Spare Tire vs Tire Inflators

[manicrodder]

I don't carry a spare unless i am traveling out side of my AAA tow range. The space where my spare would normally have gone has electronics' now. When we do go on long trips I carry the spare. It is a space saver. but I dismounted it had the wheel powdercaoted and the spare is in a nice completely enclosed spare tire case.

I really do not care for any of the flat-fix in a can. The wheel clean up is a royal PIA. Don't be fooled it is a mess to get the wheel cleaned up.
I will say I also carry a can of fix -a-flat but if I did use it I would replace the tire no matter how small the puncture was. That's just me!

In an earlier thread, I mentioned that my granddaughter used fix a flat on a fairly new tire and then they wouldn't honor the warranty. They did replace it for 60 bucks. That was a discount tire set and the tires had less than 5000 miles.

 

[NitroM3]

In an earlier thread, I mentioned that my granddaughter used fix a flat on a fairly new tire and then they wouldn't honor the warranty. They did replace it for 60 bucks. That was a discount tire set and the tires had less than 5000 miles.

Ya back in my old Performance shop store when I sold tire and wheels (aftermarket wheels and mostly performance tires MT, BFG, Michelins), the mounting and balancing was free but.....if the customer used fix-a-flat or any liquid sealant it was 50 bucks per wheel to clean them before the new tire was installed.

IMHO fix-a-flat is a desperate measure that should be used as a last resort. And to expect to just replace the tire asap.

 

[CharlesInCharge]

Split rims?


At the moment my daily has one of the cheap HF floor jacks in it. I’ve been using my trailer weekly. It and a bike rack do a good job of killing trunk space, lol.

Nope, just the spare tire but no rim. Sorry if I didn't explain that.

Maybe my thinking on this is cloudy. But it takes up less space, as you can store stuff inside the spare. No weight of a steel rim. No mounting/dismounting costs of the spare unless needed. And if I have a flat, since I'm likely calling roadside anyway because I'm paying for the service, and my jack is the bare minimum, and I'm probably not risking my life on the side of the road jacking up a car; I figure they can take the flat off, they might have the tools to fix it on the spot or we can go to the local tire shop where it can either be fixed, or replaced with the spare I already have (so I'm not held hostage to whatever they have in stock, prices and availability). Just having a spare tire and no rim is not significant weight nor space since the hollow internal space can fit a emergency kit.

This is for cars/situations where I just expect that if I have a flat, it's going to be a major inconvenience but in nearly every case, I'll be waiting for roadside assistance. Absent life/death, I'm probably not changing a flat on the side of the road with a emergency jack.

If I'm going where roadside is likely unavailable, I've got a proper inflated spare, jack, and jack stand.

 

[PimTac]

I would choose the inflator as well. How many drivers will be able to remove a tire on the road? Most automobiles these days come with a lug wrench that is almost worthless against impact tightened lug nuts.

 

[edyvw]

This depends on location and utilization of vehicle.
My BMW comes with RFT. It is like that with BMW since 2004 until 2019 (yeah spare is now option). Since I take this car to ski, and pretty much anything else that doesn’t require all family going with me, I do have spare. I just secure it in trunk. Not entertaining idea of being stuck in the Rockies with flat.
Toyota Sienna since it is AWD also has RFT. But since I use this vehicle strictly for long trips I haul donut spare regardless whether I have RFT (summer) or regular tires (snows in winter). I have tire inflator etc. but spare is always there.
Now, in East coast where there are large urban areas next to each other, RFT is good option as there are numerous stores and changing tire on interstate is really not good option. But in the West, spare is a must.

 

[NitroM3]

I don't carry a spare unless Ii am traveling out side of my AAA tow range. The space where my spare would normally have gone has electronics' now. When we do go on long trips I carry the spare. It is a space saver. but I dismounted it had the wheel powder coated and the spare is in a nice completely enclosed spare tire case.

I really do not care for any of the flat-fix in a can. The wheel clean up is a royal PIA. Don't be fooled it is a mess to get the wheel cleaned up.
I will say I also carry a can of fix -a-flat but if I did use it I would replace the tire no matter how small the puncture was. That's just me!

MY custom case traveling spare tire.

 

[CharlesInCharge]

MY custom case traveling spare tire.

Very cool idea. I like it!

 

[NitroM3]

Very cool idea. I like it!

Thank you. It keeps the tire clean and also allows to be able to store it anywhere in the car without damaging the interior. Oh and it goes well with my MAZDA interior fold down rear seats. You can also see in the picture there is really very little room left in my trunk area for less important things like a spare tire.. LOL

 

[MasterSolenoid]

OP here,
I'm going to try and get a full size spare or donut.

From reading everybody's reply's, for me the (next to) ideal situation would be;
* around town - use inflator and sealant / plus checking PSI regularly to catch a slow leak.
* traveling any distance (50+ miles) - put spare and jack in vehicle / also use while rotating tires.

There's a lot of options and a lot of driving styles.
A guy has to pick what's best for himself.
Just don't be totally unprepared.

