I am not comfortable with the "no spare" situation of our RX-8, since I strongly suspect that injecting the rubber stuff into the tire will effectively kill an expensive tire. With all the construction going on around where we live, we still have flats with disconcerting regularity, even on very good, steel-belted radials.

So, my question is: Does spraying the rubber goo into the tire effectively kill it, and, if so, is there any decent solution to the problem short of paying Mazda a small fortune for the "spare tire kit?" Does the spare tire kit significantly impinge on storage space?

Thanks.

 

Once you use the goo.. I do believe the tire is shot.
I know when you use fix-a-flat the tire is shot.. so I am assuming the same about the mazda goo...

I have the spare tire and it does kill a lot of storage.
PM me if you want me to take a pic of the trunk with the spare installed.

-B

 

Could you go ahead and take a pic with the spare tire? I don't know how many have the goo-kit; I do and I'm curious how much trunk space I would lose with the tire.

 

The Emergency Flat Tire Repair Kit is standard.

 

Unfortunately, yes. Given that I frequently drive in places where there is no cell phone coverage, I didn't see that I really had a choice. It really all depends on how willing you are to find yourself (literally) in the wilderness without a spare.
And try this thread for pictures.
(The search function is your friend!)

 

I bought the spare tire kit to give me peace of mind on long road trips. But if I am local and I need the extra storage space I can easily remove it and keep my cell phone handy for a tow.