ei8ht

I did a search and could not find anything on this.
But I bet it has been discussed before.

Do you have a spare tire in your RX-8?
Are smaller emergency type wheels available?

I have a 2009 GT with 50K miles. (Bought new)
on the original OEM tires.

Also time to buy new tires, BUT since I'm at it
I thought about a spare since I don't have one
probably risky as I drive 120 Miles a day.

Tnx

Jim

9krpmrx8

iTrader: (46)

I have a spare tire but not the mounting bracket etc. Sometimes you can find the whole tire, brackets, etc.

jasonrxeight

yes I do.
man 09 already 50k miles? any engine problems?

paimon.soror

iTrader: (15)

No spare here, just the fix-a-flat kit. Btw I have the same winter wheels hehe

monchie

I wish i did. When i bought the car, it didn't have it.

ken-x8

There's a spare tire kit available. Donut, expensive. Check the for sale ads here, or maybe e-bay, if you really want one. There are threads about which other donut spares would work.

I just have the compressor and goop kit that came with mine, plus a plug kit that I picked up at Wal-Mart. And I belong to AAA.

Ken

jasonrxeight

just dont feel like waiting in the middle of no where for hours waiting for the AAA or wasting a perfect good tire by using the plug kit.
a used spare kit is like $100 bucks.
besides if my tire exploded, AAA and plug kit would do nothing.

New Yorker

My '05 came with the Mazda spare tire kit. Living in NYC (which is not in the middle of nowhere), I don't think I'd have ordered it. It's a small spacesaver spare that hangs neatly from the top of the trunk, leaving the floor of the trunk clear. But… it takes up a lot of trunk space, and also blocks the trunk light so that you can't really see anything in the dark.

ken-x8

Plug kit is to avoid ruining a tire by using the goop.

It's all a trade. The donut spare isn't good for a lot of miles, so an exploded tire will take a big bite out of a long trip, but it will get you to town without a tow.

I do feel more secure on long trips in my wife's Camry, which has a tradtional full size spare tire. And a much bigger trunk. But if I always craved security I don't think I'd have bought an 8 for myself.

Ken

Bladecutter

I made the spare tire kit a part of the deal when I bought my 2011 Sport.
Its installed, and waiting for the day I should ever need it, which, hopefully, is never.

Now, when you say 50k miles on the OEM tires, do you mean 50k on that one set of tires, or did you just keep replacing the tires with the OEM ones, just several different sets of them?

BC.

alz0rz

iTrader: (41)

well he says he bought it new and drives it 120 miles a day.. i'd say he's racked up those 50k miles himself.

Bladecutter

Hopefully he will read my question correctly.
Its not about how many miles he has on his car, its about how many miles he gets on a set of tires.

50k miles on one set of OEM tires is my question.

BC.

moeswrx

iTrader: (2)

Would you consider buying run flat tire?

pistonhater

I don't have a spare tire on mine but I wish I did - mostly when thinking about long trips away from the city.

As newyorker said above, around the city, if something happens I'm sure a tow truck will come to the scene within minutes - literally, LOL.

Myardor

iTrader: (7)

Have a spare kit bought here on the forum for about ..well I forger.
Only use it when I go out of town, ie over 200 miles trips.

04Green

iTrader: (1)

Only way I have seen a tire fail dramatically is with low pressure. TPMS takes care of that. a nail or other object is the next worry. I have the kit that came with the car, a plug kit, and an SUV sized can of fix a flat. I heard the mazda kit ruins the tire after you use it. Not sure why. Tire store usually charges $15 or so to clean the tire after fix a flat. It also comes out fast enough that if you get loose on the bead, it looks like it will seat the bead. Beats waiting, and also beats jacking up the car on the side of the road.

That is a long commute though, so insurance is good.

gwilliams6

I have the spare tire kit and bracket in my 40th Anniversary Edition RX8, and also the tire emergency kit. Both came with my car when bought new. It does take up trunk space and partially block the trunk light, but it does give me some peace of mind to have it there. If I had a flat I would always try to use the repair kit first on the full size tire ,and if that works, you can drive a longer distance and at a higher speed than recommended with the space-saver spare, which is a smaller circumference of course.

