Seven tips for fixing your flat tyre and staying stress-free
Find out how this driver followed this expert advice to prevent a puncture from derailing his proposal.
Meet Duncan.
Like many motorists, Duncan uses his car on a daily basis and relies on it to take him everywhere – whether it be to get to work, meet up with friends, or visit his family. Tonight in particular, Duncan finds himself on the N3 highway, on his way to his favourite restaurant at Bedford Centre.
This is no ordinary evening out, though. Duncan is on his way to propose to the girl of his dreams, a swanky affair involving family and friends.
And then the unexpected happens. After driving over a pesky pothole, Duncan feels his car pulling towards one side and realises that he’s been beset by a puncture.
Staying calm and collected, Duncan whips out his Dunlop handbook for some tips to help him deal with the situation at hand. Swipe through the tyre-changing tips below to replace your rubber with minimal effort or fuss.
He always takes the necessary steps to ensure that his car is in good running condition, like checking the water, oil and tyre pressure. But punctures are not just for 4×4 bushwackers and F1 drivers, and are sometimes simply unavoidable.
Keep these tyre-changing tips in mind if you find yourself stuck in a similar situation:
Use your car’s floor mat to kneel on
Make sure that if you have mags fitted, you keep the special key/have the correct lug size
Locate the Pinch Flange – this is the part of your car where the jack should be placed, to avoid damage to your vehicle. This is usually a flat space along outside, underbelly of your car.
On some bakkies and SUVs the spare is located underneath the vehicle. There is either a centre nut that holds the spare up, or a manual cable winch that lowers the spare.
Hi-lift jacks can be quite dangerous if you don’t know what you’re doing. The handle could break your arm or jaw if not handled correctly. You could also damage your vehicle.
Re-use your tyre if it cannot be replaced – can be up-cycled into garden accessories, door mats, dog ped, child’s swing…
Tighten the lug nuts/wheel nuts in a star pattern
Thanks to all the handy tips provided by Dunlop, Duncan arrives at his engagement party with a few minutes to spare.
Remember, things don’t end here. Duncan books an appointment at his local Dunlop Zone for some vital checks to keep his tyres running smoothly.
For more tyre care tips and advice, follow Dunlop on Twitter and Facebook, and click here to download your free Dunlop Zone Tyre Tips booklet.
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