quick flat fix
 

Hi,

I didn't get a spare tire kit for my car and as i've read in the manual it comes with a quick flat fix in a can deal. My question is, if i fill the tire with that stuff in the can, would i still be able to patch the tire lets say if a nail pierced through it? when i bring it to a gas station?

Some folks have said that the gunk ruins the tire, others have said just patch and go. I dunno.

I think it will stuff the tyre...

It is hard to imagine balancing the tyre with those glue on

Two words: Roadside Assistance

The tire cannot be reused. From the RX8 Owners Manual:

Page 7-5

Your vehicle is not equipped with a
spare tire. In the event of a flat tire, use
the emergency flat tire repair kit to
repair the tire temporarily. When doing
the repair, refer to the instructions
included in the emergency flat tire
repair kit. After temporarily repairing a
tire with the emergency flat tire repair
kit, take your vehicle to an Authorized
Mazda Dealer to have the tire replaced.

Page 7-12

• A tire that has been temporarily
repaired with the tire sealant cannot
be reused. Mazda recommends
replacing the tire with a new one.
• The wheel can be reused after any
sealant adhering to it is wiped off
and carefully inspected. However,
replace the tire valve with a new
one.

Yup, and there is also a long description of what kind of punctures that the can might be able to repair, which is not all of them, and forget about repairing a blow-out or slash from like jumping a curb.

The procedure is also a pain. You have to empty the tire of all air, remove the valve, with the enclosed tool, insert the goo hose, squeeze in goo, reinsert the valve, inflate with the enclosed compressor and drive the car to spread the goo all over the tire to cover the hole.

The tire is now trashed and MUST be replaced and this assumes that the proceess worked.

Let's try another idea. If you have ever had a puncture patched, you have seen the gas station guy use a metal ream, some glue, and a polyester cord patch that is inserted with a T handled needle. It is faster, has as good of a potential of working and best of all it has the potential of being a permanent repair, which the goo never will be.

THESE kits can be purchased from Griot's Garage, an on-line and off-line catalogue of car accessories and probably from others as well. However, they still don't work if the puncture is on the sidewall or if you have a slash, blowout or, becoming a more common problem with modern tires being put on with archaic equipment, broken beads.

It is also good to know that the polyester cord patch defeats the manufacturers speed rating on the tire. However, I already have a patch in one of my RE040's, and it seems to be running just fine.

All that said, I'm getting the spare.

Most places will fix the4 flat with that same polyester cord. It doesnt reeally affect the tire balance THAT much as it's barely a fraction of an ounce, and you can find them at almsot any auto store for under 5 bucks. Fixes a puncture in a few minutes and if the tire has no air in it, ya dont even need to take it off, just jack it up a bit.

Whoops, what I meant by that is that the manufacturer invalidates its warranty on the tire's speed rating if you have a plug in it. It's not particularly a practical problem as much as an issue with their legal departments. I was told this as the grease monkey popped the plug into my tire last week, and I noticed a mention of it somewhere on the tirerack's site. I think that it must be a pretty new thing as I have had over a dozen of these patches in the last decade, and noone ever told me that before.

If i get a spare tire kit, do i need to have the dealer install it for me? or is it fairly easy to mount it on the trunk?

I did it myself. It was fairly easy. Scariest part is cutting holes in the cardboard-ish trunk interior for the support bar.

Also, the instructions specify to drill holes in the car body to mount a rubber spacer. (The spacer forces some clearance between the tire and body.) I chose to glue the spacer instead.

I got a flat about 2 months ago. I poured about 1/4 of the Mazda Goop in the tire and then took it to 4 tire shops. 3 said that they couldn't unmount the tire because they would probably damage the rim. The last one was scared to break the pressure sensor. I know it's only supposed to be a temp fix but it's held up for two months. Thing is that it was a very small puncture so even if the sealant were to come off, I would have plenty of time to pull over. I just don't want to replace 1 tire and have the other one half way through it's tread life. I'm going to hold off for another month and replace the two rear tires or just get a new set of rims/tires. What do you guys think?

