Poll: How Often Have You Had A Flat Tire?

[Midpack]

To my dismay, neither of our cars have a spare tire, jack, etc. I guess that’s becoming more and more common. Even worse, I’d be more than willing to buy everything needed, but there’s no place to put it all without tying up tons of space in the trunk/hatch. Most cars used to have a well under the trunk floor as most of you probably remember.

So I am debating buying spares for our cars, but there’s no place to carry it. Bad enough in DW’s trunk, but even worse in my hatchback.

That said, DW and I have been driving for over 50 years and we have one flat tire between us about 30 years ago. I changed the tire in less than 10 minutes and we didn’t even miss our dinner reservation (DW said ‘I didn’t know you could do that.’).

So maybe I just take a chance. I might consider a plug kit and inflator as an alternative. But I am not interested in spray goo solutions, I’d rather deal with a tow than that.

We only drive on paved roads, and I replace tires at 4/32” tread depth, so I don’t push our luck. Please don’t vote if you’re an off-roader, racer, or special cases?

Maybe I’m getting too old to change a tire anyway. BTD.

 

[Nash]

41 years driving. One flat tire- it was 1993.

But, I'm not a fan of "no spare tire". I refuse to buy a vehicle that doesn't have one.

 

[OldShooter]

I'm in the same boat. Very few flats and all but one that I remember were the result of slow overnight leaks with the car in our driveway. So those got the 409 bubbles to spot the leak and a plug kit plus the compressor that lives in the garage anyway. Lots of junk kits out there. Mine came from NAPA years ago.

 

[street]

I voted 30 years.

Now a flat to me is flat so maybe one but can't even remember one of those. I have had a half dozen or so slow leaks, and I catch them right away, so I take care of them and off I go.

I have a donut or a real tire on every outfit I have ever owned. This new truck I'm getting comes with a real full-size tire as a spare. It is standard item that comes with it no special add on.

In my neck of the woods a spare may be your lifeline out of a bad situation because of there is no people to help out.

 

[Ronstar]

53 years driving. Can’t remember all the flat tires that I’ve had. Maybe 10. and about 5 years apart.

Luckily never had one in my Corvette that had no spare. Every other vehicle Ive had (about 15-20) have had full size spares. Other than the corvette, I’ve only had SUV’s or trucks since 1982- all with full size spares. I did get a flat in DWs car with a small spare.

 

[Lakedog]

Last one was at least 30 years ago but my 2023 Tacoma has a full size spare (just in case).

 

[disneysteve]

I can't imagine having a car without a spare tire.


My daughter had a nail in her tire a few weeks ago. The shop didn't have a tire in stock so we had them put the spare on until the next day so she could still use the car.


I last had a flat sometime last year but was able to make it to the shop and they did have a tire in stock so I didn't need the spare that time.

 

[ownyourfuture]

Just once.
https://www.early-retirement.org/forums/f27/anyone-missing-a-91577.html

 

[marko]

Massachusetts roads are "pothole-city". Lots of other road hazards too. Between two cars we get a flat once or twice a year. Have ride-flat tires and we buy tire protection when we sign up on our car leases.

 

[Midpack]

Those of you with full spares, you will have to deal with this trend sooner or later, unless you really want to severely limit your choices of vehicles. Don't get me wrong, I would rather have a DIY spare of some sort...

Over the past five years, about 10 percent of the cars tested by Consumer Reports came with a full-sized spare. About 60 percent came with a temporary (aka space saver) spare tire, and the rest were equipped with a sealant kit or a run-flat tire, or nothing at all.

About a third of new cars today do not come with a spare tire, though they might also be equipped with a compressor and sealant kit to temporarily fix a flat tire. Some cars without a spare come with a run-flat tire, which is designed to operate for a limited distance after losing air from a typical puncture.

 

[Ronstar]

^ not good. Fortunately i see future trucks and jeeps always having full size spares. But I suppose DW’s future cars will have this problem

 

[braumeister]

Poll selections don't work for me because flat tires were very, very common when I was young, but very, very rare today. Tires have gotten so much better over the years that it just amazes me.

Last actual flat I had was about 15 years ago.

 

[frank05]

Last flat I had the car had a mini spare but the jack was locked into the car with the zip ties they used fir delivery. Fortunately someone I knew stopped with a knife.

 

[Car-Guy]

I'm just going back about 20 years since (1) I can't recall a lot of repairs going back further than that and (2) tires before then we really crappy, at least the ones I had. Since the late 90's I only run better (or best) tires and usually replace them long before needed. All the cars I've owned since the late 90's have been equipped with run-flats and no spares. (But they still get flats) And all my trucks came with full size spares.

With all that said, I can recall getting at least 2 flats on my car tires and 3 flats on my truck tires. (Maybe one or two more in the last 20+ years) I was able to make it home on all of them (slower leaks) except one which I had to change on the road. In all cases I was able to repair all the flats at home with good tire repair kits. A couple I was able to fix without even taking the tire/wheel off the car.

