Posted: 5/14/2012 12:11:14 PM EDT
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The lady and I got her into a brand new 2012 Hyundai Accent a few months back. Its been a good car.
She was just getting to work in town when she calls me and says, "My low tire pressure indicator came on and I got out and my tire is almost flat." I say, "No biggie, go into work and Ill take care of it for you." (My work is rained out for the day so why not) My plan was to throw the donut on real quick so I can drive into my buddies garage and plug it up, out of the rain. Upon arrival I pop the trunk to find what else, nope, not a spare but a can of fuckin fix-a-flat and a little compressor that plugs into the cig lighter/ power port. This is factory, under the trunk floor inside a spare wheel shaped piece of black styrofoam. For 100 years a spare tire has been standard, since the Model T and probably earlier, and somebody upstairs at Hyundai thought that needed changing!?!?! I didn't know this was supposed to be on my "list of things to ask for" nowadays when buying new cars. It doesn't stop there, I went to Hyundai to ask why in the hell it didn't come with one and they tell me Hyundai doesn't even manufacture one for the car yet, so I can't even BUY one there, but congratulations Im the 5034th person to come in and ask. They inform me about the fix-a-flat and pump, I informed them about blow outs and anything larger than pin-hole sized punctures, and how the brand new car and brand new wheel will be off balance now because Im pumping it full of shit, blah blah blah. That goes on. Ya know, you think your prepared and then ____________. (<––––Insert the simplest dumbest shit here) 
I just wanted to throw this up for any new car owners in here that may not have thought to check, because I sure didn't. Now Im off to track down a spare tire of same size and lug pattern, from a different manufacturer. 
Im just glad we found this out in town, and today. Im not sure how to make a conversation out of a spare tire  but if you have anything to add please do.
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Upon arrival I pop the trunk to find what else, nope, not a spare but a can of fuckin fix-a-flat and a little compressor that plugs into the cig lighter/ power port. This is factory, under the trunk floor inside a spare wheel shaped piece of black styrofoam.
And that kit is going to do you ZERO good if you hit a pothole or something in the road, and bend a rim. I would put a donut in ANY car that does not have one.
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| I spent an hour trying to change a flat on a minivan the other night in the pouring rain. They did not have a four way lug wrench and had no clue how to use the jack. First they told me that the jack didnt work so I left and got mine. Came back to find that the jack worked fine. After getting the donut on, they pull out of the parking lot and the wheel is rubbing. Come to find out the spare donut tire was rubbing the caliber and would not work on the front of the vehicle. Luckily another person was there and I left. He ended up moving the rear tire to the front and the donut to the back so they could be on there way. 2 older women, 6 kids ranging from 15 to 6 years in age, and only had 12 dollars on them. They were making a 5 hour round trip to pick up another person. Talk about unprepared on an early Sunday morning and their car club through their insurance did not answer the phone. |
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It is saddening, the people that can not change a tire, that is. I am the guy that pulls over on the highway to do it for elderly and women. Guys visually under 50ish and/or very nice cars, no, they should be able to handle it themselves.
Talking to some others Im coming to find it isn't as standard as I thought. Man, thats odd, and my whole life I just thought that was a universal no-brainer. I mean, I've bought used cars without them and acquired them myself, but brand new . . . Well, anyhow . . . The kit will actually work nicely for its intended purpose. I had previous mis-conceptions coming from previous experiences with cig lighter compressors. I decided to use this one to see if it works or not, it was fairly quick and quiet. The repair kit was a Dunlop tire repair kit, it gets hooked up inline with the compressor and forces the goo in, unlike a rattle can type. I opted not to use this, instead I "slim-jimmed" the hole out in the parking lot (in the rain  ), so now she still has it to use in the future if need be, and since it wasn't going to be driven right away I didn't want it to just pool up and not hit the hole. . . . . . and apparently I earned some brownie points with the other office ladies since I was visible from the windows the whole time.  I didn't know so, I hope they didn't see me angry talking about it to myself. 
