Tire woes. Two flats in 4500 miles.

I spent a good part of a gorgeous day today having my Prime Advanced flat-bedded to a closed Toyota dealer, and then taking a cab home. At 4500 miles, the LF TOYO sustained a flat from two small nails. I've never had one before (especially in my 2010 Prius 5 with Michelins). Stuff happens, and perhaps it's just coincidence, but your posts are telling. I will look very hard of run-flats if I can find them.

 

let this be a warning to folks who think a spare is unnessasary, and goo and repair kits are the watch words.

 

We've had a flat (small finishing nail) in one of our OEM tires, and another on our snow tires. Both were Michelin. It just happens. My 2 cents: don't go to run-flats, the cure is worse than the problem. Maybe a plug-repair kit. And/or get a spare?

 

Still waiting on my Prime to be built, BUT after reading all the issues that the flat fix goo causes, I ordered a Viair 87P portable compressor ($40) and a Boulder Tools heavy duty Tire Repair kit ($34) to dedicate permanently to the Prime. The Viair 87P is only 4.30 lbs and 9.1″L x 3.1″W x 5.6″H with its own carry bag. It runs directly from the 12v battery so amps draw on a cigarette outlet are not an issue. (for a small car tire, it does not need to be a large capacity 100% duty cycle $$$ compressor) I suspect it will exactly fit where the Toyota Prime flat kit fits, but I've not tested it yet. (no vehicle yet)

I already have and have used a Safety Seal flat kit about 20 times over the years and will keep it for offroad adventures in my 4runner. For the same or less money, the Boulder Tools Heavy Duty Tire Repair kit is nicer and has more tools (pliers and knife) so you don't need to carry a separate (heavy) tool box. All metal handles are also a plus. No plastic here.

I've had 4 screws on 4 different occasions on three of my vehicles in the last 6 weeks. Each time on a rear tire. One went through the middle of a very thick 3/4" lug of my BFG AT K/O's on my 4Runner so the car tires never had a chance in comparison. I fixed each one with the plug repair kit. No issues, it just works and is permanent and comes with 30 uses and you get extra plugs. They do not dry out. My original kit was purchased in 2000 and the plugs are still perfect.

Even if you use the supplied Toyota compressor and goo, you have to find a replacement goo canister to use again and people have reported trouble finding them. So that makes it a one use item. What if you have two flats? The goo has the reported potential to mess up your TPMS sensor and valve stem so that's extra expense plus the goo inside the tire has to be removed later.

 

this one's better because it has it's own rechargeable battery

 

You are certainly welcome to your opinion. I owned and 'threw away" one of those. Point is, it something different and separate from the included Toyota flat solution that does not make you worse off than before the flat.

 

agreed, of course you have to babysit the one with an internal battery every six months or it becomes useless. yours on the other hand has a battery that's charged every time you run the car. ( or at the very least charge the EV battery)

 

And don't ever let the Campbell version get below freezing or you'll be tossing it. That's one reason I could never put it in the vehicle and leave it and/or rely on it.

 

And don't ever let the Campbell version get below freezing or you'll be tossing it. That's one reason I could never put it in the vehicle and leave it and/or rely on it.

 

Or in a hot car, yup, read the directions, I only store it in my car if I'm going on a long trip, otherwise I depend on the SOS function of my Prime Advanced model.

 

Michelin makes fine tires, but as pointed out, a nail or screw will get through. Michelin does not make a tire called the Grand Touring for our cars. They make the Premier A/S, Defender T+H, and the Energy Saver. I think the Premier will give the most comfortable ride and have the best wet traction. The Defender may have the longest tread life. The Energy Saver might save a little gas, but if the Defender lives longer, it may be the cheapest per mile, everything considered.

