Changing Your Car Wheels Safely at Home
Change Complete Wheels Yourself – with the Right Tools
Twice a year, drivers change from winter tyres to summer tyres and vice versa. Changing tyres—in other words, fitting new tyres onto the rims—is best left to a professional workshop. However, if you are changing complete wheels, you do not need much beyond some practical experience with tools, good instructions and the right equipment.
The most common questions about changing wheels yourself concern the tools, how to use them and the correct sequence of steps: Which tools do I need to change my wheels? What torque is required when changing wheels? Are there differences between changing wheels with aluminium and steel rims? What generally needs to be considered when changing wheels?
In these instructions, we show you how to change your wheels step by step. You will learn which tools you need, how to loosen wheel bolts that are stuck and how to install the new wheels correctly.
Tool Overview for Changing Your Wheels
You do not need a large workshop setup to change your wheels. What matters is having a suitable wheel wrench, a secure jack and a torque wrench. The torque wrench is particularly important to ensure that the wheel bolts are neither too loose nor too tight.
GEDORE red tools for changing wheels:
- Suitable wheel wrench or socket for loosening and fitting wheel bolts or wheel nuts: R63043003 1/2" impact socket set, 3-piece
- Telescopic ratchet for loosening and pre-tightening: R60010027 1/2" 2K telescopic ratchet, 460–600 mm
- Torque wrench for tightening the wheel bolts to the specified tightening torque: R68900200 1/2" torque wrench, 40–200 Nm
- Work gloves for a secure grip and clean hands: R99110005 mechanic’s gloves
- Torch or work light to ensure that the jacking point, wheel hub and contact surfaces are clearly visible: R95500058 headlamp, 260 lumens, or R95700023 magnetic work light
Your complete wheel-changing solution:
With the 3-piece and 11-piece wheel-changing sets R69003000 and R68903011, you get everything you need to change your wheels at home. The larger set even includes a magnetic tray, chalk and a tyre tread-depth gauge.
Changing Wheels in 8 Steps
1. Apply the handbrake and select a gear
Apply the handbrake and select first gear. For vehicles with automatic transmissions, the selector lever must be in position “P”. Also secure the vehicle against rolling away using wheel chocks. The car should be parked on a level, firm surface when changing wheels so that it cannot slip off the jack when it is raised.
2. Loosen the wheel nuts
Position the jack precisely at the designated jacking point. After raising the vehicle slightly for the first time, check the position again. Use a telescopic ratchet to loosen all wheel fasteners—wheel bolts or wheel nuts—by a quarter turn in a criss-cross pattern. A wheel wrench may be required depending on the vehicle; refer to the owner’s manual. Do not use an impact wrench for loosening unless the vehicle and manufacturer’s instructions expressly permit it. Then raise the vehicle.
3. Remove the wheels
Use the jack to raise the vehicle to the correct height. Unscrew the loosened wheel nuts or bolts and remove the wheel. The removed fasteners can be stored conveniently in the magnetic tray.
4. Clean the wheel hub
Remove coarse dirt from the wheels you have taken off and mark each wheel’s position on the vehicle for the next change using chalk, stickers or valve flags. Before fitting the new wheel, remove rust and dirt from the wheel hub with a wire brush.
5. Check the tread depth
The legally prescribed minimum tread depth is 1.6 mm. Below this depth, tyres lose road grip, particularly in wet conditions. A tread depth of 4 mm is therefore recommended for winter tyres and 3 mm for summer tyres. Tread depth can be measured quickly and easily with a tread-depth gauge.
6. Install the wheels
Place the new wheel onto the wheel hub and observe the direction of rotation indicated on the tyre, if applicable. If the wheel is secured with wheel nuts, place it onto the wheel studs. Then tighten all wheel bolts or nuts by hand in a criss-cross pattern.
7. Tighten the wheel fasteners
Tighten the wheel fasteners with a 40–200 Nm torque wrench. The torque wrench is required to tighten the wheels to the specified torque given in the owner’s manual. Wheel fasteners must be neither too loose nor too tight. Aluminium rims in particular can be damaged quickly by excessive torque, which may compromise driving safety.
8. Check the tyre pressure
After changing the wheels, check and adjust the tyre pressure. Refer to the owner’s manual for the prescribed pressure, or find it on the sticker inside the driver’s door frame or fuel filler flap. After 50 km, check the wheel fasteners again with a torque wrench and retighten them if required.
Prepare for Your Wheel Change
… and get the right set of tools. You can find all the relevant sets and tools in the shop.
Answers to the most frequently asked questions
Yes. Many drivers can change complete wheels themselves. The prerequisites are a safe working area, suitable tools and compliance with the vehicle and manufacturer’s specifications. Damaged tyres or rims and fasteners that cannot be loosened should be inspected by a professional workshop.
When changing wheels, a complete wheel consisting of a tyre and rim is replaced. When changing tyres, the tyre is removed from the rim and another tyre is fitted. This requires special machines and usually subsequent wheel balancing.
You need a suitable jack, a suitable wheel wrench or socket, a torque wrench, wheel chocks and, ideally, work gloves. Depending on the vehicle, additional adapters or special wheel-bolt guides may be required.
The required torque depends on the vehicle and rims. The specifications in the owner’s manual and the requirements of the vehicle or rim manufacturer are decisive. Do not use a general standard value. A torque wrench with a range up to 200 Nm is generally suitable. For passenger cars, the specified torque is often around 120 Nm.
Tightening the wheel bolts in a criss-cross pattern pulls the wheel evenly onto the wheel hub. This helps prevent tension and an unevenly seated wheel.
No. You can fit the wheel nuts or bolts and tighten them by hand. Then lower the vehicle again and tighten the wheel bolts in a criss-cross pattern to the specified torque using a torque wrench.
