To ensure your safety when replacing a flat tire, use the following tips from Scoggin-Dickey Chevrolet Buick:
Find a steady and level area away from Lubbock, TX traffic. Apply the parking brake and turn off your engine. When visibility is low due to darkness or foggy conditions, wear bright reflective clothing or set out warning triangles for passerby drivers.
Loosen the nuts with a lug wrench in a star pattern to eliminate any potential harm to your tire rim and hubcap. After all the lugs are unscrewed, you can use a floor jack to lift one side of your car close to the flat tire and begin replacing it.
With your car securely lifted, unscrew and remove all lug nuts from their sockets. Set aside your flat tire and slide in your replacement - ensuring that its lugs align with those on the wheel rim.
When you're done, slowly and steadily lower your car until the tire touches the ground. Then take out your wrench and securely fasten all the lug nuts in place with a few extra tugs for good measure.