What would you do if you were stuck?

[make_your_move]

You're out with friends ... or maybe your family ... or let's say, camping - where the nearest person may not be all that near and you've come out to find your tire is flat. In the world of AAA and roadside assistance this is a phone call away, but at some point that assistance may take a lot longer than you think, or *gasp* not be available.

I'm a mechanic's kid. I spent a pretty good amount of time in an auto shop - which makes me slightly different than most folks, but still everyone should know

Posted By Brett & Kate McKay On August 15, 2012 @ 4:13 pm In Heading Out On Your Own,Visual Guides | 34 Comments

Maybe you have roadside assistance, maybe you don’t. Either way, every young man should know how to change a flat tire himself. You never know if you, a loved one, or even a stranger, is going to need the help.

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Article printed from The Art of Manliness: http://artofmanliness.com

URL to article: http://artofmanliness.com/2012/08/15/how-to-change-flat-tire/

Comments

[russell-moore.livejournal.com]

it seems to me many many school systems could benefit from adopting these life skills things you are posting as part of their life skills curriculum

not everyone attending high school is going on to higher education ... but all attending high school would benefit from such teachings prior to going out into the world as young adults

#8 of this flat tire training is one many current adults could benefit from ... I cannot count how many times I've seen cars on the beltway, going over 70mph, with those little mini spares ... sometimes more than 1 on the same car ... and how the hell does that happen? they had to go buy a second mini spare, so why the hell didn't they buy a new tire?

[make-your-move.livejournal.com]

I don't disagree with you on teaching life skills as part of a high school education - some of these were things I learned in high school (the article about balancing a checkbook, is one) - but I can't take credit here for anything other than finding the articles and boosting the signal for the Art of Manliness website. The guy who started this series was really smart. I'd like to do something similar for women - but I hate stealing someone else's idea. That's just rude.

As for the mini spares - I don't think that's people so much as the car companies now. My van's spare is in a terrible spot - in the middle of the under bed (stupid, stupid)!. However, the other thing is it will *only hold a small tire* - they didn't leave enough room to carry a full size spare. I could carry one in the back of the van, but then we couldn't put anything else back there - so, not an ideal solution for us :-(

I get what you're saying though!

[russell-moore.livejournal.com]

I understand what you're saying in regards to space for a spare tire, so the mini spares are the way they go

that said, on the mini spares themselves is clearly written the maximum speed in which they are safe ... and 70 mph is about 30 mph over that ... plus their intent is for temporary use to get your real tire replaced not for speeding down the highway for days

but, stupid people are going to be stupid, and probably wouldn't pay attention to these lessons even if they were taught to them

[free-of-whip.livejournal.com]

I have to say, while the advice is helpful, the title and the limitation of pronouns to male are a real turn-off for me. Useful living skills should not be limited to one gender.

[dckermit.livejournal.com]

It's from the site "The Art of Manliness". What pronoun do you expect them to use?

[free-of-whip.livejournal.com]

As I said, I object to the title as well as to the limitation of pronouns. The implication is that these skills are necessary only for those interested in "manliness," i.e., not women. Do we really want to encourage women to believe not only that learning to change a tire is something they should avoid because it would make them "manly"?

And make_your_move talks about an alternative site for women. But every skill that site describes is as important for women as for men. Why should we have separate but equal sites to teach them?

[make-your-move.livejournal.com]

And make_your_move talks about an alternative site for women. But every skill that site describes is as important for women as for men. Why should we have separate but equal sites to teach them?

What I said was .... *I wish* there was a site for women - but I haven't found one. I looked. And I'd try to invent one - but I don't know anything about building websites - sad, huh?

Anyone want to teach me about how to make a website?

[make-your-move.livejournal.com]

I don't disagree - but this site is, in fact, gender specific. And I haven't found another non-specific gender site that deals with these kind of articles.

If you find one, please let me know - I think that would be nifty :)

[thatliardiego.livejournal.com]

I'll still never understand anyone who can drive a car not knowing how to change a tire. I've got it down so that, depending on the quality of the jack, I can change out a tire in under seven minutes (something that came in handy when my car had a rear driver's side tire blowout right at the Beltway Inner Loop intersection of 95 and 295 in Greenbelt, with massive trucks whipping by at 80 mph).

The one thing your illustration doesn't have is that once the tire is off, it should be laid flat and slid under the car next to the jack. This way, if by some tragic occurrence, the car falls off the jack, it lands on the tire and the axle doesn't hit the ground and bend, costing you even more money.

[make-your-move.livejournal.com]

Oh - I hadn't thought of that, but it makes a world of sense. Thanks for the extra helpful tip!

Now, lunch sometime soon?

[thatliardiego.livejournal.com]

Waiting for you up here, smiling. :)

[make-your-move.livejournal.com]

Check your email please :)

[thatliardiego.livejournal.com]

Did. :)

[dckermit.livejournal.com]

One thing I always suggest is having a set of get-dirty clothes in the car, including a pair of sturdy work boots. The more dressed up you are, the more important this is. The colder it is, the more important it is to include warm clothes. If you're going out to a club and wearing something flimsy and sexy, especially if you're wearing impractical shoes, think about what you're going to do if you're trying to change a tire.

And, for FSM's sake, if you're going to change a tire, GET THE CAR TO A SAFE PLACE FIRST. You can drive a surprising distance at low speed with a blown-out tire. You may shred the tire and damage the rim, but getting run over by an inattentive driver while you're crouching next to the car is a lot worse. Don't do what so many do, and stop in the middle of the road.

[make-your-move.livejournal.com]

Wise words, but most likely to go unheeded around here - especially since you can never count on it to be a cold/wet/whatever winter.

And, for FSM's sake, if you're going to change a tire, GET THE CAR TO A SAFE PLACE FIRST.

Amen! I tell this to my clients, especially if the birth looks imminent ... better to get completely off the highway or main road then risk an accident.