1997 Pontiac Firebird Owner's Manual - Page 231

If a Tire Goes Flat It's unusual for a tire ''blow out'' while you'redriving, to especially if you maintain your tires properly. If air goes out of a tire, it's much more likely to leak out slowly. a But if you should ever havea "blowout," here are few tips about what to expect andwhat to do: Changing a Flat Tire If a tire goes flat, avoid further tire and wheel damage by driving slowly a level place. t,o Turn on your hazard warning flashers. If a front tire fails, the flat tire will create athat drag pulls the vehicle toward that side. your footoff the Take grip the steering wheel firmly, accelerator pedal and Steer to maintain lane position, and then brake to gently a st,ot,well out of the traffic lane. A rear blowout, particularly on a curve, acts like a much skid andmay require the same correction you'd usea in skid. Inany rear blowout, removeyour foot from the accelerator pedal. Get the vehicle under control by steering theway you want the vehicle to It may be go, very bumpy and noisy, but you can stillsteer. Gently brake to a stop -- well off the roadif possible, how If a tire goes flat, the next part shows to use your jacking equipment to change a flat tire safely. Cham- ng a tire can cause an injury. The vehicle can slip off the jack androll over you or other people. You and they could be badly injured. Find a level place to change your tire. To help prevent the vehicle from moving: 1. Set the parking brake firmly, 2 Put an automatic transmission . shift lever in PARK (P), or shift a manual transmission tu FIRST (1) or REWRSE ( ) R. 3. Turn off the engine. To be even more certain the vehicle wan? move, you can put blocks at the front and rear the of tire farthest away from the one being changed. That would be the tire on the other side of the vehicle, at the opposite end, ~ 5-26