[/B][/QUOTE]

I had the same thought when I followed this discussion. I'm now very sure to call roadside assistance and have them bring a donut or tow me if anyhow possible. Seems very costly to have to buy a new tire or better two.

-Peter

spare tires are a must, I don't know how automakers get by without providing one.

superfan, don't wait. one month is not going to wear out your other tire. replace one or both soon. the goo in the puncture tire must be heavier to rotate than the other one. I suspect this can cause uneven drive train and brake wear.

the lesson is not to use the goo and get a spare.

I put very little of the goo in the tire. First I rotated the tire so that the puncture would be on the floor. This way the goo would initially spread to the bottom of the tire and plug up the hole as soon as I put air in it. I've ran the car at high speeds and there is no vibration, so it looks like it spread pretty evenly in the tire. Remember, I only poured a little less than 1/4 of the bottle so that it become a glob in the tire. It's also on the rear passenger side so it's wearing out pretty fast.

i've never had a car that did not come with a spare tire. i find that odd. what about other cars that even has a smaller trunk space, do they have one? like nissan 350z? Most the past cars i've driven even came with a full size spare. i know that'd take up all the space in the on a rx8 but the donut should have been a standard. the tires on the rx8 isn't cheap and it would harsh to buy a new pair of tires cause of the goo damages it.

There seems to be plenty of people on this board that are fine without a spare tire. Mazda is probably trying to start a new trend, pay extra for a spare. I think on next years model the passenger seat should be an option!

Mazda isn't starting a trend, there are quite a few other cars now with no spare. The first I was aware of was the Mercedes SLK roadster, with the folding hardtop - no spare. There's a BMW or two also that don't have a spare. The can of fix-a-flat and compressor are used in those vehicles as well.

Regards,
Gordon

Hey, you just happened to mention the car that my RX-8 replaced, a 2000 Mercedes SLK roadster. That car DID have a spare, you had to lift up the trunk floor panel to get to it. Have they since removed the spare (since 2000)?

Haze - what a wonderful idea! A reamer/patch kit and a source for air - maybe one of those cigarette lighter compressors presuming they work and you are set. I like that idea so much I might put together similar kits for my various cars.

You are right about side-walls - I did however fix ONE sidewall successfully. It was on my tractor though! :)

The reason is that the speed rating is largely a function of the 'cap' strength on the tire. The speed rating is as much or more a measurement of strength in order to pass the test. The logic being punctures and plugs weaken it's strength and so forth... Unless balance is affected (and a tire can of course be re-balanced) you are not likely to 'notice' any difference in a tire so repaired while driving the car. On any car I recommend an H rating at a minimum. It's rediculous so many heavy SUVs are running around on S T or non speed rated tires. Give ya one guess what kind of speed rating the Firestones Ford installed was.


COuldn't agree more djantlive. Makers of pricier cars justified this by citing that owners in recent years are less apt to change their own tires anyway and simply call a tow service or whatever according to surveys. That's when they got the bright idea to toss the tires and save weight and space and preserve precious cargo space in sports cars along w/ weight distribution. C5s haven't had spares since 1997 and that's about to be an 'old generation' car. They came for a while w/ run-flats not sure if they still do. I bet the Z06s do not. These tires are heavy, don't last that long, not known as great 'performance' tires, are expensive and as a result haven't proven to be that popular when it comes time to replace. Other than the convenience/safety factor - I've not heard that much in support of the tires but perhaps there's more to the story...?

WHen dealing w/ donuts: If you have anything other than an open axle like an LSD - If the flat is on a rear wheel and the donut is notably smaller in radius and you'll be traveling much distance - I suggest swapping a good front tire to the rear and putting the donut on the front.

---

Folks, can someone tell me just how intrusive and large the optional spare tire kit is? Looking at the trunk I was concerned it would all but obliterate cargo space. Is it a full size or a donut? Anybody have a pic of one installed?

How about a DIYer kit like a skinny donut off a junker car w/ the same bolt pattern and outside diameter bolted into the trunk?

