On my way home I got a huge flat, drove on it for just a little bit then parked it in my friends neighborhood. A couple of questions:

1. I am going over there to put on the spare... I'm pretty much a noob so I am expecting it to be a big project. How do I go about putting the spare on? What is included in the trunk that is used to take off the tire and put the spare on? On a scale of 1 to 10, how hard is it going to be for me?

2. I assume I am going to have to get a new tire too, how much am I looking at cashwise? Also, where is the best place to go for this (Pep boys? Local Shop?)

Thanks for helping and dealing with my noob questions.

 

Everything you need should be in the trunk.

 

if your car is still under warrenty, you have roadside assistance included. If you've never changed your tire before on this car, just give them a call, its' free, and watch how they do it. It can be tricky with the X-jack included with the car. That would be my advise.

 

Like he ^^^^ said everything you need to get rolling again should be in the trunk. Then get a new tire.

 

I got my '08 last may, so I assume I'm still under warranty right? Should I give them a call to come in fix it or just do it myself?

 

Yes, you'll still have Roadside Assistance. Give them a call and ask them to change the tire, watch how they do it. Otherwise, here's some basic tips if you choose to do it solo:

1. Loosen the lug nuts on the wheel you're changing BEFORE you jack the car up. This is crucial, since wrenching the wheel around too hard when it's on the jack could cause the car to fall. Not good.

The same goes for when you're lowering it down with the spare on. Tighten the bolts with your fingers or just gently with the wrench, lower it, THEN tighten them fully.

2. Make sure you're using the correct jacking point under the car. Check your manual for the location.

3. Is your car an SS/TC? If so, you can't mount the spare on the front (if that's where the puncture is). The Brembo calipers are too big. If this is the case, you'll need to mount the spare on the REAR and then use the rear wheel/tire to mount on the front.

This by no means covers everything, but these are the biggest points to watch for as far as I'm concerned.

 

Just do it yourself! It sounds like you need the practice wrenching on your car; you never know, the next flat tire might come way out in the desert somewhere and you'll have no cell phone reception to call for help.

 

The main benefit to his calling Roadside Assistance would be watching them do it so he can learn.

Even so, you should be able to do it yourself... It's really not that hard. I'd give it a 2/10 provided you remember the safety tips I mentioned above.

I changed my first spare in the dark in a blizzard driving my mom's Honda Odyssey... I had to lay in the snow and slush to find the jack point. After finally getting it done, I drove 5 feet and found out the OTHER front tire was flat. Can't go much worse for you

 

open your trunk, lift up mat, unscrew the thing holding the spare in and the jack in. Then assemble jack (should be instructions). Jack the car up by the frame (should be a little bar that you have to work like a wrench and slowly turn so it raises the car. be careful of scraping your knuckles on the ground. i got a nice scar from doing that to mine lol) then remove lug nuts with the tool they give ya. pop take tire off and put spare on. flat tire in trunk.

And take it to any local tire shop. It could possibly be patched for like 20 bucks, never know. If its in the sidewall then youll need a new tire.

Or call triple A or roadside assistance whatever.

Thats interesting, never really heard of that. Sounds like it works though.

And I didnt think you could mount ANY spare on the front of any cobalt becuase their front wheel drive. Especially with LSD it will just **** your **** UP because the spare is a different size as your other front tire and it will be spinning differently. Causing your car to want to correct this.

 

That's right as well. Typically you should never mount the spare on one of the drive wheels, LSD or not. I only mentioned the SS/TC exclusively because he said he had an 08', but the same concept applies with any Cobalt really... You should do the rear-wheel swap for a front puncture.

As for the SS/TC method I mentioned, not only does it work, its the only option. It even says to do so in your manual

 

Just finished a couple of hours ago with the help of my dad who showed me the ropes. Not really hard at all lol. He actually showed me the exact same techniques that you used i.e. loosing the bolts before raising it and etc.

It was a pretty awful night for me and my car especially when I went over to check it out and saw an egg splattered on my passenger door. Fortunately it wasn't too late when my neighbor used his power washer and some polish to help me get it out. I was surprised to see how great the egg came out of the paint after hearing bad stories about eggs and car paint.

Next thing I have to deal with is my completely fucked up tire. The rim seems to be in good shape (getting it checked out on Monday) but the tire is obliterated. What do I do next? lol dealership? local wheel store?

 

go to a tire store...I dont think dealers even do tires, and if they do, they will rape you. Just get the same brand and size, since you should never run different tires on the same axle. It is preferable not to run different tires on the car, since differences in tread and compound are not ideal in a performance application. I think discount tire offers the OEM tire for the SS/TC

 

More than likely you will have to buy the tire out of pocket. Unless the tires came with road hazard but I doubt it.

 

i don't even think they offer road hazard on our tires. I bought a set of BFGs for my Camaro, and they told me they wont sell road hazard on 40 series tires

 

It depends on where you get them and the type of tire it is.

 

discount tire does road hazard