 

[REWahoo]

I can recall two blowouts over the past 10 years. Far more frequently than a flat I manage to get a nail or screw in a tire resulting in a slow leak that I plug at home and not requiring I use a spare.

Our 21 SUV came with a full-size spare but the 22 Bolt did not so purchased a donut/space saver spare from a wrecking yard. I would prefer to not be totally dependent on waiting for some roadside service to come rescue me.

 

[MichaelB]

I’ve been driving for 55 years. In the first 40 years I had no flat tires, In the past 15 years we’ve had 5 flat tires or leaks, all in South Florida. 2 tires were repaired, 3 were lost and had to be replaced.

 

[Dawg52]

I’ve never had a completely deflated tire. I have had tires in the process of going down but I had enough time to limp in a tire shop. Probably 3-4 of those in my life. My current SUV doesn’t have a spare either. I do have a couple of inflator pumps I take with me. And a can of the goo spray as a last resort but have never used one.

 

[skyking1]

None on the truck, a few slow leaks on the Beetle over the years, but the kicker is my wife's Tuguan.
It had two in December and January. The first was a little capillary tube like a big gauge hypodermic needle, and that let the air out rather efficiently.
Next we were driving past Les Schwab and Firestone and she felt something. I get home and find a big hole in the tread, then look again and see a steel wheel weight has gone through the tread and then poked out the sidewall too.
All 3 of our cars/trucks have full size spares and jacks.

 

[anothercog]

To my dismay, neither of our cars have a spare tire, jack, etc. I guess that’s becoming more and more common. Even worse, I’d be more than willing to buy everything needed, but there’s no place to put it all without tying up tons of space in the trunk/hatch. Most cars used to have a well under the trunk floor as most of you probably remember.

So I am debating buying spares for our cars, but there’s no place to carry it. Bad enough in DW’s trunk, but even worse in my hatchback.

That said, DW and I have been driving for over 50 years and we have one flat tire between us about 30 years ago. I changed the tire in less than 10 minutes and we didn’t even miss our dinner reservation (DW said ‘I didn’t know you could do that.’).

So maybe I just take a chance. I might consider a plug kit and inflator as an alternative. But I am not interested in spray goo solutions, I’d rather deal with a tow than that.

We only drive on paved roads, and I replace tires at 4/32” tread depth, so I don’t push our luck. Please don’t vote if you’re an off-roader, racer, or special cases?

Maybe I’m getting too old to change a tire anyway. BTD.

My wife primarily drives our Chrysler Pacifica PHEV. It also does not have a spare. So many houses are getting remodeled in our area that she ends up driving over a nail at least twice a year. Usually too close to the sidewall that it can't be patched. It's maddening.

 

[Lewis Clark]

That said, DW and I have been driving for over 50 years and we have one flat tire between us about 30 years ago. I changed the tire in less than 10 minutes and we didn’t even miss our dinner reservation (DW said ‘I didn’t know you could do that.’).

My father-in-law would not let my wife get her driver's license until she demonstrated she could replace a flat tire with the spare tire from the trunk. Of course, that was in the mid 1980s.

 

[skyking1]

The 2019 Tiguan has a full size spare, due to not having a 3rd row of seats. That was win-win for us.

 

[statsman]

For a period of time back in the Bay Area, it seemed like we were getting a flat tire every 18-24 months. Nails, large screws, you name it. Some even through the sidewall, requiring the tire to be replaced (and sometimes tire pairs on the AWD vehicles).

In the five or so years we've been in Central Texas, we (I) have gotten one flat tire. Thankfully, it was a slow leak, allowing me to get the vehicle to the tire shop for a repair. I think our occurrences for flats is lower since we don't commute to work. Our kid, OTOH, has had two flats in 18 months, one in the sidewall. It must run in our family.

 

[W2R]

The only flat tire I have ever had in my entire life, was in the late 1990's about a month after my divorce. I was living in Baton Rouge where I had just moved, and got the flat tire after work about 4 blocks from my rental house. I had just moved to Louisiana, and knew nobody. I did not have the slightest clue about how to change a tire, and I had no credit cards and no money (divorce can do that). Thank goodness, my junky old used K-car did have a real spare tire.

I walked home and called a guy from work, who barely knew who I was and was not thrilled. But, he drove the 20 miles or so to my neighborhood to change my tire.

 

[easysurfer]

My current car is a pothole magnet. Had a sidewall tire flat about 5 years ago after hitting a pothole. I do have a doughnut in the car's tire well.

 

[aaronc879]

I have only had one flat in my life. It was when I was in Florida on vacation. Luckily I wasn't going very fast and was able to almost immediately pull into a parking lot. I then called AAA. Don't care about having a spare, that is what AAA is for. Zero chance i'm changing a tire on the side of the road.