Help Me With Flat/Spare Situation

[TromboneAl]

I carry a bicycle pump in each car, as I don't want to worry that the battery in an inflator will be dead, or the wire is too hard to stretch to the tire from the cigarette lighter.

LOL, I've done that, too, but I decided not to mention it here, because the EV-deniers would have a field day:

"What? Your high-tech, $60,000 car needs a bicycle pump??"

 

[RetiredAt55.5]

LOL, I've done that, too, but I decided not to mention it here, because the EV-deniers would have a field day:

"What? Your high-tech, $60,000 car needs a bicycle pump??"

Well, putting the $60,000 price aside, you'd have to admit there is some irony that the car has a battery large enough to power a 3,000+ pound car for 300 miles but can't power a tire inflator.

 

[TromboneAl]

Well, putting the $60,000 price aside, you'd have to admit there is some irony that the car has a battery large enough to power a 3,000+ pound car for 300 miles but can't power a tire inflator.

Yes, ironic.

The explanation is this: The 12V never has to be used to run a starter motor, so it's smaller on the Tesla than on ICE cars. It is recharged from the big mother battery, but not fast enough for some loads.

I don't know if it's smaller to reduce weight or for some other reason.

The early Tesla Roadsters had no 12V battery, but that led to other problems such as the main battery dying if the car was left for months with no charging.

With the Leaf, I ran things off the 12V during power outages. I can do the same with the Tesla, but more gingerly.

 

[freedomatlast]

IMHO, Al is doing the right thing getting the spare tire kit. I recently did the same for my BMW.

To me, the most important thing if I get a flat tire along the interstate or anywhere else, is to get it fixed as quickly as possible and be on my way.

I don't want waste time trying to find the hole, plugging it along the side of the road, and waiting for a 12V air compressor to refill it. I don't want to depend on AAA or anyone else to get there in a timely manner for help. I don't want to be sitting along the side road doing nothing, taking the risk of some inattentive texting driver crashing into me. I don't want to risk some thief stopping by and causing trouble.

Swapping a flat tire for an inflated spare is clearly the quickest option independent of how badly the flat tire and/or wheel is damaged.

I can change a tire in less than 10 minutes using hand tools. I personally torque all of my lugs with a torque wrench so I know they won't be over-tightened when trying to remove them. To me carrying a spare tire is the only way to go. And when you think about the total amount you pay for insurance in a year, approximately $300 (which is a one time charge) for a spare tire kit is a bargain. And when you sell the vehicle, you can resell the spare tire kit if you want to, for most of what you paid for it.

 

[gerntz]

I thought run flat tires got rid of the need for spares.

 

[TromboneAl]

Well put, FAL. My spare is on the way.

As with many things, I see the high cost of the spare as, in part, a problem of standards. How many different sizes, bolt patterns, tires, etc. are there? I'm guessing hundreds or thousands.

Eli Whitney came up with the idea of interchangeable parts in 1798.

Couldn't a given car be designed to work with one of only 10 or 20 wheel/tire designs? If so, spares would be dirt cheap, and there would be plenty of used ones on the market.

 

[TromboneAl]

I thought run flat tires got rid of the need for spares.

Apparently they currently have a high rolling resistance.

 

[travelover]

I don't know....it seems like this whole topic should be in a special thread for electric vehicles.

 

[TromboneAl]

Here's the new spare. When I get my torque wrench and high-quality chocks, I'll try it out. I'll be getting a cover for the tire. I have an electric inflator, and the bike pump is the backup.

 

[pb4uski]

Well, putting the $60,000 price aside, you'd have to admit there is some irony that the car has a battery large enough to power a 3,000+ pound car for 300 miles but can't power a tire inflator.

or that a $60,000 car doesn't come with a spare tire or even offer a OEM spare tire as an accessory.

 

[yidal8]

I guess Tesla must figure that if you can afford one of their cars, you can afford to have it towed to a tire store. And if the tire store has to order a Tesla tire for you, then you can afford to rent a car until they call to tell you that your Tesla is back in service.

I dunno? I never had a Tesla, and probably never will. I just drive regular ol' Toyotas.

I assume you test-drove a Tesla and did not find it to your liking? because many new 'regular ol Toyota's' cost more than a new Tesla. Regardless, many new cars don't come with a spare kit. Just do your research BEFORE buying/leasing a new (to you) car if that is important to you.
It is very important to me, and is one of the first things I check/ask for when looking at a car I otherwise like

 

[RetiredAt55.5]

or that a $60,000 car doesn't come with a spare tire or even offer a OEM spare tire as an accessory.

In fairness though, looking at the OP's trunk space with the spare, there is a trade off with the reduced storage space. Most car makers put (or used to put) the spare under the trunk floor, where Telsa has the mother battery. So, I kinda get Telsa's thinking about going without a spare. I also get the OP's thinking about wanting a spare though.

 

[gerntz]

Apparently they currently have a high rolling resistance.

Mine don't have enough to justify getting a spare.

 

[gerntz]

Since you can drive up to 50 miles at 50 mph with run flats, why does one need a spare?

 

[Gearhead Jim]

Since you can drive up to 50 miles at 50 mph with run flats, why does one need a spare?

We've been driving Corvettes for 20 years, runflats and no spare. Early versions were noisy and had a very stiff ride, our current (2017) 'vette is still noisy with a stiff ride but people who have tried non-runflats on the same car, say the ride and noise aren't much different. The noise and stiff ride are the price you pay for the excellent handling.

The one time we had a flat was a sidewall cut on a narrow winding road where a flatbed couldn't get in, and there were no tools to remove the bad tire and no transportation available to take it to the nearest tire store about 30 miles away. So we just got in and drove to the tire store on the flat, shortest way was the "Tail of the Dragon" (318 turns in 11 miles) in eastern Tennessee. I wasn't racing, but normal driving worked just fine.

On a Corvette Forum, I once asked the farthest distance anyone had traveled on a flat runflat. The winner had gone over 400 miles flat because there were no tire stores open on a Sunday afternoon. So you can go a very long way if you keep the speed at 50 and the tire is already ruined.

 

[2177V]

Our new Tesla came without a spare.

My choices:

1. Buy a spare for $175 on eBay (like this).
2. Buy a tire repair kit (plugs, etc)
3. Depend on Tesla's road service

Variables:

1. There are places around here with limited/no cell phone coverage
2. Slime type repairs don't work because the tires have noise-dampening foam inside
3. If the road service tow company can't fix the tire, it will only tow you to a Tesla place, which is 300 miles from here (IIUC).

I bought a spare for the Leaf for only $75, and I saved my bacon once (and a repair kit wouldn't have worked).

My main question: How often a tire problems fixable with a repair kit?

Thanks.

I owned a Corvette with run flat tires and no spare. When the tires wore out, I replaced them with high performance non-run flat tires but I purchased a spare. However, I only carried the spare during a long vacation or when a flat tire would have consequences. This does not happen very often.

During my commute, the consequences is being late to work. During driving around town, the consequences is more of a nuisance. During a vacation, the consequences of having a shorter vacation which is not good.

About 50% of my flats had a nail which causes a leak and I managed to drive home only to discover the flat tire the next morning. About 25% of my flats while driving could have been fixed with a repair kit. The remaining 25% had a severe gash which a repair kit would not fix.

My recommendation: Some Tesla service areas may put on a spare tire/wheel and they would follow you home at which time the spare tire/wheel is returned after you get home. I would call to determine if this is an option. If not, get a spare tire since it sounds like you live in the sticks...where the consequences is more severe.