Fitting tyres to your car

Step 1: Removing the tyres

Once at the garage, the technician can get started with fitting the tyres. To begin, they’ll raise the car using a hydraulic lift, so all four of the wheels are off the ground.

Step 2: Taking off the wheel nuts

Now it’s time to unscrew the wheel nuts or lug nuts. These can be found just below the hub cap. These are normally round or hexagonal, and can be loosened by applying pressure and pushing counter clockwise.

Step 3: Swapping out the tyres

After releasing inflation pressure by unscrewing and removing the valve insert, the old tyre or tyres can be taken off the wheel rim. The technician will likely use a professional tool called a tyre spreader for this, which helps them do it without causing any damage to the wheel or other fittings.

Step 4: Fitting new tyres

Now that the old tyres are off, the technician will need to check the state of the rim and inspect whether rust and/or wear and tear are damaging it. Once the controls are made, a new tyre, with width fitting the size of the wheel rim, will be installed. The car can be fitted with tubeless or tube type tyres. The construction of both is very similar, the main difference is that tubeless tyres do not have the inner tube to hold the pressurised air. Instead, the rim and tyre both form an air container to hold air.

Once your choice between tubeless and tube type tyres is made (tubeless tyres are the most common), before fitting the new wheel, the professional will check that the tread patterns are facing in the right direction before using the tyre spreader to fit them onto the wheel. Using a long extension hose for safety, the tyre or tyres will then be inflated to the correct air pressure.

Step 5: Final checks

The technician will check the old tyres for any signs of uneven wear in the tread pattern, as poor wheel alignment or out-of-balance wheels can be the cause of premature tread wear. If so, the technician can alter the axle geometry of the car so it’s in the correct position or correct wheel balance to ensure the correct weight is distributed evenly.

Step 6: Lowering down

Before fitting the new tyres and wheel rims on the car, the mechanic will make sure the new tyres are correctly mounted. If you have directional tyres, they need to be placed in the right direction to ensure they are delivering their full performance. When correctly mounted, the arrow marked on the sidewall of the tire should be positioned in the direction of rotation.

Once the tyre is fitted on the car, the wheel nuts will be tightened most of the way by hand, before the car is lowered back down to the ground and the nuts tightened fully using a professional tool, called a torque wrench. After that, you’re good to go and get back on the roads!