Can someone who has the spare tire kit tell me what the make and model of the spare tire is? I'm trying to figure out if $400 is a good deal for the spare tire kit with the tire mounted on the rim and balanced. Given the crazy pricing of RX-8 accessories you can see why I'm skeptical!

The kit can be had for $274.80 (plus shipping) which would put the tire and mounting/balancing at about $125. Does that sound reasonable?

Thanks!

I always thought the spare tire kit wasn't a full size tire, can anyone clarify this...

It's not full sized. Check out this thread:
http://www.rx8club.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=12112

Save the $400, the trunk space, and the weight, and use the roadside assistance.

Yeah, I agree but there are many, how to say this politely, "out of the way places" where there's no cell phone coverage and the nearest phone is a long hike. For these situations I'd pack the tire. Most other times I'd use the the bottle of goo or roadside assistance.

Mine came with the kit and the tire and it is just a donut tire, it takes up too much trunk space and I am going to pull it out.

I got the kit for whenever I am planning a road trip and want that extra bit of assurance. However, I took it out and dont bother with it while driving around town.

Originally posted by rex
Can someone who has the spare tire kit tell me what the make and model of the spare tire is?The search button is your friend. As previously posted in this thread (http://www.rx8club.com/showthread.php?s=&postid=91495&highlight=spare+tire#post91495):Originally posted by eccles
The wheel is a 17x4T alloy
The tire (as fitted when the spare is ordered as a port-installed option) is a Bridgestone Tracompa-2 T125/70-D17 temporary donut - max inflation 60psi, max speed 50mph.

Grazie, eccles! You da man!

I make several trips a year over 600 miles and would like the peace of mind a spare tire would offer. I'd hate to wait for a tow in the middle of the night or on a holiday.
I checked into the spare tire kit today at my dealer.
They quoted $350 for the kit $110 for the tire and $35 for the wheel. So $400 sounds like a good price to me.
I'll have to see if another dealer in town has a better price.

silvercloud,

The kit includes the rim as far as I can tell.

Check out www.trussvillemazda.com. They have a better price on the kit that you're being quoted, though I don't know what the shipping costs would be. Getting the tire seems to be a challenge however. It's not listed at tirerack.com for instance.

I'll do that, thanks rex

Originally posted by rex
Getting the tire seems to be a challenge however. It's not listed at tirerack.com for instance. Check around your local wrecking yards or used tire stores - you may find one that came off a wreck before it was ever used. I suspect it's a fairly standard size for a 17" donut.

Originally posted by allstate
Save the $400, the trunk space, and the weight, and use the roadside assistance.

thats excatly my thoughts

I got the spare kit on the car - the dealer "said" he would throw it in since I HAD ordered a car without it but wanted a different car that included one. It is more than a spare tire and rim though. It comes with a mounting assembly and a vinyl tire jacket that zips the tire up neatly. That does not make it worth $400 but I thought you should know what all is included. Just a regular spare would have to sit in the trunk. This actually mounts on the wheel well area and the tire sits just below the rear window ledge - up off the trunk floor. It really takes up the room though. If I traveled a lot, I would get it. The repair kit is perfect for normal use but will not handle ripped tires which CAN happen on the highway. Town drivers like me would not really need it. My tire is in its vinyl case sitting against the garage wall. I left the assembly intact - looks like a rear stabilizer bar!

Shoot I'll sell you mine. Tell me what the dealer wants for it and I will beat theirs shipped. I have all of the items mentioned and it has NEVER been used possibly looked at once or twice thats about it. Let me know

If you use the goo ... are you supposed to have a portable air compressor with you to reinflate the tire?

Originally posted by Eradicator
If you use the goo ... are you supposed to have a portable air compressor with you to reinflate the tire? Yes, that's why Mazda puts one in the kit with the goo. :p

ugh :o I took a quick peek inside the kit when I first got the car ... I guess I forgot I saw that or something. Sometimes I'm just a retard.

Another item to consider: My dealer's service department (and Mazda literature) states that once the goo-fixed tire gets you home, you will need to discard that tire and buy a new one. Apparently, the hardened goo will cause problems with vibration & re-balancing, not to mention the pressure sensors. Use of the donut spare would allow you to put a nail-punctured tire in the trunk which could be repaired & reused.

MIne's for sale! Sitting in the garage; I will live life dangerously and depend on the compressor/goo combo if needed. Will deliver in the SOCAL area.

Originally posted by allstate
Save the $400, the trunk space, and the weight, and use the roadside assistance.

To each his own. Personally I can't imagine driving around without a spare tire.

1 - tire damage can and does exceed the capability of "goo" - sidewall puncture for instance. Not uncommon.

2 - "roadside assistance" is a great feature but it's not as if someone in a reapair vehicle is tailing you around. There can and will be times when it is inconvenient as all hell, or even unavailable.

3 - I can't imagine the weight being a factor unless you're on a racetrack

4 - If you can afford the car, you can afford the spare

5 - For simple punctures which the goo can patch, it also ruins the tire in the process. What a deal.

6 - That leaves trunk space, which is admittedly a tradeoff.

But all-in-all I don't want to be stranded by something as simple as a puncture. It might be interesting to have a poll where the response would be

a) did you/are you getting the spare
b) what is your age

I would suspect a correlation of increasing preference for the spare with increased driver age. I don't think this is due to "old fogeyism", but rather from having experienced enough real-world situations to recognize the value.

