Spare Tire, have one?
11-09-2009, 05:56 AM
#1
Resu Deretsiger
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Spare Tire, have one?
OK, probably just a newbee question, but...
I never had a car without a spare tire, so
What do most of you do. Just go without and use the
can of fix-a-flat on that day.
---- OR -----
Do you go for the spare tire option and play it safe?
Ever have a flat.
Tnx
Jim
I never had a car without a spare tire, so
What do most of you do. Just go without and use the
can of fix-a-flat on that day.
---- OR -----
Do you go for the spare tire option and play it safe?
Ever have a flat.
Tnx
Jim
11-09-2009, 09:51 AM
#4
I only throw my doughnut spare in the trunk for long trips (cover velcroed to the carpet floor). 99% of the time it sits in my garage.
I've only had one slow leak in my '8 (thanks TPMS) which I patched myself.
I haven't changed a tire on the road in over a dozen years. These days you're better off calling a flatbed tow (AAA or Mazda) as the highways have become ever more congested and dangerous.
I've only had one slow leak in my '8 (thanks TPMS) which I patched myself.
I haven't changed a tire on the road in over a dozen years. These days you're better off calling a flatbed tow (AAA or Mazda) as the highways have become ever more congested and dangerous.
11-09-2009, 09:55 AM
#5
I have the spare tire option and the fix-a-flat kit. I got a flat once, and didn't even realize it was flat due to the run-flat tires. I am sure if I would have driven further, it would have drained far enough for me to notice, but never-the-less, it never got to that point. The spare tire really takes up a sh*t load of room in the trunk, and unless you are going on a long trip, I would recommend just sticking with the fix-a-flat kit and leaving the spare in the garage.
11-09-2009, 02:10 PM
#11
Registered
Don't run over any nails and you'll be fine. 
Over the past 20 or 30 years, with three cars in the family, I've only had three flat tires. Only one of them (tire cut by hitting a sharp curb) required a spare. One was a slow leak that was fixed by driving into a gas station for a plug, the other was a flat found in the morning with a car parked in the driveway. With those odds, and a paid up AAA membership, I'm happy to live with just the compressor-and-goop kit, plus a plug kit I picked up at Wal-Mart.
If you have a modest leak, try to avoid using the goop. It will finish off the tire for sure, and may kill the TPMS.
Ken
Over the past 20 or 30 years, with three cars in the family, I've only had three flat tires. Only one of them (tire cut by hitting a sharp curb) required a spare. One was a slow leak that was fixed by driving into a gas station for a plug, the other was a flat found in the morning with a car parked in the driveway. With those odds, and a paid up AAA membership, I'm happy to live with just the compressor-and-goop kit, plus a plug kit I picked up at Wal-Mart.
If you have a modest leak, try to avoid using the goop. It will finish off the tire for sure, and may kill the TPMS.
Ken
11-09-2009, 02:13 PM
#13
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^^^ I have always wanted to see an RX-8 with 4 of those.
if you lived closer, I'd even loan you mine to see what this looks like.
if you lived closer, I'd even loan you mine to see what this looks like.
11-09-2009, 02:19 PM
#15
The donut spare itself doesn't weigh a lot that's true, but given our relatively low powered machine every bit in aggregate does make a difference.
It's somewhat akin to the Lotus Elise mind set - low power but very low weight.
As Ken cites, just consider how many (how few) flats you've gotten in say the past 20 years. So few I too will go with AAA and/or the goop kit insurance for everyday, using the spare only on long trips.
Four yellow Enkei's; could be cool ...... NOT!
It's somewhat akin to the Lotus Elise mind set - low power but very low weight.
As Ken cites, just consider how many (how few) flats you've gotten in say the past 20 years. So few I too will go with AAA and/or the goop kit insurance for everyday, using the spare only on long trips.
Four yellow Enkei's; could be cool ...... NOT!
11-09-2009, 03:40 PM
#21
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I've gotten few flats over my lifetime but with the RX-8 and it's stiff sidewalls and low profile tires, it is prone to pick up nails. I had 5 incidents in the past two years I've owned this car. That might be unusual and just dumb luck but I now carry a tire patch kit (the awl and worm jellies kind) with me in my car.
It's so easy to repair most flat tires and I think it could even be done on the car off the side of the road in a jam. I also keep a nail puller, flat head screw driver, dikes, needle nose pliers and robo-grips (all for pulling nails) plus a razor blade and a cheap maglite flashlight in my homemade tire repair fix kit. I bought a nice leather pouch to keep all these tools in and put it in the container in the truck behind the back seat.
So yeah, having no spare tire is cause for concern but it is not really practical in this car.
The OEM fix a flat **** works and is good stuff but then you've basically ruined your tire using it. It's tough to wash that stuff out of the tire if it can be done. Plus I heard it affects the tire when you re-balance it in the future.
Again, the stiff side walls on this car make it prone to pick up nails. Just my experience.
It's so easy to repair most flat tires and I think it could even be done on the car off the side of the road in a jam. I also keep a nail puller, flat head screw driver, dikes, needle nose pliers and robo-grips (all for pulling nails) plus a razor blade and a cheap maglite flashlight in my homemade tire repair fix kit. I bought a nice leather pouch to keep all these tools in and put it in the container in the truck behind the back seat.
So yeah, having no spare tire is cause for concern but it is not really practical in this car.
The OEM fix a flat **** works and is good stuff but then you've basically ruined your tire using it. It's tough to wash that stuff out of the tire if it can be done. Plus I heard it affects the tire when you re-balance it in the future.
Again, the stiff side walls on this car make it prone to pick up nails. Just my experience.
11-09-2009, 03:55 PM
#24
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i have a spare, used it twice and fix a flat would have been useless...driving hit a pothole and boom goes the tire/rim...put the spare on in like 10min and was back on the road..other time i ran over a huge nail more like a screw like 3/4" or maybe 1"