I put Ride-On tire sealant into the tires on our Prime. It causes no problems, said to be no problem for a tire shop to fix or change the tire, and friends have had good luck with it sealing punctures. Ride-On recommends examining the tires periodically and pulling out any nails (or unscrewing screws) that are in the tire but have been sealed.
https://www.ride-onshop.com/Products-AUTO_and_SUV.html

I like the Nealey Tire repair kit. It is rubberized string plugs that have worked well for me. A portable compressor is required to inflate the tire after it's been plugged.
Nealey Tire Repair Kit - Contact Us

 

I may get one of those, I currently have one that plugs into the cigarette lighter, which is convenient but I read that creates a risk of blowing out the fuse on the 12V outlet. Which would be the last thing you need while dealing with a flat tire. A rechargeable one would avoid that but then you have to remember to keep it charged (which is not my strong suit)

I always get my tires at Costco (of course during their $75 off sales). Last time I did they were out of Energy Savers so I decided to give Premier A/S a try. They are the most comfortable and quiet tires I have ever had on my Prius. However it did hit my gas mileage by about 2 mpg. I'm not complaining though, riding on them is kind of a guilty pleasure

 

Mr. Guy, do you have any balancing problems or special requirements with the sealer you recommend, especially at higher speeds?? What is the life expectancy of this product, particularly in high heat use?

.

 

Ride-On is self balancing. The product flows by centrifugal force to the light spot in the tire.* Google for truck tire balancing beads, and you'll see many examples of this process. Centramatic is one big one.

Dynabeads is another. My Speed Queen washing machine uses the same technology. Front Load Washers - Speed Queen - Home Laundry Equipment

I have heard of no life issues nor hot or cold weather issues. When first installed the goop is lying in a lump under the valve. The first drive feels like the car is on square tires. In a couple of miles the stuff smooths out and stays smoothed out. Now the tires run smoothly. The tires should be dynamically balanced before the sealant is added. After that they cannot be machine balanced. The machine balancer has a fixed spindle, and any of these movable balancing products only works on a sprung spindle.

*Throw a frisbee. It spins true, because the center of balance and geometric center are close to identical. Stick a lump of mud into the rim at one spot and throw it. It'll seem to wobble as it flies. It's spinning around its center of balance, not its geometric center. The heavy spot is close to this center of balance and the light side is away from the center of balance. If there were balancing beads or fluid, they would be moved to the farther-away light area by centrifugal force, thus re-balancing the frisbee.

**The stroboscope in the Centramatic video is a really neat gizmo. It is a strobe light that has a frequency control so it can be used as a tachometer. Change the strobe interval, get the rotation to appear to be stopped, and read the dial for the rpm. These are great for diagnosing problems in rotating assemblies--visually stop the motion and watch what's going wrong. I've used them some, and they work great. Some people get sick to their stomach watching them, though.

 

Coincidentally, mine just arrive today. I put the loaf of bread next to it to give it some scale. 10ft power cord and 8 ft air hose. It's long enough to reach from the Prime battery location back to the opposite rear tire.

 

Coincidentally, mine just arrive today. I put the loaf of bread next to it to give it some scale. 10ft power cord and 8 ft air hose. It's long enough to reach from the Prime battery location back to the opposite rear tire.


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I have been using the Viair 85P which has the cigarette lighter plug for the last 3 or 4 years. I used it with my 2012 Prius IV and now with my Prime and have never had it blow the fuse on the car. Even though the instructions say to "have the engine running", I usually use it in accessory mode when adjusting tire pressures - never had a problem with exhausting the tiny battery the 2012 Prius has. With the Prime, I probably will put the car in Ready mode in the future since the engine doesn't start.

I have even used it with a 4 Amp Hr 12V battery that I used to use for a model airplane engine starter. After adjusting all four tires, still plenty of power left.

 

A robust jump pack would power it too.

 

That's great to hear. Each one of these models pulls a different amount of amps based on ability so I decided to just avoid the cigarette lighter mode all together. It just made it one less thing to worry about. Now that the Prime's 12v battery is under the hood, it's much easier to access.

 

That's great to hear. Each one of these models pulls a different amount of amps based on ability so I decided to just avoid the cigarette lighter mode all together. It just made it one less thing to worry about. Now that the Prime's 12v battery is under the hood, it's much easier to access.

 

That's great to hear. Each one of these models pulls a different amount of amps based on ability so I decided to just avoid the cigarette lighter mode all together. It just made it one less thing to worry about. Now that the Prime's 12v battery is under the hood, it's much easier to access.