How to replace a tyre on a Ford Focus

By Ané Theron

 

It happens to everyone, eventually! Here's a step-by-step guide on replacing that Ford Focus tyre, pronto.

 

If you do own a Ford Focus and you find yourself stranded at the side of the road with a flat, you can call roadside assist if your Focus is younger than three years. If not, it's up to you to change your tyre. Here's how.

 

1. Find a safe place to stop, preferably a hard, even surface. Now, apply your handbrake and put your Focus into gear, if it's a manual model, of course. (For all Ford Focus reviews, click here.) 

2. Hopefully your spare tyre is in good shape (and we're not referring to the one around your waist). Check that your spare is inflated to the right pressure, and get your wheel jack and spanner ready for the upcoming operation.

3. Now, it's time to get low down and dirty. Look for small notches or grooves on your Ford Focus's underside, which will give you an indication of where to place the jack. Once it is in place, turn the handle slowly to remove some of the car's weight from the flat tyre.

4. Place the wheel spanner on the wheel nuts and loosen each one. You can do this by 'cracking' each wheel nut in an anti-clockwise direction (remember, Righty Tighty, Lefty Lucy). Use your foot on the wheel spanner if the spanner fits the nuts well and doesn't slip off. 

5. Now, use the jack to raise the car so there's enough space for the spare tyre when you fit it onto the wheel hub later. 

6. Remove the busted wheel after you removed all of the wheel nuts. In case of rust of corrosion, the wheel might not come off straight away. Ford recommends putting one nut back on the wheel and giving it a gentle kick which will help to free the wheel.

7. Now, bring the spare wheel closer. Ford says: "By lining up the wheels’ holes first, it will make it easier to lift the wheel straight onto the car. Then tighten the nuts by hand. Tighten the bottom nut first to keep the wheel in place. Using the wheel spanner, give all the wheels a small ‘nip’ to tighten them up. The idea is not to tighten the nuts completely because the car is not completely stable while it is still on the jack."

8. Now unwind the jack slowly until the new wheel takes the weight of the car and then remove the jack. Tighten all of the nuts properly and off you go!

 

More Ford Focus how-to guides...

1. How to replace a headlight bulb on a Ford Focus

2. How to replace the battery in your Ford Focus

3. Also read Which Ford Focus is better: Petrol or Diesel?

 

 

Source: Sheilsford.ie