Winter is no time to get stuck with a flat tire, but punctures don’t have an off-season. In fact, tires can even go flat more frequently during the colder months. Here’s why, and what you can do about it.
If you’re reading this, there’s a chance you’re in one of two predicaments. Either you’ve noticed one or more of your tires getting low as you scrape frost off your windshield, or you’re stuck beside the road with a flat tire on a cold, wet, winter night while highway traffic splashes you with salty slush.
Changing a Wheel Yourself
Flat tires are not at all uncommon in winter. Every pothole is another puncture risk and they crop up like wild mushrooms in the colder months. Changing a flat tire in winter weather might be chilly, but it isn’t actually that difficult. Follow these simple steps.
Pull over somewhere safe. You’ll want to keep plenty of distance between yourself and any passing traffic.
Turn on your hazard lights. This will help other drivers look up from the TikTok update they usually enjoy during their commute.
Put on some gloves. Even if you don’t need them all the time, we recommend keeping some gloves in your car during the winter. You’re about to handle some cold metal.
Loosen the lug nuts. Using your car’s lug wrench, loosen each lug on the offending wheel. Don’t take them off all the way. You may need to put considerable weight on the wrench to get them to budge, and you can even stand on the wrench if needed.
Jack up the car. Place the factory jack under the indicated jack point, according to your owner’s manual. Then lift the car until the wheel is well off the ground.
Remove the lug nuts and wheel. Don’t lose those lug lugs. You’ll need all of them. Even after all the lug nuts are off, the wheel still might not budge. Sometimes rust can hold it in place around the hub. Just give the tire a little kick and it should pop free.
Mount the spare wheel. Put the spare on and hand-tighten the lugs. Be sure to do so in a “star” pattern. Tighten one lug nut and then the one directly across from it, and so on. This will help the wheel seat properly on the hub.
Lower the car. Carefully lower jack until it’s loose under the car, then put it back in the trunk.
Tighten the lug nuts. Using the same “star” pattern as before, put your weight on the lug wrench until all lug nuts are completely tight.
Keep it at 50. Most spare tires are rated to drive safely at 50 mph, so don’t go any faster than that, even if it means leaving the highway and taking service roads home.
Schedule a repair or replacement with Zohr. Whether that tire was punctured or needs a full replacement, Zohr can handle it.
When It’s Just Looking Low
You might be here because one or more of your tires is low and you’re wondering if you need a repair or replacement. Don’t worry. This is very common in the winter. But why do tires go flat in the winter?
Time to brush up on your middle school chemistry. Heat makes substances expand, especially gases like the air in your tires. Reduce the heat, and the air contracts again.
Within a tire, that means you’ll lose pressure in the colder months. Volumetrically, you have less air in your tires when it’s cold. So it’s important to check your tire pressure regularly, especially when autumn starts crunching into winter. The reduction in tire pressure might not be noticeable as you drive, but it could affect your traction or cause uneven wear. Check out our article on how to check and properly inflate your tires.
Finally, if you have to keep refilling that one tire over and over, you might have an old fashioned puncture. Modern tires are designed to seal around any intruding object, so if there’s a nail in your tire, it might not go flat right away. But air can seep out over time.
Thankfully, you already know a good tire repair shop. Only it’s not a shop at all. Zohr can send a mobile tire service technician straight to your home or office. We have everything on board to repair most tire punctures, and if the tire can’t be repaired, we’ll help you find a replacement. Schedule your mobile tire service today.
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