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Wheel Change

Probably everyone who drives a car in winter and summer uses winter and summer tires and necessarily make wheel change twice a year. That means this article is not only a Honda tale, rather a universal one.

Using four seasons tires can also be a possibility. If you avoid snowy mountain roads in winter and do not use the car too often on highways in summer, fourseason tires may be sufficient. However, if you drive on motorways and on snowy mountain roads, you need summer tires and M+S (Mud and Snow) marked winter tires. For both tires, do not use tires older than 10 years! We can check this on the sidewall of the tires, based on the DOT number, which contains the year and week of manufacture. Tires that are too old harden and do not lie properly on the asphalt, resulting in a loss of grip. If the tires were stored in inappropriate conditions or were exposed to more than average stress, their service life will decrease further as a result. Regardless of these, if it has structural defects (e.g. deep wear, thread breakage) then do not use it anymore! For both tires, it can generally be said that the ideal profile depth is at least 4 mm.

Why do you need winter tires?

  • The winter tire is a softer compound compared to the summer one, which provides almost the same grip even below 0 °C as it does up to a certain temperature above 0 °C.
  • There are more grooves on its pattern, which makes it fit better on the asphalt and provides better grip.
  • Its texture was originally designed for snowy and icy roads.

Why do you need summer tires?

  • The summer tire is a harder compound, which is relatively wearresistant even in hot weather conditions, thereby extending the life of the tire.
  • According to experts, the compound also provides better grip in warmer conditions.
  • The pattern was designed for dry asphalt (of course with proper drainage in case of usage in rain) so that the driving noise is less.
However, one thing is certain in case of both tires: You need to make a wheel change in the spring and fall, and if you don’t want to take the car to the service center because of this and you don’t have help, then you have to change the wheels yourself.

What you will need

(In most cases, the cars come with a spare wheel and all the tools needed to change the wheel.)

  • Elevator
  • Socket wrench or screwdriver
  • Screw loosener if necessary

  1. Pull the handbrake and put the gear lever into the 1st gear.
    Honda Civic wheel change
  2. Place the elevator near the wheel, under the body.
    Honda Civic wheel change
  3. Elevate the car by turning the lever.
    Honda Civic wheel change
  4. Once the wheel is off the floor, unscrew the nuts and remove the wheel.
    Honda Civic wheel change
  5. Insert the new wheel, then perform the above points in reverse order.
    Honda Civic wheel change
The direction of rolling is specified for most tires. If the tires are used against the specified rolling direction, it can result loss of grip or increased tire wear. Do not forget that, according to the current regulations, only tires of the same pattern must be used on the same axle.

You can find a similar description here, regarding how to change a wheel.