressure for my car?

Your car's handbook will tell you lot the correct tyre pressures, or you may detect it printed on a sticker within the driver or passenger door. This will often include data on tyre pressures to use depending on the load yous're carrying and for different wheel sizes.

Some modern cars have built-in automatic tyre pressure monitors, just we recommend regular manual checks as well.

Ways to check your tyre pressure level

A hand-held tyre pressure level judge is an easy mode to decide whether your tyres demand inflating – they're available from a range of online and physical retailers and typically cost less than £twenty. Simply attach the tyre pressure gauge to the valve on the cycle rim (later removing the dust cap), press down evenly to ensure a tight seal and read the measurement.

Alternatively, tyre pumps on petrol station forecourts will normally read the tyres starting force per unit area before yous begin inflating.

How often should I check my tyre pressure?

Ideally, you should check your tyre pressure every couple of weeks, particularly if y'all drive your car regularly. Information technology'due south also sensible to cheque before you lot embark on whatever long journeys. Cheque when the tyres are 'cold' (so they haven't been driven on for a couple of hours). If you lot need to bulldoze to a petrol station to bank check the tyre pressure, choose one that's as shut to your starting point as possible.

How do I pump up my car tyres?

Automatic pumps at petrol stations and garages are normally the easiest and quickest way of inflating tyres. They're commonly coin-operated and allow the user to set the maximum pressure via a digital brandish. Pay attention as to whether the readings are in BAR or PSI – the two different measurements used.

Simply attach the hose to your bicycle and the pump will do the residual. Most will fifty-fifty deflate a tyre if information technology detects it's at a higher pressure level than the user has prepare.

A pes pump is a low-tech (and very slow) alternative, but is a handy tool for inflating tyres at home.

Whichever method you utilise, it's best to inflate a tyre when information technology'due south cold. The pressure in tyres increases as they heat upwardly, which could lead to false readings.

Motorcar tyre maintenance and safety tips

Minimise tyre habiliment

To go the maximum mileage from your tyres, avoid harsh braking, rapid acceleration and fast cornering – all of these will increase wear.

Check your car tyres regularly for excessive or uneven wear. Remove any stones or droppings wedged in the tread, and go along an eye out for any deep cuts or bulges. These tin can be signs of imminent tyre failure.

If y'all hit a kerb or bad pothole, you should make sure you oasis't damaged a bicycle. If the rim is scuffed, has it caused any sharp or rough edges? Whatever damage close to the tyre's sidewall should be repaired quickly, and you should ask a garage to rebalance the bicycle after.

Monitor tyre tread depth

Past law, your car tyres must have a minimum tread depth of 1.6mm in a continuous band across three quarters of the width of the tyre.

Nonetheless, tyre performance deteriorates well before the legal minimum depth is reached, particularly in wet weather. This is because the volume of the tread grooves is reduced, so they are less constructive at dispersing surface h2o from the route.

Don't look for the MOT test to detect out if your tyres are upwards to scratch. Check your tyres regularly and consider buying new ones before they achieve the legal minimum.

Expect afterwards your spare tyre

The only thing worse than getting a puncture is when you become to fit the spare and discover that it has besides gone flat. Check the spare regularly for pressure and condition, because if your spare is old, the prophylactic may begin to perish, resulting in potentially dangerous cracks in the tread or sidewalls. This is particularly relevant if your spare wheel is stored on the outside on your vehicle, every bit is the case with some large SUV models.

In need of a new gear up of wheels (literally rather than figuratively)? Cheque our car tyre buying guide for expert advice plus explanations of what machine tyre markings mean.

Source: https://www.which.co.uk/reviews/new-and-used-cars/article/how-to-change-a-car-tyre-or-use-a-repair-kit-a4a3S6t37ZsQ

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