h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Yes it is just like that.

In addition to a couple of short planks, another useful tool is a length of pipe. This answers the unmentioned point of how do you loosen the garage-tightened nuts in the first place.

This is useful for step 4, to loosen the garage tightened wheel nuts. The pipe should be a rigid one (a hose-pipe would be useless), of a diameter to fit neatly over the shaft of your wrench or spanner. With this in place your leverage on the recalcitrant nuts should be vastly increased, and loosening them much more practical.

Obviously it is probably easier to find and use the pipe while at home, and grease and re-tighten the nuts to an appropriate level there, than trust to it working wherever you have to halt to change the tyre. Also you can use lengths of pipe not practical to carry in your boot/trunk

Pimms

you just twist the nuts till it becomes easier and then back it off a little right?

further addage to using a pipe on the wheel brace dont use to long a length or you will find that the brace slipping of the nut and you ending up with a nasty case of road rash also if you use too much pressure the wheel studs might have a tendacy to shear of thus leaving you with a nice little bill to repair easiest way to remedy the problem is to invest in a can of tyre repair foam