But like stated, damaged or bent rims, blow-outs, gashes/slashes, this will not do. I will be picking up a donut for the car asap and full size spare for the house when finances allow. |
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I spent an hour trying to change a flat on a minivan the other night in the pouring rain. They did not have a four way lug wrench and had no clue how to use the jack. First they told me that the jack didnt work so I left and got mine. Came back to find that the jack worked fine. After getting the donut on, they pull out of the parking lot and the wheel is rubbing. Come to find out the spare donut tire was rubbing the caliber and would not work on the front of the vehicle. Luckily another person was there and I left. He ended up moving the rear tire to the front and the donut to the back so they could be on there way. 2 older women, 6 kids ranging from 15 to 6 years in age, and only had 12 dollars on them. They were making a 5 hour round trip to pick up another person. Talk about unprepared on an early Sunday morning and their car club through their insurance did not answer the phone. hahaha That made me laugh pretty hard. Good on your for stopping to help though. I can think of a time or two when I was quietly cursing myself for not just driving past that one. Not that Im trying to pass judgement but usually I can tell, sometimes they just get ya though.
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| I work in the car business. Most vehicles are scrapping the spares to save weight and some (AWD minivans) don't have the room. Most people would have the slightest idea where to begin to change a flat. They just get out the phone and carroll a tow truck or AAA. |
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Actually cars like that are like that on purpose. The new traction control and stability systems can't use tires of different sizes. The computer will think the car is in a curve all the time and try to compensate, which will not only wear the brakes out but make the car unsafe to drive.
Its not that hard to jack the tire up and plug it right there with the wheel still on the car. The bottle of "Slime" that's the green stuff and the pump is to get a driver able to limp to a tire repair place. The problem with donuts is too many people think they are tires and will drive on them for days before they repair the bad tire. That's bad enough with no traction control or stability but with it, its really bad. Before anyone goes old school, the stability and traction control systems on new cars blows the hell out of old school nothing in performance, safety, and economy. It really does work, very well. Its the wave of the future. It really is a signifcant improvement, better traction in slippery conditions, better stopping, and better handling in curves. More and more cars will come with pumps and "Slime" as these systems become more prevalent. If you just got to go old school have to have a spare, best to buy the exact same rim and tire type then rotate all five tires. Otherwise, any time you use that spare, you're hurting the car and making it unsafe. Really, though an old lady may not be able to change a tire, anybody can use a pump and "Slime". It requires absolutely no upper body strength. Every vehicle I own even the my offroad vehicles with full size spares, I keep a pump, "Slime", and a plug kit. Other than a slashed tire or some freak sidewall blowout, there's simply no reason these days to change out a tire anywhere but in a garage, whether its theirs or yours. Sitting on the side of the interstate changing a tire, never was a good idea as far as survival goes. A pump, you can fire it up and step away to safety until its close to full. Tj |
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And you are still screwed if you hit something and bend a rim, or get a gash. I understand why carmakers are doing it. I just don't think its a good idea. And not one I would live with.
Actually cars like that are like that on purpose. The new traction control and stability systems can't use tires of different sizes. The computer will think the car is in a curve all the time and try to compensate, which will not only wear the brakes out but make the car unsafe to drive. Its not that hard to jack the tire up and plug it right there with the wheel still on the car. The bottle of "Slime" that's the green stuff and the pump is to get a driver able to limp to a tire repair place. The problem with donuts is too many people think they are tires and will drive on them for days before they repair the bad tire. That's bad enough with no traction control or stability but with it, its really bad. Before anyone goes old school, the stability and traction control systems on new cars blows the hell out of old school nothing in performance, safety, and economy. It really does work, very well. Its the wave of the future. It really is a signifcant improvement, better traction in slippery conditions, better stopping, and better handling in curves. More and more cars will come with pumps and "Slime" as these systems become more prevalent. If you just got to go old school have to have a spare, best to buy the exact same rim and tire type then rotate all five tires. Otherwise, any time you use that spare, you're hurting the car and making it unsafe. Really, though an old lady may not be able to change a tire, anybody can use a pump and "Slime". It requires absolutely no upper body strength. Every vehicle I own even the my offroad vehicles with full size spares, I keep a pump, "Slime", and a plug kit. Other than a slashed tire or some freak sidewall blowout, there's simply no reason these days to change out a tire anywhere but in a garage, whether its theirs or yours. Sitting on the side of the interstate changing a tire, never was a good idea as far as survival goes. A pump, you can fire it up and step away to safety until its close to full. Tj |
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Its not that hard to jack the tire up and plug it right there with the wheel still on the car. Tj Just did my own plug for the first time . . repair kit with tools was $2.50 with coupon at Harbor Freight. Will be putting kits in all the cars . . good addition for cheap . . but not a replacement for a spare. |
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I believe they do this to increase thier profit margin. Same price for the car but you get less.