Just an FYI - if you buy just a replacement donut tire itself from a tire dealer - you might be surprised how much those tires cost! A good $100+. And good luck finding a tire shop that will mount that expensive tire on your spare rim. My advice if you own a car that has a donut (or regular spare) is to check it's PSI annually - they are high - maybe 50PSI or better. And if you install one on a car and it's 'real' low on air - dont' bother driving it - it will be destroyed in no time at the sidewalls and you'll now be out an expensive donut to boot! Don't ask me how I came by this information though :)

Anyway I just can't see potentially ruining a perfectly good or repairable tire w/ a can of goo!

The Instant Mobility System (goo) kit already includes a 12V air pump. Just toss the patch kit in the glovebox or the rear seat passthrough cover and you're good to go.

Cool - thanks! Also maybe pliers to pull out stuff like say a nail and scissors possibly to trim plugs?

---

You know come to think of it, GM was providing cans of fix-a-flat as part of their collapsible spare system back in the 70s. You got a rim w/ a 'flat' spare tire so it could fit in a smaller spot along w/ a can. It was not an ordinary tire but had very soft sidewalls to allow it collapse down. You pulled the rim out and aired up the tire w/ the can of compressed air and hoped it was enough and put it on. Absolutely lousy.

Yeah, a buddy of mine had one of those collapsable-sidewall spares in one of his 911's, though Porsche provided a pretty decent 12V compressor to inflate it with, not a spraycan.

it would have been nice to get one of those sidewall spare on the rx8.

pgtr...

The spare is mounted to the roof of the trunk. It will pretty much make the trunk unuseable for anything but bgs of soft stuff. We opted to not get it and do the plug repair if far from home or if close, call a spouse and get one of the snow tire/wheels out of the garage for temp use.

I installed the spare, and the trunk is far from unusable. I can still fit a weeks worth of groceries, a days worth of random shopping, etc... I may have a problem if I go on a long trip with luggage, but in that situation I would want the spare tire even more.

By the way, pics here: https://www.rx8club.com/showthread.p...threadid=10852

Thanks everyone!

Is it a full width spare or a skinny donut spare in that kit?

If it's a full width - I'm still wondering if a skinny donut couldn't be substituted and get back some more trunk space...?

I've seen where it mounts on teh roof of a trunk but I've never actually seen one mounted in the trunk.

thanks,

Per this post, it's a regulation 17" emergency donut.

Seems like the goo treatment would be at least a $600.00 treatment having to replace the tire, valve and wheel afterwards. I might just get the spare and throw it in the trunk. You could only use it in a real emergency, if you followed the destructions.

Howdy,

Just a note, all Australian delivered RX8's come standard with the spare tyre kit (as well as the glue & pump). I won't use the glue stuff unless I get 2 flats at the same time!

I personally don't find the tyre too restrictive and the boot has enough space for my needs.

Also, the BMWs that don't come with a spare tyre, have run-flat tyres which can be driven to the nearest repair shop in their deflated state. Maybe this should have been Mazda's choice instead of not supplying a spare in the USA?

Pappy

My '93 Miata had the small, high-pressure spare. Had a flat in the wilds of Utah and changed wheels, no problem. HOWEVER, the now-flat tire/wheel will not fit back in the small space the spare had been, so it had to go on the passenger seat till I could get it repaired. I know a lot of Miata folks who have pulled the spare and carry goo and a compressor now.

The Chrysler Crossfire also has the goo/pump combination as standard.

Has anyone had a flat tire on their RX-8 and activated the Mazda Roadside Assistance service? If so what was their resolution for the flat tire...tow car?, to where?, take tire to be fixed and bring back?, etc. I'm sure I'll find out sooner or later but would like to be prepared. Thanx in advance, Last_D8

Thanksf or the reference eccles! But by 'regulation' - whose? DOT?

I just was over at BMWUSA surprsing myself that they do in fact have a decent 'options' list unlike Rx8s :( and you can optionally order RUN-CRAPS for your 3 series. I don't know if selecting the optional run-craps means you no longer get a spare w/ teh same car or not.

