Just now catching up to the decade in motoring, I find spare tires are less the norm.

The wife's new/used car has no spare, should have an inflator/sealer rig, doesn't. Must have been a flat somewhere in the past.

The units seem a little overpriced for a temporary fix. More disturbing, I read some claiming they'll ruin the tire pressure sensor.

I guess I could get one of those tiny temporary tires, seems like a waste of time and space unless the damaged tire disintegrates.

Some suggest a low ball 12V compressor and one of those poke and seal deals like these --

This and that .

Any fix is temporary, any reason not to go this way?

This might be easier. Of course, your TPS might be ruined in the process.

https://www.amazon.com/Slime-4...otive&sr=1-6-catcorr

No much different than what I carry:
Viair 88P

and Tooluxe Repair Kit

add in a set of pliers (for pulling nails, screws, and other such road debris) and a knife or razor of some sort to cut the plug shorter after setting it

I don’t have a spare nor can the vehicle accommodate a spare. Run-flats only.

Ruining the TPMS would be the last thing to worry about if you're stuck with a flat in the wrong part of town or 100 miles from service. Most of the 'slime' type products will muck up the sensor as well as make tire repairs more difficult when you do get to service.

If the potential of TPMS damage is a concern, buy a small 12v compressor and be prepared to refill every so often. Hopefully it's only a puncture and nothing more serious.

My car has no spare tire, run flats and TPMS. I still carry a 12v compressor, aluminum scissors jack, tire plugs and tools. I'm hoping my over thinking will never be needed.

quote:

Originally posted by PD:
I don’t have a spare nor can the vehicle accommodate a spare. Run-flats only.

Same here, car didn't even come with a jack & took kit.

quote:

Originally posted by az4783054:
Ruining the TPMS would be the last thing to worry about if you're stuck with a flat in the wrong part of town or 100 miles from service. Most of the 'slime' type products will muck up the sensor as well as make tire repairs more difficult when you do get to service.

If the potential of TPMS damage is a concern, buy a small 12v compressor and be prepared to refill every so often. Hopefully it's only a puncture and nothing more serious.

My car has no spare tire, run flats and TPMS. I still carry a 12v compressor, aluminum scissors jack, tire plugs and tools. I'm hoping my over thinking will never be needed.

This-a 12 volt compressor AND a tire plug kit (around $5)

My 2019 Fiesta ST came with a full size spare and all the tools needed to change out the tire. Also have room in the tire well to carry my 12V compressor, so I have all of the contingencies covvered.

I have a 2015 Accord Hybrid with no spare. The car came with
a 12 volt compressor and tire sealant.
There are no Tire pressure sensors.
Tire pressure is monitored by the relationship of the 4 wheels
rotational speed with each other.
There is a procedure to recalibrate the computer in case a change
is made in wheel circumference.

I found this so interesting, thought I'd pass it on.
Regards, Jack

quote:

Originally posted by mutedblade:
No much different than what I carry:
Viair 88P

and Tooluxe Repair Kit

add in a set of pliers (for pulling nails, screws, and other such road debris) and a knife or razor of some sort to cut the plug shorter after setting it

Thanks for the input all. mutedblade, your kit looks like a good upgrade from my lowball links, I'll probably go just that way.

A toy 12V compressor and can of tire sealant isn’t much help when you have a blown tire that looks like a wire brush and you’re on the side of the highway 150 miles from the nearest town with a tire store. Like you’d be on many of the highways in the hinterlands.

I don’t understand auto manufacturers who seem to think everybody in the world drives only in a city with a tire repair place a couple blocks away. It seems to me a spare tire is a basic piece of safety equipment.

Fat lot of good a pump, sealant and plug kit will do when your road has no shoulders or even ground hard and level enough to support the little scissors jack. A lot of this could be said for a "dinky donut" or even a full size spare tire, but at least you'll have something to drive on after you've shredded a tire looking for a safe place to make repairs.

My 2018 Acura MDX didn't come with spare or jack. I bought the donut spare off Ebay and the jack, etc of an aftermarket Acura part site.

Fortunately there is a storage spot for the spare and jack.

About $300 total if I remember correctly.

The past couple flats I’ve had have been full blown tire disintegrations.

A 12V plug-into-the-car compressor is a necessary piece of equipment. Car mfgrs. should include this out of the factory.
For that matter, when you check your tires' air pressure how many check their spare? I've "rescued" a person in a restaurant parking lot that had the spare, the equipment and wherewithal to change their tire only to discover their spare was almost flat.

I despise run flats for the ride quality, though they may work for others. I have one car that didn't have a spare but there were kits and discussions online of specific part numbers that could be used to make my own mini-spare that would fit the hub as well as over the brakes, etc. And it fits in the trunk.

Another car just doesn't have room even for that, so I just carry a AAA card and credit card recognizing if I ever get a flat, especially in a rural area, I'm just stuck for a day or so until a replacement is sourced. Or I get towed to a nearby actual city.

I have had really good experiences with the Pirelli runflats on my BMW 3-series. Have driven at least 20 miles with 0psi pressure in one tire on a couple occasions and I could barely tell. Car was 100% stable and the tire held up perfectly. I suspect you could typically drive at least 100 miles at 60mph, despite the published limitations.

I thought it was illegal to sell a car without a spare tire. Or is that a state law?

My 2017 Camaro came with nothing. NO spare, jack, tools or fix a flat kit.

I bought a space saver spare with tools and a vehicle specific jack all in a nice vinyl case.

Wore out my OEM Goodyear run flats. Replaced them with standard performance tires. What a boost in ride quality and FAR less tire noise. NOT a fan of run flats.

Few months later I get a left rear flat at 900PM on a Friday night 35 miles out of Browning, MT. I was headed to Glacier NP. My TPMS alerted me of the loss in pressure. Luckily a turnout was just ahead. I braked carefully and pulled in just as the rire was going down.

EASILY changed the tire out, but sticking the huge rear tire in the trunk was a no go. That went on the back seat.

Had I NOT had the spare tire kit I would have had to have someone bring me a jack, tools, one of my all seasons that are mounted on spare rims, from my garage. Which was well over a hundred miles away. WHY the manufacturers think EVERYONE lives within five minutes of a garage escapes me.

I know it's a money saver for them but for those of us in rural America what are we to do?

Putting a mini spare tire on a car with larger diameter rear oem tires can damage a rear locking differential. If the oem tire is damaged beyond roadside repair, it would be better to call a roll back than using the mini spare.

As far as run flats, the oem run flats on a late model Corvette and some Camaros are rougher riding and noisy and for summer use only. MICHELIN and other manufacturers have finally come out with all season ZP tires that are better riding, quieter and can be safely used in most winter driving conditions.