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

 

Had a flat once and used the tire kit.....most RX-8 dont come with the spare tire....it just adds weight to the car and your trunk space will be even smaller

 

Hmmm. I had the donut. Then I decided that I would never put it on my car and sold it. Got a flat a couple weeks ago and had to wait 5 days to ship in a new tire. I'm going to mount a tire on a spare wheel and take that on long trips.

 

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 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.

 

When I bought the car, it came with another full sized wheel/tire. Adds weight, but at least it will keep me goin'!

 

I think it's pretty pointless unless you're traveling far away from towing services. Takes up precious trunk room.

 

Good thing I don't use my trunk for anything

 

My trunk room isn't that precious. I'm keeping the donut in there.

 

That's what we all said as new owners, and then fairly soon the donut got pitched into a corner of the garage.

It takes up space, and adds weight.

 

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

 

You talk about it like it's 200 pounds. I don't like getting stranded. Plus I love the rims. I might get three more.

 

^^^ 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.

 

think about the serious drop you could hook up with 4 of those without having to worry about rubbing teh fenders

 

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!

 

Yeah. I really need to start going to the gym.

 

How do you guys avoid nails, etc.? I've had tons of flats in the last 20 years. They just happen. Fine, I'm ditching the donut and all the doors, too.

 

If you have a lot of construction going on in your area and/or on your route, then your chances of getting a flat increase greatly

 

I've probably averaged a flat a year over the last 10 years. Good ole NJ.

 

Thinking about the bite that a spare takes out of the trunk space...I wonder if anyone makes a continental kit for the 8.

Ken

 

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.

 

fix-a-flat.....

 

duct tape. fixes everything!!

 

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"

 

^did the same thing but happened to both front and rear wheels so a spare wouldn;t have helped anyway