Rear Flat Tire

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Joined
May 12, 2010
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Location
Northern Virginia
Well ... had a flat the other night and thought my experience might help someone else down the line.

The takeaway is if you need to replace your rear tire, jack from the axle instead of the frame, and if your rig has the spare tire lock and the lug locks make sure you have them both :-)

I've worked on my car a good amount, but always in my garage with my floor jack and jack stands. At home I think I typically jack up the rear from the frame and with my floor jack I'm able to get enough height to raise the wheels.

So I expected to be able to do the same when using the bottle jack that's stowed in the rear compartment for emergencies. Yes the jack and the owner's manual do clearly show that for rear tires you should jack from the axle, but I still wasted time trying to jack up once from N height and once from L height (stupidly). Third time I just gave in and jacked up from the axle. I was trying to avoid getting under the car in my work clothes but ended up wasting time instead.

So - should you ever find yourself needing to jack up the LC/LX to replace a rear tire, just follow the instructions and jack from the axle the first time ;-)

I didn't have wheel chocks on me but used a shovel instead to keep the car from rolling. I decided to get legit wheel chocks instead. I don't know what the OEM tire iron looks like (mine didn't have one) but I had one of those folding 4 way tire irons (http://shop.advanceautoparts.com/we...ing-autocraft_9100415-p?searchTerm=lug+wrench) but busted one of the joints b/c I forgot to lock the collars over both joints that fold. So I now just keep an 18" breaker bar with a 22mm deep socket instead.

Not very tech but thought it might help someone else avoid wasted time.
 
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Here's more on that topic: carry a small floor jack with you! Harbor Fright and most auto parts stores sell small el cheapo floor jacks. Not too awful heavy, either.
 
Here's more on that topic: carry a small floor jack with you! Harbor Fright and most auto parts stores sell small el cheapo floor jacks. Not too awful heavy, either.


Imagine what that small floor jack could do if you were in an accident. It would be a deadly missile. Strap it down tight. The bottle jack works as designed and I'd use that over a Hi-Lift any day. I keep a small piece of 3/4" ply so I have a secure place to sit the base of the bottle jack when needed.
 
Imagine what that small floor jack could do if you were in an accident. It would be a deadly missile. Strap it down tight. The bottle jack works as designed and I'd use that over a Hi-Lift any day. I keep a small piece of 3/4" ply so I have a secure place to sit the base of the bottle jack when needed.


Yeesh! You're right! A floor jack to the back of the noggin would be not much fun at all!


I sorta was thinking a lot of guys have a drawer system; could put it in there, I suppose. But strapped down would be a good idea.
 
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