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In the middle of a drive to Traverse City in Northwest Michigan, my almost new left rear tire blew. Since the weather was ok and I figured it would take an hour or so for AAA to get there, I opened the trunk, took out the tools and changed the tire. No problem. My wife was impressed.
My question is whether anyone has supplemented the tools or found better tools that fit in the spare tire well to make the job a little easier. A small jack that would be better than the included scissors jack and maybe a "X" style lug wrench.
By the way, the tires were purchased at Discount Tire and they have a location in the Traverse City area. Called from the road and they will have a replacement for me tomorrow morning. It pays to buy the warranty certificates.
I have one of these in every vehicle, way better leverage with the extended handle, also helps short, light weight people (AKA wives, or daughters) to be able to step/jump on that extended handle to get those 90ft/lbs lug nuts undone when they lack the upper body strength
i was training my daughter on how to change a tire and she could not do it with the stock wrench even when she stepped on it, with this extended wrench - no problem.
it fits in the spare tire well nicely, and you can take it to your next vehicle since it has 4 different sockets, and you can probably assist someone on the road who does not have spare tire tools and your stock wrench is different size than theirs
as far as scissor jack i don't sweat about it that much, bottle jack wouldn't be a better option since they are taller and may not fit correctly and may leave a nice dent in your underbody, been there, done that... I just carry a piece or 2 of sturdy wood, usually of 2x6 variety if i have to put the jack on soft dirt/no pavement available. plus bottle jack does not have a designated spot for it, if you can't secure it it'll just roll around and annoy/freak you out...
Sorry to hear you had a flat 430. As you mentioned it's a good thing you had the Certificates to get another tire no additional charge. Nice job on changing it out with the spare.
Traverse City is one of my favorite places in Michigan. Such beautiful country. I used to go with my friend up to his dads house on a small lake and fish. It was always a blast.
Thank you for your business.
Last edited by Discount Tire; Jun 14, 2019 at 06:41 AM.
I keep a full size floor jack in my trunk along with a breaker bar and the correct socket.
The floor jack may not be ideal on the side of the road somewhere but in that case I'd just resort to the scissor jack...
Nice! I had to do this drill with the factory lug wrench...got it off but it took me standing on them. For skinny types this is so much nicer to have on hand to use.
With this, I can lift and lower the car using the impact driver (or by hand with my 1/2" ratchet), and the Dewalt is very lightweight yet powerful enough to undo the 76ft-lbf tire lugs and to lift the car most of the way, if not all of the way. Drove over a screw last year, changed the flat in under 5 minutes on a downtown side street and wasn't late for the event I was going to.
I keep a full size floor jack in my trunk along with a breaker bar and the correct socket.
The floor jack may not be ideal on the side of the road somewhere but in that case I'd just resort to the scissor jack...
I not only keep a 100 pound full size floor jack in my trunk, but also a 30 gallon air compressor with 120 pounds of air and a 3/4" air wrench, and two mechanics wearing NASCAR coveralls and helmets in the back seat!
It is fairly common for mechanics to reinstall your lug nuts with an air impact wrench and over-tighten them. So if you have someone else work on your car and the work involved removing the wheels, you should always re-torque the lug nuts to 76 ft-lbs.
I keep my Ryobi 1/2" cordless impact wrench in my trunk with a 80# torque limiting extension bar (see example below). This bar will prevent you from excessively over-torque the lug nuts.
I can make do with those tools, but prefer a breaker bar + deep socket for changing tires.
When the car is driven in town, mostly by my wife, it just have the tools that come with the car. My thinking is I can always go to her in my Land Cruiser, and I can bring anything that are needed.
When we are out of town, I bring a small set of tools (sockets, wrench, pliers etc) and breaker bar + a floor jack handle from my old jack as cheater bar. I do all of the tire rotation, so it will never get over tighten. tbh breaker bar is probably over kill for me, but like to be prepared and be able have my petite wife change the tire if needed. Impact driver is definitely nice (I have one at home) however, imho a breaker bar is more reliable. It does not have a battery that can ran out of charge.
Had a flat, looking for better tools
I had to do this drill with the factory lug wrench...got it off but it took me standing on them. For skinny types this is so much nicer to have on hand to use.