Slightly off topic..... In my BOV, a '93 Bronco, I carry 2 spares, 2 cans of fix a flat, 4 way lug wrench, plug kit and a small 12v compresser. Same for my daily driver except no 2nd spare. |
| My vehicles manual tells me not to use fix a flat type products because it will get into your TPMS sensor and mess it up.....then you have go to buy another one at $90 some bucks on top of a new tire!!!! I'm so glad we have stupid people who don't know how to check their tire pressure... now we have to have these annoying systems in our cars. |
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I believe they do this to increase thier profit margin. Same price for the car but you get less. Slightly off topic..... In my BOV, a '93 Bronco, I carry 2 spares, 2 cans of fix a flat, 4 way lug wrench, plug kit and a small 12v compresser. Same for my daily driver except no 2nd spare. Profit margin? Possibly. Traction control is another issue, as explained above. One significant reason is the new mileage mandates from FedGov. Mfrs will be looking at every possible ounce to shave-off to meet the new requirements. Can you say "Faster rust-through", boys and girls? |
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Actually cars like that are like that on purpose. The new traction control and stability systems can't use tires of different sizes. The computer will think the car is in a curve all the time and try to compensate, which will not only wear the brakes out but make the car unsafe to drive. Its not that hard to jack the tire up and plug it right there with the wheel still on the car. The bottle of "Slime" that's the green stuff and the pump is to get a driver able to limp to a tire repair place. The problem with donuts is too many people think they are tires and will drive on them for days before they repair the bad tire. That's bad enough with no traction control or stability but with it, its really bad. Before anyone goes old school, the stability and traction control systems on new cars blows the hell out of old school nothing in performance, safety, and economy. It really does work, very well. Its the wave of the future. It really is a signifcant improvement, better traction in slippery conditions, better stopping, and better handling in curves. More and more cars will come with pumps and "Slime" as these systems become more prevalent. If you just got to go old school have to have a spare, best to buy the exact same rim and tire type then rotate all five tires. Otherwise, any time you use that spare, you're hurting the car and making it unsafe. Really, though an old lady may not be able to change a tire, anybody can use a pump and "Slime". It requires absolutely no upper body strength. Every vehicle I own even the my offroad vehicles with full size spares, I keep a pump, "Slime", and a plug kit. Other than a slashed tire or some freak sidewall blowout, there's simply no reason these days to change out a tire anywhere but in a garage, whether its theirs or yours. Sitting on the side of the interstate changing a tire, never was a good idea as far as survival goes. A pump, you can fire it up and step away to safety until its close to full. Tj Hmm, well thats some food for thought. You bring up a couple very interesting points that never crossed my mind. It still bothers me though I dont know if its just the change of it all, or the fact it is obviously a flawed system.
I have a hard time believing manufacturers are doing it for any other reason than to either A) save money or B) drop weight to increase mpg. With technology now-a-days, it shouldn't be much trouble for the ECU to adjust or calculate for the smaller size spare. Or to simply have a button to turn off the TC like Ive seen in many other vehicles. Regardless, I was bummed to find out. I will see if a full size can fit in the tub in the trunk, I doubt it though. Id rather drive a hundred miles than have her call a tow truck. |
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And you are still screwed if you hit something and bend a rim, or get a gash. I understand why carmakers are doing it. I just don't think its a good idea. And not one I would live with.
