How long does it take to change a tire? It can take anywhere from 5-30 minutes depending on who’s changing it.
Does this sound familiar? You’re driving down the highway, minding your own business, when all of a sudden you hear the dreaded screech-screech-screech of your tire going flat.
You pull over to the side of the road and realize that yes, in fact, you have indeed blown a tire.
While most people will change their tires themselves, some may not know how long it takes to change a tire.
This article aims to answer this question with more specific steps to change your tire if you are still curious!
What Can You Do If You Have A Flat Tire?
Flat tires happens to all of us, the reasons can be numerous such as low air pressure, or nails getting stuck in rear tires.
If you’re driving a car and you get a flat tire, your first thought is probably to call someone for help.
But it could be several hours before they can arrive and change your tire, which leaves you sitting on what can be a dangerous road.
Instead of waiting around for someone else to take care of it, do it yourself. Most people know how to change a flat tire in their sleep, but most people don’t know how long it will take them to do so.
The truth is that many factors influence how long it takes to change a tire.
Your skills or expertise with vehicles play a role; if you know very little about cars or tires, it might take you longer than if you had experience working on them.
The terrain where you’re located also plays a role; some environments make changing a tire easy, while others make even simple repairs seem nearly impossible.
On average, though, it can take you anywhere from 15 – 30 minutes to change a tire yourself.
You can also find tire shops near your location. Open maps on your phone and locate the tire shops near you, look for a phone number and have them send a mechanic to your location.
How Long Does It Take To Change A Tire By A Professional?
Automotive professionals will tell you that changing a tire can take anywhere from 10 to 15 minutes, depending on whether or not they have to jack up your car first.
The average tire change takes about 5-10 minutes per tire. However, most places charge between $15 and $25 per tire if you’re not changing it yourself.
So how long is it going to take for a mechanic to change your tires at one of these shops? There are a lot of variables here.
First off, there are simple things like time to drive over after calling in. But then there are also questions like what other jobs they have scheduled that day?
What else do they need to do when you drop off your vehicle? If it gets busy, how many vehicles are they working on? This can vary widely.
Just because an automotive shop advertises a 2-hour service doesn’t mean it will only take 2 hours (or less) to get your car ready.
If you’re a vehicle owner who knows about cars and also keeps a spare tire in their car, you can always change the tire yourself.
Lastly, get regular tire maintenance, and tire service so you don’t end up with flat tires in the middle of nowhere.
How Long Does It Take At Repair Shop?
When you take your car to a repair shop, how long does it take for them to fix it?
The answer depends on several things such as type of tire or whether you need a wheel alignment or not.
If you have an appointment with one of these places and they’re running behind, call and ask if they know exactly when they’ll be able to get around to you and provide the service in average time.
Don’t show up without calling first and expect them to fit you in or drop everything just because you walk in their door.
You can also ask for their busiest times, during lunch hour or after work hours, and schedule accordingly. For example, maybe you realize that between noon and 1:00 p.m., there are very few cars waiting, so it would be best to go then so that you’re not delayed any longer than necessary.
Knowing about each place ahead of time will give you an idea of what kind of wait time is normal and save yourself some frustration down the road when it seems like there is no end in sight.
Keep in mind that additional services such as tire rotations and aligning misaligned tires will add additional time to the total time it takes to change a tire.
How Long Does It Take To Change A Tire At Walmart?
The time it takes to change a tire depends on what type of car you drive. While cars are much safer now than they used to be as tire manufacturers are doing their best, they still aren’t infallible.
Getting stuck in a broken-down vehicle is no fun, but things can get even worse if you don’t know how to change a tire.
We’re going to help you out with that today, explaining everything you need to know about changing your tire at Walmart and elsewhere.
It can take you anywhere from one hour to up to three hours to get a tire changed at Walmart. On average, however, most people end up taking less than an hour to finish their business.
If you decide to visit someone who doesn’t work for Walmart specifically (which many small shops do), it may take a little longer as they won’t have as many efficient processes in place as working employees do.
On average, using non-Walmart employees will add between 20 minutes and an hour to your overall time.
You can find tires for almost any vehicle model or vehicle frame at Walmart’s auto shop.
How Long Does It Take Costco To Change A Tire?
You should change your tires at least once a year, but how long will it take Costco to get you back on track in case of an emergency?
We did some research to find out, and here’s what we discovered. It can take Costco from 25 minutes to 2 hours to change all four of your tires.
But even if they bill you for 8 hours of labor, think about all that extra time you’ll have to do whatever you want!
How Often Should You Change Tires?
Vehicle manufacturers do their best to add the best tires to the cars, but even those wear down with use.
Here’s a general guide: If you drive less than 10,000 miles per year and your tires are more than five years old, get new ones.
Every six months is fine for most cars if you drive more than that. In autumn, summer tires should be replaced after one to two seasons of use (usually four to eight months).
Winter tires should be put away before spring arrives. That way, they won’t sit unused for long periods, and their materials will stay flexible.
The same applies to any other non-seasonal tire type. Replace summer tires with winter ones from early October through mid-April; swap summer or all-season tires with those made specifically for snowy conditions during winter months.
Again, replace these sets of tires at least every six months. And remember: Once it gets cold out, no matter what kind of tire you have on your car, don’t let it sit outside overnight, for safety reasons as well as proper maintenance.
One final thing: Keep an eye on how much tread is left on each tire by measuring its depth with a penny (or even better, some quarters) placed flat across them at their widest point.
Frequently Asked Questions
Following are some of the most commonly asked questions about tires.
Can You Change A Tire By Yourself?
You would have a helper in an ideal world every time you change a tire. However, sometimes that isn’t possible, and you need to know how long it takes to change a tire by yourself, so you don’t have to call for roadside assistance.