I'm with you Nubo. Every time I've experienced a puncture, it's been a tire shredding or sidewall destroying experience. I had a tire blow out at 80mph and that tire was way past the goo stage. I've also driven enough remote roads where there's no cell coverage or people with teeth within tens of miles. Isn't it usually the case that the twisty mountain roads that this car cries out to be driven on are the exact places where help isn't available and the possibilities of irrepairable tire damage might happen? I'm not paranoid, but for long excursions I'll be taking the spare with me.

Now, I don't believe that everyone should rush out and load their cars up with spares. If you're predominently in a safe urban environment, do avail yourself of roadside assistance. It's just in the wilder areas of the Pacific Northwest having the reassurance of a real spare tire is worth the peace of mind.

Hey, is your dog avatar a Black German Shepherd? Neat looking dog!

I bought the kit from trussville and it does not come with the tire, only the rim. I bought the tire, had it mounted, and it only goes in the car on long trips. I did not install the tire mount kit in the trunk, because it takes up too much room even when the tires not in there. I am thinking about putting tie downs in place of the bar and brackets, so I can use nylon cargo straps to secure it on the trips when I need it.

Originally posted by rex

Hey, is your dog avatar a Black German Shepherd? Neat looking dog!

Yes, he's a GSD. Or sometimes we call him a GAD (goofy-ass-dog). He's neat. Here he is doing some forestry work

I thought so. We have two White German Shepherds. GSDs are excellent dogs. They love to work and to find ways to out-wit their people. Our female, Ally, also likes forestry work, she'll pull tree roots out of the ground if you start tugging on one!

So, has your dog gone for rides in your RX-8? I figure that filling the rear seats with small square LL Bean dog beds is the way to go.

Here's a picture of Duke:

If someone is interested, I have mine up for sale.. If you are interested e-mail me!


Kevinstoy@comcast.net

Originally posted by SaVGARX8
If someone is interested, I have mine up for sale.. If you are interested e-mail me! Your spare tire, or your german shepherd? ;)

I am trying to sell me car back to Mazda. I am told they will buy the tire mounting kit and rim back from me but not the tire???????

Their reasoning is the mounting kit and rim is a factory Mazda item and the Bridgestone tire is not.

Has anyone else been told this? I guess I will now be trying to sell a Mazda tire. I wonder if the person who buys my buy back car would like to buy a tire to fit on the rim stashed off in the trunk/

Just curious, what will roadside assistance do in a flat tire situation? Will they patch the tire on the spot, fill it with goo (and ruin the tire), tow the vehicle somewhere, lend you a wheel/tire, or what?

By the way, I'm another one that can't imagine driving around without a spare.

Just happens to be that I got a flat in mine yesterday. I just pulled the spare out this weekend and the tire split by the sidewall so not even worth using the goo. I called the Roadside Asst and they sent a flat bed and towed me to the dealer. I am waiting on the dealer to determine if the tire was defective and more so if they can get another tire. So I am waiting right now for the dealer, I'll let you know how mucha new tire is but I figure over 200 as Discount Tire is listing them for 199.

If roadside assistance standard procedure is to tow the vehicle just because of a flat tire, I'll definitely be leaving my spare tire in the trunk.

Well the tow was free so I am not complaining though I am complaining that the dealer and all tire places here in Albuquerque have no tires for this car. Dealer after me finally calling them (they can't apparently call me) said they ordered the tire from Arizona and it might be here tomrrow though this will be at my expense and they don't have a price yet. This is BS all the way around. They determined the cause of rupture to be from within the tire yet they will not cover it? Does anyone know if the tire pressure sensor can be worked around at Discout Tire? I have dealt exclusively with them in the past and would prefer to deal with them as opposed to Mazda but the Owners BS says they must be a Mazda Dealer to work with the Sensor? What special handling does this require and how much can i expect Mazda to charge me for a freaking tire?

Originally posted by rex
I thought so. We have two White German Shepherds. GSDs are excellent dogs. They love to work and to find ways to out-wit their people. Our female, Ally, also likes forestry work, she'll pull tree roots out of the ground if you start tugging on one!

So, has your dog gone for rides in your RX-8? I figure that filling the rear seats with small square LL Bean dog beds is the way to go.

Here's a picture of Duke:

Yeah, he's always 2 steps ahead of me physically as well as psychologically; I guess it helps to know it's a characteristic of the breed. Duke looks cool.

Well, if/when I get the 8, dog will probably ride (eventually!). I know he wouldn't want to wait for the roadside assistance truck, so I'll be sure to get the spare

... deftly steers back on-topic.....

the spare is not the expensive part, the bracke used to mount the spare might be.

anyone had to use the tire kit that came with the car?

For a simple puncture why not carry a plug kit? I dont want the spare in the trunk! The tire then could be patched properly when you get it to the right place?

Even with the spare in the trunk, there's still plenty of room for a week's worth of groceries, a chainsaw, etc... I've had the spare in the trunk for a few months now, and so far haven't had a situation where it caused me not to be able to fit something. Actually, I bought a pressure washer that I had to put in the back seat, but it wouldn't have fit in the trunk either way.

Anyway, it definitely takes up space, but for me personally it's worth it.