Actually cars like that are like that on purpose. The new traction control and stability systems can't use tires of different sizes. The computer will think the car is in a curve all the time and try to compensate, which will not only wear the brakes out but make the car unsafe to drive. Its not that hard to jack the tire up and plug it right there with the wheel still on the car. The bottle of "Slime" that's the green stuff and the pump is to get a driver able to limp to a tire repair place. The problem with donuts is too many people think they are tires and will drive on them for days before they repair the bad tire. That's bad enough with no traction control or stability but with it, its really bad. Before anyone goes old school, the stability and traction control systems on new cars blows the hell out of old school nothing in performance, safety, and economy. It really does work, very well. Its the wave of the future. It really is a signifcant improvement, better traction in slippery conditions, better stopping, and better handling in curves. More and more cars will come with pumps and "Slime" as these systems become more prevalent. If you just got to go old school have to have a spare, best to buy the exact same rim and tire type then rotate all five tires. Otherwise, any time you use that spare, you're hurting the car and making it unsafe. Really, though an old lady may not be able to change a tire, anybody can use a pump and "Slime". It requires absolutely no upper body strength. Every vehicle I own even the my offroad vehicles with full size spares, I keep a pump, "Slime", and a plug kit. Other than a slashed tire or some freak sidewall blowout, there's simply no reason these days to change out a tire anywhere but in a garage, whether its theirs or yours. Sitting on the side of the interstate changing a tire, never was a good idea as far as survival goes. A pump, you can fire it up and step away to safety until its close to full. Tj Then you might as well post, you plan to drive trucks because that's the way passenger cars are going to be. The tire is going to be like the radiator. Put a substantial hole in either, the car won't run but in exchange you gain a benefit. The radiator, cools the engine so the motor lives longer and gets better performance. The stability control systems means the car can take curves faster and drive safer in slick conditions. Yes, it means you can't drive around on "May Pops" and/or mix and match used tires but then if you keep good rubber on your vehicle all those other reasons we believe we need spares lesson. Sure it increases the need for a BOV if you want to address EOTWAWKI Mad Max Zombie invasion etc. but it does very much address "Prepare for the most likely scenario first and least likely last" because we all hit more slippery roads and curves than we have flats of any sort. Some of you guys can feel good your wife is driving around with a spare tire as she goes to work and back, but don't be surprised the rest of us are quite happy ours has traction control and suspension stability systems. The risk benefit of the later simply outweighs the other. It really is these days a matter of would you rather have your family safer or easier should they have a catastrophic flat? These new systems are simply substantial improvements in car handling and performance. The better systems not only control emergency braking and wheel torque but have active suspensions that control body sway. When we get in cars, we tend to just think this car drives so and so. We seldom think of how it does it. Who know maybe someday someone will come up with a computer plug in with scroll downs for tire sizes like they do for performance cars and it can adjust the systems for the odd tire. Until then though, the closer those tires are to each other, I'm talking even tread wear, the better those new systems is going to work and the more passenger cars with spares in there the more just dead weight charging the buyer for something they shouldn't use a spare tire becomes. Yes, not including a spare saves money and yes Federal Gas Mileage mandates makes shaving every ounce of weight a good idea. Its just in this case if the car has these features, there's a real reason not to have a spare and even if you did not to use it. Its seriously been since 1974 since I've changed a tire on the side of the road. That was a "May Pop" that blew out middle of the night in nowhere Arkansas. Since I've kept good rubber on my tires, all I've done is plug the tire and go on. Other than my Jeep and Offroad Truck (Haven't changed those either), I've been throwing my money down a hole on spare tires. Yes, when I drove the "May Pops", I would dream of not having a spare. We can't all buy new tires whenever we need them, but for now those who drive new cars should be able to. Tj |
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Actually cars like that are like that on purpose. The new traction control and stability systems can't use tires of different sizes. The computer will think the car is in a curve all the time and try to compensate, which will not only wear the brakes out but make the car unsafe to drive. Its not that hard to jack the tire up and plug it right there with the wheel still on the car. The bottle of "Slime" that's the green stuff and the pump is to get a driver able to limp to a tire repair place. The problem with donuts is too many people think they are tires and will drive on them for days before they repair the bad tire. That's bad enough with no traction control or stability but with it, its really bad. Before anyone goes old school, the stability and traction control systems on new cars blows the hell out of old school nothing in performance, safety, and economy. It really does work, very well. Its the wave of the future. It really is a signifcant improvement, better traction in slippery conditions, better stopping, and better handling in curves. More and more cars will come with pumps and "Slime" as these systems become more prevalent. If you just got to go old school have to have a spare, best to buy the exact same rim and tire type then rotate all five tires. Otherwise, any time you use that spare, you're hurting the car and making it unsafe. Really, though an old lady may not be able to change a tire, anybody can use a pump and "Slime". It requires absolutely no upper body strength. Every vehicle I own even the my offroad vehicles with full size spares, I keep a pump, "Slime", and a plug kit. Other than a slashed tire or some freak sidewall blowout, there's simply no reason these days to change out a tire anywhere but in a garage, whether its theirs or yours. Sitting on the side of the interstate changing a tire, never was a good idea as far as survival goes. A pump, you can fire it up and step away to safety until its close to full. Tj Hmm, well thats some food for thought. You bring up a couple very interesting points that never crossed my mind. It still bothers me though I dont know if its just the change of it all, or the fact it is obviously a flawed system.