Poor choice of words on my part - I meant it's a regular emergency donut. I have no idea if those things are regulated, but I suspect some federal body has rules about 'em someplace.

I visited my friendly neighborhood Discount Tire and scrounged a couple of their big plastic bags from them. Carry one in the trunk with the spare (you can zip it up inside the vinyl cover to keep it out of the way) and you have something to put that dirty and/or wet full-size wheel in, so you don't mess up your interior.

Well, I had a flat tire about 2 week ago. Seems as if I somehow ran over a 2 inch screw and had it lodged in the tire. Anyways, the Tire Pressure Sensor worked perfectly. When I pulled over to the side of the road, and check the tires, to my amazement the rear left tire was completedly flat. It was down to approx. 10 psi's. The car actually still manages to maintain traction very well even on flat tires!!! I managed to use the IMS instant mobility system and sealed the puncture and used the included pump to get it back up to 35 psi's.

The next day, I went to America's Tire Company and had the tire patched up. Everything worked out fine but they told me that the IMS sealant could possibly have damaged the sensors. I tested the Tire Pressure Sensor by lowering that tire pressure to about 25 psi and the light came back on.

I tried to refill the IMS bottle at my local dealership but because the rx-8 is relatively still new, they had no clue how much it would cost or even how to refill it? The dealership guy has been looking into this for 2 weeks now without an answer. Anyone know how it can be refill? As for the fixed tire, it has been great.

I guess America's Tire never read the manual where it says you have to trash the tire after you use the goop. The goop is supposed to be incompatible with patch adhesive. I'd be interested to know if the patch lasts the life of the tire. Maybe they know some trick for fixing it.

I went out and bought the spare off Ebay and installed it myself. I think it knocked off more that a third of the useful trunk volume. Still, I'm glad I have it.

Is it possible to just buy the wheel/tire and case separately from the mounting kit? That way, if you need the trunk, you can throw it in the backseat, and if you need the backseat, you can throw it in the trunk. I'd like to do that if possible.

Arrgh!! None of this spare-less concept makes sense to me. Let's get this straight - not having a spare is good enough because
1) you get a bottle of goo which
- is a pain to use
- RUINS your tire
- ruins your valve
- makes replacement difficult
- only works for certain punctures
- you're supposed to get refilled but can't because they sold you the car but didn't bother with the support infrastructure

2) you get "Roadside Assistance" which
- is for a limited time only
- not much use in the boonies
- may or may not arrive in a timeframe that's convenient
- may not arrive at all.
- may be unreachable

Heaven forbid I'd have to use part of my trunk space for something as archaic as a spare tire! Oh, the humiliation :p

I dunno - isn't there something to be said for having a spare ready-to-go that can

- fix any flat in a few minutes?
- doesn't ruin the original tire
- doesn't ruin the valve
- doesn't require a phone call/cellphone
- doesn't require you to wait for someone to arrive
- still gives you the option of the goo and/or roadside assistance

Am I nuts?

You are far from nuts nubo, esp. given how faaaaaaaantastic Mazda service is.

But still, I'd rather do without the mounting frame if I can.

The problem with the goo is that it makes a mess. The tire guys don't like wiping out all the slimy goo in the tire, and on the wheel and valve stem. Also, they would have to grind the area to be patched, so that the patch will stick. On the other hand, if they use a plug, it shouldn't be much of a problem.

Well you can order the spare kit and just not have it installed. Nothing says the tire won't work if the crossbar isn't put in, so you could always just tote the spare in the trunk or the back seat (yikes!) if you thought you might need it. I was willing to part w/ trunk space permanently to have my kit installed, but nothing says I can't pull the spare if I need more room on occasion. I just wasn't about to move across country without it.

My thought are: just to buy the spare but not the entire kit. And throw it in my trunk - hopefully I can secure it myself. I don't want to lose that passthru opening in the trunk.

Also, Does anyone know if I can just buy any doughnut type spare tire that happens to fit (well at least 16" for automatic and 18" for manual)?? Or must it be from Mazda. My thought is - I won't be driving on the doughnut for long anyway.