The Spare Tire Thread
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[SIZE=12pt](I have only read about a quarter of the posts on this thread, so if my points below were already covered by somebody else---my bad.)[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]HOW DO YOU DEFINE A FLAT?[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]I’ve always had a full-size, matching wheel-and-tire spare in my 45+ years of driving, and have always paid attention to air pressure, even with onboard sensors, I carry at least two gauges (hand gauges can be notoriously unreliable, can’t they!). I’ve always carried a matching spare tire for the trailer when towing. For about the past 20 years, I’ve always carried two cans of tire sealant with each vehicle, and swapped those cans for new ones every four or five years. I’ve always changed tires when the wear depth so indicated. I’ve only had a literal “flat tire” about three (or four?) times in my life:[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]THE POINT IS, I WANT TO BE PREPARED FROM THE TIME BEFORE I PURCHASE THE VEHICLE, ALL THE WAY TIL I SELL IT. AND I DON’T WANT TO PLAY WITH DARING MY TIRES TO FAIL. UNTIL THE URETHANE/WHATEVER, SPOKED, AIRLESS WHEEL/TIRE IS PERFECTED (AND MAYBE EVEN AFTER IT IS PERFECTED) GIVE ME A FULL-SIZE SPARE—AND I’LL PAY FOR IT.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]Folks who always drive in an urban bubble or on an interstate with service available every few miles are more likely to get away with not having a full-size spare. But I’ll stick with mine.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]If you include counting nails in tires--whether with appreciable lost pressure or not--- as “flats”, I’ve had probably over 100 “flats” in my driving life, averaging about two “flats” per year per vehicle.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]HOW DO YOU DEFINE A FLAT?[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]I’ve always had a full-size, matching wheel-and-tire spare in my 45+ years of driving, and have always paid attention to air pressure, even with onboard sensors, I carry at least two gauges (hand gauges can be notoriously unreliable, can’t they!). I’ve always carried a matching spare tire for the trailer when towing. For about the past 20 years, I’ve always carried two cans of tire sealant with each vehicle, and swapped those cans for new ones every four or five years. I’ve always changed tires when the wear depth so indicated. I’ve only had a literal “flat tire” about three (or four?) times in my life:[/SIZE]
- [SIZE=12pt] 40+yrs ago—car---highway—easy spare change-out.[/SIZE]
- [SIZE=12pt]About 28 years ago---found out hard way that those handsome, aftermarket white-lettered, two-ply-sidewall tires I inherited with a used pickup weren’t meant for carrying loads that the pickup itself was rated for! Thank god only one tire blew out before I changed to load-appropriate tires.[/SIZE]
- [SIZE=12pt]About 17 years ago, one riding partner somehow [/SIZE]managed (?!) to run over a spike about a half-inch diameter offroad on one of my motorcycles (my bike, my flat, no?). The hole was so big that the Slime I run in my bikes couldn’t seal the leak. Luckily we were only about four miles from my truck, so were able to limp back to it. Again, this was an offroad motorcycle tire.
[SIZE=12pt]THE POINT IS, I WANT TO BE PREPARED FROM THE TIME BEFORE I PURCHASE THE VEHICLE, ALL THE WAY TIL I SELL IT. AND I DON’T WANT TO PLAY WITH DARING MY TIRES TO FAIL. UNTIL THE URETHANE/WHATEVER, SPOKED, AIRLESS WHEEL/TIRE IS PERFECTED (AND MAYBE EVEN AFTER IT IS PERFECTED) GIVE ME A FULL-SIZE SPARE—AND I’LL PAY FOR IT.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]Folks who always drive in an urban bubble or on an interstate with service available every few miles are more likely to get away with not having a full-size spare. But I’ll stick with mine.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]If you include counting nails in tires--whether with appreciable lost pressure or not--- as “flats”, I’ve had probably over 100 “flats” in my driving life, averaging about two “flats” per year per vehicle.[/SIZE]
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I seem to be the 1st person in the 10-25 category. And I'm only counting personal vehicles. I'd be in 25+ if I started to include farm equipment.
My automotive 'flats' break down like this:
5+: Parked the car, walked away, came back (hours later, next day, etc.) to find that a tire had been punctured on the last trip and had insufficient pressure to safely drive away
3: partial pressure loss while traveling, could not safely continue without stopping for repair
2: complete pressure loss while traveling: 1 car, 1 motorcycle. (WRT the bike, I was glad I had my toolbox including tubes, tire irons, wrenches, air pump, & dish soap [for bead lubricant] strapped to the rear rack that day!)
1: nail protruding from tread, impacting fender liner with each rotation; tire held air at that moment, but continuing travel would have damaged the tire, wheel and/or car
In most cases the tire was able to be repaired and returned to service. In one case the flat tire was already at the wear bars, along with the rest of the tires so I had them replaced.
...Just for fun: there is a rare case of a nail in a tire, but not through the casing
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My automotive 'flats' break down like this:
5+: Parked the car, walked away, came back (hours later, next day, etc.) to find that a tire had been punctured on the last trip and had insufficient pressure to safely drive away
3: partial pressure loss while traveling, could not safely continue without stopping for repair
2: complete pressure loss while traveling: 1 car, 1 motorcycle. (WRT the bike, I was glad I had my toolbox including tubes, tire irons, wrenches, air pump, & dish soap [for bead lubricant] strapped to the rear rack that day!)