I have a hard time believing manufacturers are doing it for any other reason than to either A) save money or B) drop weight to increase mpg. With technology now-a-days, it shouldn't be much trouble for the ECU to adjust or calculate for the smaller size spare. Or to simply have a button to turn off the TC like Ive seen in many other vehicles. Regardless, I was bummed to find out. I will see if a full size can fit in the tub in the trunk, I doubt it though. Id rather drive a hundred miles than have her call a tow truck. It is flawed. (See my above post) A program could be written to allow for spares, that however has quite the cost to it, mostly development cost. Turning it simply "off" some of these older early models have that option but then these newer suspensions are being optimized with them on all the time. I mean you can't quite compare a Jeep Grand Cherokee to a Hyundai equally. One's a $30,000 plus vehicle and weighs over 5,000 lbs. What we're dealing with here is vehicles getting lighter and lighter to meet Federally mandated gas mileage requirements and an industry scrambling to do everything they can to make lighter and smaller safer. Let's face it guys, I don't know about you but when I drive my almost 7, 000 lb diesel, I feel a lot safer than in my little encomomizer. There's a point where physics simply is superior. A 3,000 lb car hits a 6,800 lb truck, the car loses. Same goes for traction, weight is friction. What I can tell you is with all these technologies, traction, active suspension, and as many air bags as they can cram into them, these little cars are hell of a lot safer, faster, and more comfortable than the little cars of the 60s and 70s. Ultimately then if we want spares or its an essential item to us, we shouldn't be buying these bug cars in the first place. They're designed to make us feel they're big, but they aren't. They're cracker boxes. In regards to the calling the tow truck, damn sure don't blame you there. We don't call them either unless its to tow a car. My wife, though capable, is not inclined to work on a car on the side of the road herself. What this has done over the 39 years we've been married is one of my vehicles has become the tow truck, which we think of as rescue vehicle. That one vehicle has all the stuff, tire repair, jumper cables, battery box, flares, tools, not only a pump but I have a 20 gallon air tank I can grab, etc. etc. Why not a spare? I for one believe as these smaller high mileage cars become more prevalent, the more important it will become for us to not only start thinking having a rescue vehicle but road side service which about all the manufacturers provide now on new cars. That also means what we see as commuter vehicles and work vehicles, the gap widens. I've ridden motorcycles for over 40 years, never had a spare. That's what we drive now, motorcycles with walls. Tj |
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Oddly no one has mentioned it yet but my first thought when I read this was- you haven't checked your spare? That's poor planning and I don't mean just checking to be sure you have one. I get up under my truck several times a year to check the air pressure in it and to make sure it hasn't been damaged by crap on the road. While new tires are much safer than older ones, I've still managed to hole a few including tearing up a sidewall off-roading; wet rocks can be particularly hard on tires. Additionally, following an event like a hurricane or tornado there will be all sorts of debris on the road that can puncture a tire.