 

[cb450sc]

Both of my kids purchased 2015 Kia Forte 5's. Both came with the tire inflator and no spare. I got them both a spare doenut. My son had to use his once and my daughter twice so far. On both the tire was ruined and would not hold air. They were both thankful on insisted on the spare.

 

[eljefino]

I've had blowouts that would not be saved by fix a flat. Probably more than half of my flats, honestly.

OTOH Fix a flat has been great for those slowly leaking tires. The trick is to get all the air out, so the tire doesn't fight the can's pressure. Fill with the fix a flat then go up to 45-50 lbs to force the stuff into whatever crevices it needs to go in. And then go for a drive to slosh it around, as directed.

 

[avacado11]

I was on an emergency trip with an AWD RAV4 a few weeks ago and a chunk of concrete put a hole in the sidewall.

a tire inflator would have left me stranded in the middle of nowhere. No plug or can of slime will fix it. Those are only good for nails. Would have had to wait 1+ hour for a tow truck, then another hour at the tire shop to get the tire put on.

The rav4 had a temp spare which was enough to take me to the next town and find a tire shop with my size. Whole ordeal took just under an hour. Ideally if I had a full size spare like in my Tacoma, I would be back on the road within 10-15 minutes.

the next car I buy must have a full size or Atleast a temp. No plug kit no RFTs. And preferably FWD/RWD/4x4 so I can run a temp for abit longer and avoid driveline damage.
All it takes is one side wall puncture at the wrong time and all of the extra fuel you spent hauling around a spare would’ve paid off.

 

[TCL]

I've had blowouts that would not be saved by fix a flat. Probably more than half of my flats, honestly.

OTOH Fix a flat has been great for those slowly leaking tires. The trick is to get all the air out, so the tire doesn't fight the can's pressure. Fill with the fix a flat then go up to 45-50 lbs to force the stuff into whatever crevices it needs to go in. And then go for a drive to slosh it around, as directed.

I agree,. Once the tire leaves the rim, you'll wish you had a spare whether a donut or a full size if possible. Tire shops aren't open 24/7.
I'm not going to worry about extra weight and gas mileage. You can still carry the tire sealer, but nothing like the security of a full spare
if the tire leave the rim!

 

[tombalas]

the next car I buy must have a full size or Atleast a temp.

When was the last time a new car came with a full sized spare tire? IIRC, it was the late 1970s fuel crisis that lead to the use of temp spare tires ("donuts") in lieu of full size spare tires. But I seem to recall this wasn't a voluntary decision by manufacturers or a consumer choice - the US government just mandated them. Is my memory accurate? This was 40 years ago, and I was just a teenager at the time.

 

[ecotourist]

When was the last time a new car came with a full sized spare tire? IIRC, it was the late 1970s fuel crisis that lead to the use of temp spare tires ("donuts") in lieu of full size spare tires. But I seem to recall this wasn't a voluntary decision by manufacturers or a consumer choice - the US government just mandated them. Is my memory accurate? This was 40 years ago, and I was just a teenager at the time.

My 2000 Toyota Solara had a full size spare on a steel wheel. In 1999 the Solara full size spares came on an alloy wheel.

My 2000 BMW 528i has a full size spare on an alloy wheel.

So, a lot later than the 1970s.

 

[ecotourist]

With all the winging about putting on a spare tire I have to wonder if people know how to change a wheel. I taught my daughter to do it for heaven's sake. I've changed a flat tire while wearing a suit (my hands got a bit dirty but the suit was fine) on the way to work and made it there on time.

I consider this a basic life skill - just like driving a car with a manual transmission, or changing your own oil.

If anyone on Vancouver Island wants some instruction and supervised practice on how to safely change a wheel, let me know. I'll spend as long as it takes to show you how and watch you do it over and over until you're comfortable doing it by yourself.

 

[JHZR2]

Every tire failure I’ve had has been a big item impaling into the tire or a blowout.

Those failures wouldn’t be solved by an inflator.

But two of my cars have no spare. Not good. When my accord had this happen, I had to limp it on the road (off ramp, no shoulder), and park it in a lot. Not fun.

 

[justalubetech]

I've been driving for 12 years and have yet to need to put on a spare tire. I bring it with on road trips though just in case, some midwestern states you can be 50 miles from anything pretty easily..

 

[GMBoy]

Spare for me - I've had 3 different occurances where the tire was side wall damaged and NO slime or inflator would get me home. Without the spare I would be SOL.

 

[CharBaby]

I much prefer a full size spare tire(no space saver) on a standard steel or aluminum wheel. I've always had a full size spare tire on the exact wheel that was on the rest of the vehicle...until recently. However, I do have an extra set of wheels/tires(winter), I will consider this my full size spare tire.

Should I have the misfortune of getting a flat tire, I'd like to be able to install my full size spare tire and finish finish my trip or whatever I am doing and get to my destination. Then I have to option to either have the damaged tire repaired when I return home or once I get to that destination should I be away from home.

I carry a tire plug kit plus a few needed tools in all of our vehicles. If there is just a need for a tire plug, I can repair it myself even while on holiday/vacation during the morning while others are still sleeping(til noon). If there is further damage to the tire, I can evaluate it then and if needed, run to a tire shop for further options.