This can be an expensive service and, depending on where you are located, might take 30 minutes or more.
Here are some tips on how long it will take you to change a tire by yourself based on two factors: your location, type of vehicle, and tires size, as well as your experience level.
Using both types of information, we were able to determine our best estimation of how long it will take you to change a tire by yourself.
Changing a tire is one skill all drivers should learn, especially if they live in a rural area or an area where cell phone coverage is unreliable.
Even when having access to another car, waiting for help to arrive could take too long and may leave you stranded far from home.
In short, keep different tools with you if you want to change the tire yourself such as a lug wrench, wheel wedges, lug bolts, and more.
Should You Carry A Spare Tire?
Whether you have a small car or an SUV, tires are expensive and replacing one can be time-consuming and inconvenient.
That’s why many people choose to keep a spare tire in their trunk at all times, so they don’t have to waste any time dealing with a flat on their way to work. They also keep tools such as a lug wrench, wheel wedges, and lug bolts with them. Always make sure to turn your hazard lights on when changing the tire yourself.
However, carrying around an extra tire costs money and takes up valuable space. Should you carry a spare tire? Yes, you should. Carrying an extra tire is always helpful.
Do You Need To Align Tires After Changing Them?
Alignment is important for tire life, fuel efficiency, and performance, but when do you need it checked? Many people may think that changing tires require an alignment, which isn’t always true.
If you’re switching out a worn-out set of tires on a car that otherwise still has all its original suspension components (i.e., your suspension hasn’t been damaged or modified in any way), then you don’t need to align your new tires.
As long as they wear evenly with no abnormal cupping, there shouldn’t be any adverse effects on handling or performance by not performing an alignment at installation time. Your car will take care of any slight shifting once you start driving.
Any slight imbalances caused by switching different brands or models can be easily handled while driving in normal conditions.
However, if your front end needs work or damage has occurred—such as excessive oversteer, then definitely bring it in to a shop for professional advice before heading back out onto the road.
And if you are going to change both sets of tires at once, double-check how much room is left under each vehicle’s bumper cover because hitting them while trying to change tires could result in issues later down the road.
How To Prevent Flats
We all know how annoying it is to have a flat tire, so it’s important to try and avoid getting one. Most flats are caused by objects such as nails or screws on roads.
Flat tires are also caused by bad road condition. You also need to take extra care for tires in winter as during that period of time, they are vulnerable because of harsh weather.
However, there are some measures you can keep in mind to prevent flat tires. One great way is by checking your tires regularly.
For example, if you find a hole in your tire but don’t see anything embedded in it, air could be leaking out of that hole at an increasingly faster rate than before.
Before long, you will get a flat tire if you don’t do something about it. The most effective way to check for leaks is with a simple visual inspection and feel around each tread for any holes.
You may not notice some nails since they are fairly thin and small; however, finding them early enough should help save you from making a big deal later on down the road.
Also, consider buying rims with plastic caps (or spoons) surrounding them.
This will cover up any unwanted holes in your tires while also helping improve traction over regular metal rims because plastic doesn’t conduct electricity well enough to make sparks when rubbing against metal studs in your road surface.
Therefore, ensure your tires are in good condition to enjoy a smooth ride.
Why Do Tires Go Flat?
If you’ve ever had a flat tire, you know it can be an inconvenient and stressful event. But did you know that, on average, motorists spend more than $30 billion each year due to vehicle breakdowns?
Changing your tires more frequently and checking them regularly may save you money in the long run. So why do car tires go flat in the first place?
There are several reasons, but four of the most common include a puncture from a nail or screw, improper inflation; rust or cracking of rubber; and debris caught between treads.
The majority of car owners change their tires every 5-6 years. Keep in mind there are many factors such as weather, driving conditions, and driving habits when deciding how often to change your tires.
According to The Rubber Manufacturers Association (RMA), drivers should check tire pressure once a month.
However, regular inspections should be performed at least twice a month if you drive under extreme circumstances – off-road driving, frequent high-speed driving, or winter weather.
Conclusion – How Long Does It Take To Change A Tire
Changing a tire seems like a very difficult thing to do, but it is not that hard. It takes a normal person around 15-30 minutes to change a tire.
After all, there’s a reason people who work on cars for a living get paid to do it, right? Yes and no. Changing a tire is not as difficult as you might think, but if you want to do it well, you should probably take some classes and practice changing your tires before driving cross-country.
Now that’s something everyone should know how to do.
It goes without saying (and will be said anyway) that changing your tires greatly decreases your chances of getting stranded alongside a dark road or interstate, not to mention dramatically increasing safety by preventing accidents when changing over icy or wet roads.
Therefore, if you live in an area prone to winter weather, changing your tire is critical and should be second nature before hitting any snow-covered streets.
But what about those who don’t live in areas with serious weather conditions? What about people whose lifestyles have prevented them from properly learning how to change their tires safely and effectively?
Perhaps they were always so close to helping. They never really needed to learn and simply didn’t want someone else doing it for them either way.
If you don’t want to change the tire yourself or you don’t have the proper tools, you can always go to a tire service center and get your tires changed. Also make sure to do routine maintenance for your tires so you can enjoy them for longer.
One last thing we should mention is to always go to repair shops in case of improper tires, inflated tires, and basic tire services. The mechanics exist for a reason, we can’t do their job better them and they can give better advice about tire service.
Regardless of your reasons, we hope you enjoyed reading our post on How Long Does It Take To Change A Tire? As mentioned above, there’s nothing more important than knowing how to do basic vehicle maintenance tasks.
Also check out our other articles such as “Walmart key copy“, “how to ship frozen food“, and “is potato a fruit or vegatable.”