1: nail protruding from tread, impacting fender liner with each rotation; tire held air at that moment, but continuing travel would have damaged the tire, wheel and/or car
In most cases the tire was able to be repaired and returned to service. In one case the flat tire was already at the wear bars, along with the rest of the tires so I had them replaced.
...Just for fun: there is a rare case of a nail in a tire, but not through the casing
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Had 5 in the last year. I had a cotter pin in one tire, picked it up because maintnence doesnt know how to pick up after themselves at wrk, and The lip on the rim was corroded on the inside causing air to leak... Had that twice before I replaced those tires with some Hankooks... Bumped a curb and blew the sidewall with just 5,000 on the tire... Replace all the tires with Falkens, and I had a flat one morning... So that's 5 since April 2012...
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ptschett said:...Just for fun: there is a rare case of a nail in a tire, but not through the casing
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A nail like that (NOT throught the casing) I'd be happy to pull out and get on with life! Through the casing---I'm taking no chances with it!
Last year sometime between Thanksgiving and Christmas some crack head decided he needed the spare tire from my Dodge Dakota more than I did. I was able to find a much cheaper 17" steel wheel and tire to replace the nice aluminum one they stole. Then in January or February I picked up a nail. The tire was very low when I stopped to get my dogs. It was only 3 miles home and not a gas station with a working air pump anywhere in that 3 miles. I made it to my driveway and the tire was completely flat within 15 minutes.
Before that, the last flat was on my old 1991 Grand Voyager which I haven't owned since 2007 or 2008.
Before that, the last flat was on my old 1991 Grand Voyager which I haven't owned since 2007 or 2008.
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There you have it: a mere 1,800 miles on the odometer and already got a flat!
Those Goodyear F1 Supercar tires are Supercr*p! Every one of the seven flats I've had in the last 8 years has been on those.
Not only are they super-weak, they are also super-useless in winter and super-expensive.
I am not wasting my money on another Goodyear. I am replacing all four while I still can get some money for them, with a set of Falken Azenis: they grab better, they last longer, they ride quieter, they work in winter...and they cost HALF!
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One more instance when carrying a spare saved the day: I got a flat on the 110 freeway at 6:15pm. A tow would have been pointless because tire shops were already closed; and instead of waiting one hour for the truck to show up, I was back on the road in 30 mins.
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Those Goodyear F1 Supercar tires are Supercr*p! Every one of the seven flats I've had in the last 8 years has been on those.
Not only are they super-weak, they are also super-useless in winter and super-expensive.
I am not wasting my money on another Goodyear. I am replacing all four while I still can get some money for them, with a set of Falken Azenis: they grab better, they last longer, they ride quieter, they work in winter...and they cost HALF!
One more instance when carrying a spare saved the day: I got a flat on the 110 freeway at 6:15pm. A tow would have been pointless because tire shops were already closed; and instead of waiting one hour for the truck to show up, I was back on the road in 30 mins.
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Apologies if someone offered this bit before ( I didn't thoroughly read the entire thread ) -
As for jacks, shouldn't cars be equipped with built-in jacks, one at each corner at this point in modern automobile development? The engine - or the electrical system - could power the jack to come down from a column and prop the vehicle up a la' various racing vehicles. A glove-compartment or trunk-located controller would give the vehicle operator the choice of one, two on the same side (left or right; or front/rear pairs), or all four jacks to lift the vehicle for maintenance, including tire changes. That way you wouldn't need a more traditional jack except as a back-up.
I like capable full-sized tires - build the space to carry it. Placed correctly, that could aid rear-end collision protection. But designers would have to be given 'leave' to leverage that sort of thing.
As for jacks, shouldn't cars be equipped with built-in jacks, one at each corner at this point in modern automobile development? The engine - or the electrical system - could power the jack to come down from a column and prop the vehicle up a la' various racing vehicles. A glove-compartment or trunk-located controller would give the vehicle operator the choice of one, two on the same side (left or right; or front/rear pairs), or all four jacks to lift the vehicle for maintenance, including tire changes. That way you wouldn't need a more traditional jack except as a back-up.
I like capable full-sized tires - build the space to carry it. Placed correctly, that could aid rear-end collision protection. But designers would have to be given 'leave' to leverage that sort of thing.
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Correct. But it does not become reality because of CAFE rules, not the marketplace.valiant67 said:
An elderly couple, living remotely, might appreciate such a feature, but they are not allowed to choose between fuel economy and safety due to one-size-fits-all rules that have nothing to do with safety.
Goodyear makes some very good tires, unfortunately they also make a lot of low end and other crap tires that are selected as OEM by Chrysler.
I swear the Firestone Firehawk GT tires on my Challenger flat spot while the car sits during the week. I usually only drive it one day a week and it's rough at 45MPH for the first mile or so. I thought only bias ply tires flat spotted?
I swear the Firestone Firehawk GT tires on my Challenger flat spot while the car sits during the week. I usually only drive it one day a week and it's rough at 45MPH for the first mile or so. I thought only bias ply tires flat spotted?
Whatever was original equipment on my Non-Mopar '95 Impala SS isn't made anymore, so I had to switch. I ended up with Nitto 450's and have been pretty happy with them. Granted, I only have a 17" wheel, I do not know about other sizes, but I've had to work to break traction and the little wet weather we have hasn't caused any particular problems either. They also make a 555, but it's technically a three-season tire, and if I want to take any winter road trips I didn't want to have to contend with that.Aldo said:
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WAY too expensive, and too much liability. I can imagine someone crushing their hand or foot, or claiming it was done and was Chrysler's fault.JavelinAMX said:
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