Having a good quality tire plug kit can make all the difference and by that I don't mean the little screwdriver style models. Those are damn near worthless on a thicker truck carcass. Get yourself a good T-handle set with quality plugs; they usually run around $35-50. Example Another thing to consider is having a quality jack, especially if you drive a truck, and making sure it will actually lift your vehicle. Lots of folks add a lift kit and larger tires without realizing that their stock jack is too short to lift the truck high enough to change the tire. |
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The last tire I had to change on the interstate was back in '98. Tire had just about 1000 miles on it and the sidewall failed from the inside. Fortunately, the first thing I'd done when purchasing the car was to get an extra full sized rim and buy a full sized spare. Did the same with the next car, though the full sized tire was a tighter fit in the well of this one. There are a host of reasons I'm shying away from the newer cars, and the lack of a spare or a place to put one is only the least of them. On a side note, I'm seeing some of the Pachucos running around in their bondoriffic lowriders running donuts on all four corners. |
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I think waldo posted about some problems with his tpms system, it has been a couple years ago though I think. My 07 jeep has tpms and works fine but it still gets upset even with the fullsize spare on the ground because the flat tire in the back of the jeep still sets off the system. As with most governement mandated stuff there is no off switch for the system. Anyway, for most folks this stuff will do the job but I find myself looking for cheap to free used rims and tires for my vehicles right now just because this stuff is coming. The technology available is amazing in today's vehicles and it does make em awfully safe even in bad road conditions. But I still smile when I see the little vent window in the 95 ford I just bought.  |
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It is flawed. (See my above post) A program could be written to allow for spares, that however has quite the cost to it, mostly development cost. Turning it simply "off" some of these older early models have that option but then these newer suspensions are being optimized with them on all the time. I mean you can't quite compare a Jeep Grand Cherokee to a Hyundai equally. One's a $30,000 plus vehicle and weighs over 5,000 lbs. What we're dealing with here is vehicles getting lighter and lighter to meet Federally mandated gas mileage requirements and an industry scrambling to do everything they can to make lighter and smaller safer. Let's face it guys, I don't know about you but when I drive my almost 7, 000 lb diesel, I feel a lot safer than in my little encomomizer. There's a point where physics simply is superior. A 3,000 lb car hits a 6,800 lb truck, the car loses. Same goes for traction, weight is friction. What I can tell you is with all these technologies, traction, active suspension, and as many air bags as they can cram into them, these little cars are hell of a lot safer, faster, and more comfortable than the little cars of the 60s and 70s. Ultimately then if we want spares or its an essential item to us, we shouldn't be buying these bug cars in the first place. They're designed to make us feel they're big, but they aren't. They're cracker boxes. In regards to the calling the tow truck, damn sure don't blame you there. We don't call them either unless its to tow a car. My wife, though capable, is not inclined to work on a car on the side of the road herself. What this has done over the 39 years we've been married is one of my vehicles has become the tow truck, which we think of as rescue vehicle. That one vehicle has all the stuff, tire repair, jumper cables, battery box, flares, tools, not only a pump but I have a 20 gallon air tank I can grab, etc. etc. Why not a spare? I for one believe as these smaller high mileage cars become more prevalent, the more important it will become for us to not only start thinking having a rescue vehicle but road side service which about all the manufacturers provide now on new cars. That also means what we see as commuter vehicles and work vehicles, the gap widens. I've ridden motorcycles for over 40 years, never had a spare. That's what we drive now, motorcycles with walls. Tj I have a fair sized 04' F-250 SD, I think the last time I was at the scrap yard weighing out with just me and my regular load-out I came in around 8200lbs. Its my working/daily/working/fishing/working/camping/rescue/bugout vehicle, in that order. Its my back bone, between the box in the bed and the stuff under the seats I have everything I could need, from straps and chains to jumpers and a compressor, a full cordless & handtool load out, everyday/ghb, shovels, axes etc. Its tried and trued day in and day out. A fellow business partner has a car trailer I can grab anytime, and I have. The car we got the SO out of was a 92' Saturn, so the trailer got used a lot. I was desperate to move her out of that thing, it was a death trap on wheels. My gut used to turn every time I heard her drive away. A few weeks ago I had to grab his 550 to tow my truck too. First break down in the 4 years I've owned it, a parking brake pad rotted and fell apart.
