We are supposed to get snow in a couple of days, but it probably won't be much, so time to swap off the winter tires from our year-old Subaru Outback. My local tire guy will do it for free (hey, we bought the tires and wheels from him). Or, and I almost fainted, my husband said he will do it. BUT< I want to do it myself. Some of you may remember I was in a serious auto accident 15 months ago with serious and lasting injuries. That has really done a job on my self-confidence level -- and I mean in the negative sense. And, while I managed to change a flat on the Prius last month, I think if I can do this four tire swap-out, it will really help to boost my admittedly meager self-confidence level. And, the Subaru tires are much larger and weigh much more than the Prius' "baby shoes!" Wish me luck. If I never post again.....well...."Fellas, it's been good to know ya!"
Hmm. I do not remember how many many times I've worked under a car all by myself, which I read recently is a no-no. DO NOT work on the car alone.... moto g(7) power ?
Will have two "golden deceivers" and one black lab helping out! Oh, my husband and daughter will probably be in the background, also.
OK I guess that means I'm lazy for not swapping the tires on our Prius yet. I'll put the cats on alert; they always help.
Up here I might leave it till April, collide with the spring oil change. It's staying stubbornly cold overnight, so there's some justification. I like to wash the set coming off, and can't tolerate the cold. Besides, our snows get better mpg than our #@$% brand new Michelin Primacy MXM4 (17 inchers).
You’ll be back with tall tales of changed tires, playful pooches, and basking in the warm glow of great strides taken. Savor the victory!
Jack stands. ALWAYS use jack stands. Or, use a tree trunk underneath the car as another poster does...
I thought so too, apparently.....sooooo.... BAD, BAD, BAD, KRIS Lazy Kris.... So, drug the 80-pound+ plus floor jack from the barn down to the cars.....about 40 yards. Then, drug the "all-season tires," the same 40 yards. I don't know what they weigh, but maybe 40 pounds each? Can't roll them. Have to carry each and every one through the farm yard.... Then, crawled under Subaru to locate my jackpoints as the dogs licked my face..... Then, said screw it. Loaded up the tires, drove 15 minutes to the tire shop and had Ivan and the gang swap them out in about eight minutes. No charge, but I tipped the three of them $5 each. BAD, BAD, LAZY NAUGHTY, Wicked, Evil KRIS.... So much for self-confidence. And I still need to haul the tires and floor jack back to the barn....
Now PChatters will seek vengeance on me for the jinx. Nothing to hide behind but a global travel ban. Drag things, don't carry them. Find a rope.
No worries, Kris. After what you've been through over the past year, Ivan is the smart move. Do what you can - baby steps, baby steps...
I have a very bad back, which sometimes goes out easily. I also have a dislocating arm that I have to restrict certain movements. Once I swapped tires from one car to another, & vice versa. That was a JOB, for sure. I was surprised that my back did NOT go out. Fortunately, I did have two car jacks, one an electric jack. I've done other tire changes. Make sure your equipment is strong & just what you need for your car. Set your hand brake. Use the jack stands. Get rocks or blocks of wood against your tires that aren't being jacked, so the car doesn't move forward or backward. Make sure your jack is straight under the lift point, so your vehicle doesn't fall sideways, which the jack stands will stop from occurring. Remember, righty-tighty. Lift a tire just a little & then loosen your tire bolts a little before you fully jack up your car. Don't strip your bolts, but first & carefully hand tighten your bolts, going from one bolt to an opposite bolt all the time. Of course, slowly tighten your bolts, again, going from one bolt to an opposite bolt to tighten, over & over. P.S. Reading some of your past posts, I see you've changed a tire previously, under much worse conditions than carefully changing tires at home under controlled conditions. So go for it!
My wife sent my son and me a text message link to an article noting NOT to kiss your dog after they contract Coronavirus. So you were wise... moto g(7) power ?
A tip for putting the wheels on, without toasting your back. Requires semi-clean ground (or a mat). 1. Get the wheel studs aligned, say with one at 12 o'clock. 2. Get the wheel reasonable close, with the holes aligned the same way. 3. Don a head lamp, switch it on, and sit in front of the wheel. 4. Steady the wheel with your hands around 10 and 2 o'clock. 5. Hook your toes under the wheel around 5 and 7 o'clock. 6. Lift the wheel with your toes, guide the wheel onto the studs, rotating/shifting as needed. The headlamp helps a lot. 7. Get a lug nut started, near the bottom. You did leave them close by?...
Do you ever need to top them up, or whatever, with jack oil. I've tended to treat mine as sealed-for-life. The latest, a 3 ton I got for $69 (Yeah CDN) on Boxing Day, maybe 15 years back. Helps if you're just low-use DIY, it's always been indoors, I think.
