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Seniors Trump Youth In The Tyre Stakes


Seniors Trump Youth In The Tyre Stakes

Author: NRMA Motoring & ServicesDate: 07 September 2009

More than half of all 18 - 25 year-olds do not know how to change a tyre and 26 - 35 year-olds are only slightly more tyre savvy, according to new research by NRMA Motoring & Services.

NRMA vehicle expert Jack Haley said that 1218 NRMA Members were asked if they had ever changed a tyre. Fifty one per cent of people aged between 18 and 25 admitted they had not, while 47 per cent of 26 to 35 year-olds were also in the dark when it comes to tyre-changing.

"Almost 60 per cent of women respondents also admitted that changing a tyre was not something they had ever done," Mr Haley said.

"In sharp contrast, almost 90 per cent of over 65s have changed a tyre, probably more than once in their lifetime.

"Many people are daunted by the prospect of changing a tyre especially if they are in a hurry to get to work or get the kids to school. Knowing how to change a tyre is something every motorist should know."

Last year the NRMA changed more than 86,000 flat tyres in NSW and the ACT alone - helping on average 7,000 stranded motorists each month.

"While NRMA Members can call road service 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, anyone who finds themselves needing to change a tyre must take safety precautions," Mr Haley said.

The NRMA recommends the following steps for motorists who have to change a tyre:

  • Put safety first and try to get well away from the road while changing a tyre.
  • Always have a good spare tyre, jack and wheelbrace in the boot.
  • Engage the handbrake and chock the wheel diagonally opposite the wheel to be changed, using a brick, piece of timber, rock or other suitable object.
  • Loosen the wheelnuts or bolts on the wheel to be changed, before jacking the car.
  • Jack the car high enough to allow the spare wheel to be fitted and remove the wheelnuts or bolts on the wheel to be changed, noting the way they were fitted (wheel nuts on steel wheels and some alloy wheels have a tapered face on the side which contacts the wheel).
  • Remove the wheel.
  • Fit the spare wheel and tighten the wheelnuts or bolts firmly (no need to tighten them fully at this stage). Note that if the car has four alloy wheels but a steel spare wheel, there will probably be special nuts or bolts to use with the spare.
  • When tightening wheel nuts or bolts the sequence in which they are tightened is important. If the wheel has four bolts, they should be tightened in diagonally opposite pairs. If there are five, every second one should be tightened until all are tight.
  • Lower the car and tighten the wheelnuts or bolts fully. Repeat the tightening process at least two more times, replace any wheel trim and stow the tools and the removed wheel.
  • Check the tyre pressure and have the removed wheel repaired or the tyre replaced.

 

For more information on tyre care and how to change a tyre safely click here.

Contact Kimberly Rigby 0439 133 215

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