I'm posting this because maybe, like me, you haven't had a flat in a long time—or ever. So learn from my mistake. It's good to know—before it happens—exactly what you would do if you got one.

Ok, so Saturday night I go to the garage where I keep my car only to discover that my right rear passenger tire is completely flat. (My garage is a couple of subway stops from my house. So I couldn't quickly search here for advice.) What to do? Call Roadside Assistance? (Are flats covered? Would they fix it for me? Just tow it? Tow it where??) Or should I put on the spare (yes, my 8 came with one) and find a garage? Or should I use the IMS kit? Too many choices!! My point is, no option "jumped out" as being the obvious "right" choice. Well as it turns out, I made the stupid, expensive choice—IMS.

IMS worked just fine. But if you use it, Mazda says you should then replace the tire. Which I did, to the tune of $233 (+ $35 balance & mounting) + $85 to refill the IMS sealant bottle. For a grand total of over $350—for an ordinary screw-in-the-tread puncture. If I had used the spare—or called Roadside Assistance—I could've gotten the car (or just the flat tire) to a garage and had the tire repaired for just twenty bucks. I didn't realize the tire could be repaired (it's been 14 years since my last flat, and I wasn't even sure if the newest tires are repairable) until I searched here—after I used the IMS.

So if you get a flat, I'd suggest using IMS only if you don't have the luxury of waiting for a tow, or the luxury of getting dirty to put on the spare. (I will say this for IMS—it did let me quickly continue my evening as if nothing had happened. I didn't have to wait for a tow truck, and I didn't have to drive crippled with a lame-o temporary spare. But IMS is, indeed, an expensive luxury.)

Again, I post this because maybe you haven't had a flat in a long time. Know—in advance—exactly what you'll do. Here's what I've learned (and—duh—I know many of you already know this):
1) Most punctures (a nail, screw, or piece of glass in the tread) can be repaired for $20 or less. If you don't have to be somewhere right now, wait for a tow—or use the spare—and get the tire fixed.
2) IMS is good—very expensive, but good—if you don't have a spare and you can't wait for a tow. Or, even if you have a spare, when you can't wait for a tow and you need to continue driving a long distance at high speeds (which you shouldn't do with the temporary spare).

 

thanks for the head's up. sorry you had to learn that lesson from experience.

 

Something to consider is that you may not want to run around on a patched low profile tire.

Especially if you drive fast.

 

orrr.. most mazda rx-8's come stock with a 1 use sealant for the tire... that is good up to 500 miles.... so yeah.. just learn how 2 use that.

 

umm thats exactly what he did....



Me on the other hand. I have a full size spare shoved in the trunk.

If it's just a "sitting" flat I'd try and pump up the tire with the compressor in the IMS kit first. I also have a $10 plug kit. good enough to get you around without worries till you can boot the tire.

 

I bought my tires from Discount Tire and paid the $15 extra per tire to get the free replacements on them. I figure that if it is a flat that I can't air up for long enough to get somewhere, I will use the Mazda tire repair kit and drive it to Discount Tire for my free replacement.

It is kinda like paying for insurance. Chances of needing a new tire before the tires are worn out is slim, but it is worth it just in case.

 

As an FYI...

If you have a spare tire, and the rear is a flat, move a front to the rear, and replace the front with the spare tire. Be sure the lugs are properly torqued down. I don't think many of you carry a torque wrench with you, but tight is better than loose. When you get home, torque it down correctly. As a rule of thumb, the spare tire should always be in front, even if its a flat in the rear. Just shuffle around.

The last thing you want is your rear (spare) tire flying off, or bursting in mid-turn. It will be uncontrollable oversteer that will be impossible to correct. You may end up looping it and sliding off the road into some objects or other vehicles.

If the front goes, you can understeer safely to a median. Even if they are properly torqued down, I still suggest the front being a spare, not the rear. On any car, FWD included, but espically on an RX8 as the power is given to the rear wheels.

I also suggest carrying a portable air compressor with you, even the one that plugs into the AC adapter is fine. They cost $15-20 at an autostore. Just be sure your car is turned on and running when using the compressor. Otherwise you'll have a full tire, but a dead battery. They drain batteries very quickly. While you'd still have a leak or a problem in the tire, it might be enough to get you to the nearest tire shop or back home.

Discount Tire has always repaired my tires for free (3 nails within the past 2 years), even though I hadn't bought my tires from them. It may be different in your area, but its something to look into.

 

we do carry a compressor

 

The best way to repair a nail hole in perfromance tires is to have the tire taken off the rim and use a patch plug; it is actually a combination of a plug pulled through the hole and a patch (all one piece) that is adhered to the inside of the tire. No matter what you do, the tire is no longer speed rated but this is the best and safest repair. If the hole is in the sidewall or near it, throw the tire away, its done.

 

the front tire are the ones that you use to control the car with, you need the best tires in the front.

 

That would be the IMS he spent most of his post talking about.

 

I change tires all the time and don't get anything dirty but my hands. How are you doing it that it's so dirty it's a bad option?

 

You're right. Also, for some reason I kept thinking the IMS/sealant tire is just as good as an unpunctured one—it isn't. There's even a sticker for your instrument panel in the IMS kit cautioning you to NOT drive over 50mph. Which means—if that's true—that the IMS/sealant tire is really NO BETTER than the little temporary spare. Interesting.

 

Ya know, it's funny, but I can't do anything on my car without needing a shower and a change of clothes.

 

So let me ask you guys—would any of you replace the tire anyway—rather than get it repaired—just because it's no longer "officially" speed-rated? (I'm talking about just for regular (though fast), non-track driving.)

 

Tire Plugger. Mushroom plug inserted via pistol. I gotta get me one of those.

Sure beats the t-handle straight-plug deal I got in my trunk for That Special Day.

 

Assuming it is just a nail hole in the tread and I had it properly repaired I would keep using the tire for normal moderately fast driving. I would not drive it at 120mph anywhere.

 

That is normal driving...

 

*Unless you use the optional spare. It's not good for the LSD to put wheels of different diameters on the rear. I believe it even states this in the owner's manual.

 

That is incorrect.

Understeer is much easier to control than oversteer. Some drivers are very good at controlling oversteer, but an average driver has very limited correctional ability. However, understeer is very simple to control for most drivers, just reduce speed (don't slam on brakes!). Oversteer is a condition in which the rear tires have exceeded their maximum gripping capability and starts to slide out. Understeer is the opposite, where the front wheels have exceeded their capabilities and start to slide. Neither are good, but understeer is easier to control.

However, if a rear tire blows or falls off, you're going to get huge snap oversteer. It will be impossible to correct, and your car will be out of control. You WILL be spinning the car.

If a front tire blows or falls off, you can just roll to a complete stop on a median, safely.

For a visual reference, I suggest clicking here to see why more grip on the rear is more important than grip on the front for vehicle control.

http://www.discounttire.com/dtcs/infoTiresRear.dos

While the visual link does not say anything about a spare tire, the concept is still the same. A sudden loss of grip on the rear is more difficult to control than sudden loss of grip on the front.