The Hyundai is not bad, obviously wouldn't be my first choice, but she loves the thing and that is what is important. I had a small criteria for her to fill; safe, efficient, American made. I'm very satisfied with what we got for what we paid both from a safety and economical stand point, especially in relation to what we just crushed at the scrap yard. Not to mention free regularly scheduled maintenance for 3 years, great factory warranty and guaranteed trade in values that are close to 50% in 4 years. They have a really good roadside guarantee too, but as already said, we go our own way for most of that stuff, good to have though. And did I say she loves it.
I haven't really formed an opinion on the trend vehicles are taking to. I guess Im neither for or against, it will be what it will be I suppose, and I'll never have to own all of them so . . . . I like big because I need it, and yes I most definitely feel safer. But at the same time I love small, because GTI's rock, and so do economical finances. 
On the other hand, I dread filling up my truck, and I don't know where it comes from, but I have a profound hate for those Smartcars. . . . Yep, I guess Ill just remain opinion-less.
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Dang after reading all this and having a couple flats in the past year and just buying a couple used rims and putting new tires on them, I don't know what to think of myself.
I also carry fix a flat, tire pump [the good kind], paintball CO2 cyl and attachements [see my thread on it], plugs, glue, bottle jack, hi-lift in bad wx, OEM jack, I musta be a nut. But each time I have a flat, I'm back on the rd in a jiffy!
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Dang after reading all this and having a couple flats in the past year and just buying a couple used rims and putting new tires on them, I don't know what to think of myself. I also carry fix a flat, tire pump [the good kind], paintball CO2 cyl and attachements [see my thread on it], plugs, glue, bottle jack, hi-lift in bad wx, OEM jack, I musta be a nut. But each time I have a flat, I'm back on the rd in a jiffy!
You haven't got rid of that fix a flat yet? That stuffs terrible. Its 40 year old technology that turns solid in your tire which can throw it out of balance, cause sealing problems on the rim for a new tire, many tire dealers refuse to work on tires that its been used (too much labor in the wire brushing and too many chances for it to get a slow leak unless you clean it all off), and it can gum up your valves. This is not even to mention that can loses its pressure or it sets up inside that can in your trunk then it is useless. Slime is a little more hassle to use, tire must be deflated and you take the valve stem out, but its far more tire/rim friendly. It doesn't solidify. Tj |
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Actually cars like that are like that on purpose. The new traction control and stability systems can't use tires of different sizes. The computer will think the car is in a curve all the time and try to compensate, which will not only wear the brakes out but make the car unsafe to drive. Its not that hard to jack the tire up and plug it right there with the wheel still on the car. The bottle of "Slime" that's the green stuff and the pump is to get a driver able to limp to a tire repair place. ... Really, though an old lady may not be able to change a tire, anybody can use a pump and "Slime". Other than a slashed tire or some freak sidewall blowout, there's simply no reason these days to change out a tire anywhere but in a garage, whether its theirs or yours. Sitting on the side of the interstate changing a tire, never was a good idea as far as survival goes. A pump, you can fire it up and step away to safety until its close to full. Tj I would hate to have a car that didn't have a good spare (not just a donut). That said, I don't see a nice new car with traction control system anywhere in my future, due to cost considerations.
I ran over a nail the other day and air was leaking pretty badly. Before the tire got completely flat, I decided to try out the plug kit I'd bought a couple of years ago. I'd never used a plug kit (always just changed to the spare) but was able to plug the hole in less than 2 minutes, and use the mini-compressor I carry to air the tire back up the rest of the way. I couldn't believe how easy that plug kit was to use, compared to the old process of jack the car up, break the lugs, remove the wheel, put the spare on, take tire to be repaired! |
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I believe they do this to increase thier profit margin. Same price for the car but you get less. Slightly off topic..... In my BOV, a '93 Bronco, I carry 2 spares, 2 cans of fix a flat, 4 way lug wrench, plug kit and a small 12v compresser. Same for my daily driver except no 2nd spare. Two is one, one is none - carry an extra 4 way lug wrench or make sure what you have is absolutely unbreakable!