A careful, knowledgeable mechanic can clean out the tire repair goop without blowing himself up ,and if repairable, the tire CAN be saved, though they will always recommend and try to sell you a new tire. And the Mazda goop and most of the major brands are all TPMS safe now.

PeteInLongBeach

I have 35000 miles on my original Dunlops, and I WISH I could wear them out. I try, but they still have at least 50% usable tread life left on them. They tend to ride harshly, transmit a lot of road noise, and are poorly reviewed on Tire Rack, so I want to replace them with Continentals or Michelins.

The first thing I ordered for my car was the factory spare tire kit. It does take up a considerable amount of trunk space, but I figured I could always remove the tire on the rare occasion I needed the room. I've never needed to remove it yet, as any overflow goes into the back seat. I do a lot of long distance driving on the weekends, out through the desert, very late at night, so well worth having the spare just in case...

PaPaBear

I was leaving work two weeks ago and picked up a screw in the tread. I used the flat kit that came with my 2008 Anniversary model. It worked okay and was not that hard to do. Drove 8 miles to a garage where they were able to clean out the gook in the tire before it set. They put a patch on the tire and was fine. It took the mechanic a long time to clean the gook out of the tire but is okay.
I had a spare with my 2004 RX-8 and wish I had one now. Going to look around for one for sale. Just feel better with a spare tire.

ei8ht

OK lots of questions.

51K miles on the OD and 23 months old. Original OEM tires rotated every 6 K.
BUT, i do have dedicated snow tires that are on the car for about 3 months.
So about 12K on the snows and 39K on the OEM tires. I replaced them today.
They still had a good 50% tread left but were noisy and one had a slight thump to it.
Tire shop could not find anything wrong with the tires and though I was a bit
premature in taking them off. I put on Continental Extreme Contact DW 225/45R18.
My snows are also Continental ExtremeWinter Contact but on 17inch rims.
Very pleased with the snow tires by the way. And I drive 48 miles one way on
I90 in Northern Ohio right up against Lake Eire. Snow capital of Ohio.
The RX8 with good snow tires is great in snow. On the oem tires, you might as
well drive straight into the nearest ditch because that is where your going anyway.

Other question, at 50K miles absolutely no engine problems, or any other problems
for that mater. Regular Dealer service every 3k. Car runs like new. And I don't
baby it. It's no stranger to 9k shifts. Dealer recommends it daily. I don't beat it up
but do drive a bit aggressively. Pig on gas, 21 Mpg is about the best I get.

PeteInLongBeach

Guess I jinxed myself and got my wish (although a little earlier than my budget was ready for). Shortly after posting the above, the TPMS light came on while driving to work. Looks like I ran over something that put a slice in the middle of the tread. Glad I had my spare tire kit - I was back on the road within 15 minutes, and wasn't even late for work.

The tire shop said the slice couldn't be patched reliably, plus the rear tires were getting pretty worn, so that pushed me into buying a new set. Based on reviews from Tire Rack and on here, I decided on the Continental DWS. They had to special order them, so I was glad I had the spare tire to drive on for a few days. Because I had the spare kit, there was no need for emergency roadside assistance, virtually no down-time, and no mess to clean up from using the sealer kit (which probably would NOT have sealed this leak anyway).

gwilliams6

Good choice on the Continental DWS, they are the best rated All-Season Ultra Performance tires. I know folks who have them on their RX8s and they are great, even in bad weather. They wear very well and are quiet. I am due soon to replace my OEM Bridgestones on my 40th Anniversary edition RX8 and I am going to get the Continentals DWS. They rated higher than the Michelin Pilot Sport A/S and the Pirelli P Zero A/S .

BTW my 40th Anniversary Edition came with the spare tire kit, and I am thankful for the piece of mind in having it in the trunk. haven't had to use it yet, but your unfortunate experience makes me glad I have it if I need it.

PeteInLongBeach

Yeah, the DWS tires are great. Quieter and better ride than the Dunlops.

Just FYI... if you have a flat on a rear tire, rotate the good front tire to the back and put the spare on the front. The smaller diameter spare wheel is hard on the limited slip differential, and I'm guessing might even damage it.