If you are driving over sand dunes, hanging out with your car on the beach or doing any other type of sandy adventure, you need to be prepared for flat tires and punctures. It can be challenging to change a tire on the sand, but with the right tips, you can tackle the job. Here are some ideas to try.

1. Use a tire-sealing kit.

As changing a tire in the sand can be challenging, you may want to skip it and try something else. Namely, bring a sealing kit and use that to repair your tire. These kits come with a couple of patches as well as a self-sealing spray that can work on small punctures. Once you apply the patch, you can let it set, refill the tire, and drive as usual.

2. Drive to flat ground.

If the hole is too large for a sealing kit to work on it, you may want to try driving your car to a patch a flat ground so that you can change the tire. In this case, you should fill up the tire and then drive slowly to the nearest parking lot of flat expanse of area. This approach works if you have a slow leak, but you may have to stop and refill the tire with air several times so it doesn't get damaged as you are driving. Once at the flat area, change your tire as usual.

3. Park so the front two wheels are level with each other and the back two wheels are level with each other.

If you are driving through sand dunes and cannot find anywhere to park your car on flat ground, you need to carefully position it so that the rear wheels are level with each other and the front wheels are level with each other. Don't park it on a slope so that one side is higher than the other side. That makes it more likely to tip to the side while you are trying to change the tire.

Some drivers also like to orient their vehicles so that the side with the flat tire is higher than the side with no flat tire. That minimizes the amount of jacking you need to do, as the side you want to work on is already slightly higher than the other side.

4. Use a jack with a base plate.

If you have to jack up the car to change the tire, use a jack with a large base plate. The base plate helps to provide stability under the jack and prevents it from falling into the sand. In lieu of a base plate, you can use a large piece of plywood.   

If you need more help changing a tire in the sand or anywhere else, contact a professional tire installer such as Action Al's Tire Company. They can help you change a tire, buy new tires, and much more.

 

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