I had an average 4-way, and it broke in half trying to break one of the lugs 
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Actually cars like that are like that on purpose. The new traction control and stability systems can't use tires of different sizes. The computer will think the car is in a curve all the time and try to compensate, which will not only wear the brakes out but make the car unsafe to drive. Its not that hard to jack the tire up and plug it right there with the wheel still on the car. The bottle of "Slime" that's the green stuff and the pump is to get a driver able to limp to a tire repair place. ... Really, though an old lady may not be able to change a tire, anybody can use a pump and "Slime". Other than a slashed tire or some freak sidewall blowout, there's simply no reason these days to change out a tire anywhere but in a garage, whether its theirs or yours. Sitting on the side of the interstate changing a tire, never was a good idea as far as survival goes. A pump, you can fire it up and step away to safety until its close to full. Tj I would hate to have a car that didn't have a good spare (not just a donut). That said, I don't see a nice new car with traction control system anywhere in my future, due to cost considerations.
I ran over a nail the other day and air was leaking pretty badly. Before the tire got completely flat, I decided to try out the plug kit I'd bought a couple of years ago. I'd never used a plug kit (always just changed to the spare) but was able to plug the hole in less than 2 minutes, and use the mini-compressor I carry to air the tire back up the rest of the way. I couldn't believe how easy that plug kit was to use, compared to the old process of jack the car up, break the lugs, remove the wheel, put the spare on, take tire to be repaired! It is nice. The whole idea is to get us all into those small cars without giving up control, comfort, safety, and uniquely American performance. Those of us who can remember the early little cars, which isn't that old, the difference is amazing really. I put probably 60,000 miles a year of vehicles, which is why I have way more than one. I can spread the miles out. Wearing a car out before its paid for sucks. I haven't changed a tire on the side of a road in decades, 1974 in fact and that was a "may pop" that blew out. Plugs are just way easier, faster, and safer and we're not talking limp to a garage. You can cross the country from one side to the other before you fix it better. It would be nice that these new cars added spares, but to be honest I don't think I'd want to pay $600 or more per vehicle to do it and then try to stay on top of rotating five tires. The problem is physics. For those systems to not only work but not be a detriment, the tires have to be as balanced as possible, that's size and weight. Rotating tires is a bigger deal than ever these vehicles and Mr. Never Rotate change two tires then two more later is really screwing up more now. That's what these tire pressure sensors is all about too. Besides the obvious fuel economy, uneven tire pressure screws these systems up. Its is quite remarkable technology though. 3,000lb rear wheel drive cars now will climb a snow covered hill, you wouldn't of dream of trying with a 5,000 lb rear wheel drive in the 1970s. The suspensions are so good now that most drivers freak at hydroplaning where in the 1960s it was every time it rained. We routinely take curves now so fast those early small cars their wheels would break traction and think nothing of it. Little cars use to beat us to death on a trip and now they ride much closer to big cars. Its all so space age, its like that science fiction movie where the car fills with foam in an accident except ours now fills with air bags. Ten of those bags they put in those little cars now. What's happening to us is our gap between utility vehicle and passenger vehicle is becoming much more wider and the dual purpose more passenger than utility. This is yet another reason to have more than one vehicle, way more in the future than even today. Tj |
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Dang after reading all this and having a couple flats in the past year and just buying a couple used rims and putting new tires on them, I don't know what to think of myself. I also carry fix a flat, tire pump [the good kind], paintball CO2 cyl and attachements [see my thread on it], plugs, glue, bottle jack, hi-lift in bad wx, OEM jack, I musta be a nut. But each time I have a flat, I'm back on the rd in a jiffy!
You haven't got rid of that fix a flat yet? That stuffs terrible. Its 40 year old technology that turns solid in your tire which can throw it out of balance, cause sealing problems on the rim for a new tire, many tire dealers refuse to work on tires that its been used (too much labor in the wire brushing and too many chances for it to get a slow leak unless you clean it all off), and it can gum up your valves. This is not even to mention that can loses its pressure or it sets up inside that can in your trunk then it is useless. Slime is a little more hassle to use, tire must be deflated and you take the valve stem out, but its far more tire/rim friendly. It doesn't solidify. Tj Fix-A-Flat saved me once on 101 in San Jose in the 1990's! 
With traffic screaming by -Zoombie drivers. Truck jack wouldn't lift enough to change to the spare. Bottle jack now w/ all vehicles. Yep, use Slime on lotsa stuff now, but still carry Fix-A-F or the equivalent and will for a long time I expect. |