Dreaded flat tire and I dont like it a bit :(

oh 50 mph! That's awesome and I didn't know that. I gotta check my sources

 

Although risk is in the eye of the risk-taker, I find your perception of danger unreasonable. Stopping a vehicle in the far shoulder of the highway isn't that risky. Cops make people do it all the time. The odds of a collision happening in the 5-10 minutes it takes to repair or change a tire is extremely low.

Donuts don't need to have air added if they are in good condition and are checked every year or so. I've driven 75 MPH on them for months at a time. It's not advisable to do this because handling is greatly compromised, but it can be done. I'd have no problem driving whatever speed I normally drive on a straight highway on a donut, provided I don't make it a regular habit.

Spares, donuts, plug kits, and goo are all good options for when a flat is encountered on a quiet road with no cell coverage. Half of my flats have occurred on dirt roads with no cell coverage, and none have stopped me. In a life and death situation, you can slowly drive on a completely flat tire. The odds of bodily harm coming about due to a flat tire that cannot be repaired is vanishingly small.

I'd fear type II diabetes, heart disease, and dementia, before I feared a flat.

 

What are we talking about?

 

who are you again?

 

Just wanted to replace my winter tires. See what a nice surprise I've got here.

 

Pro's will probably tell you that's too close to edge. I've plug repaired very similar to that, worked out fine.

 

I actually just came across this issue in my 2015 PiP. We were on the way back from a 600 mile trip, and got a flat in "BFE" er, WV. We stopped at an Exxon station and tried filling the tire, but it immediately flattened again. We couldn't find the puncture or tear in the tire. Tried calling the Toyota "complimentary road side assistance" but spent over 30 minutes trying to explain where we were - even with the exit number from the highway and the geo location, they couldn't figure it out. Since it was late afternoon on a Sunday in the middle of nowhere, the closest Toyota or tire places were either closed altogether on Sundays, or closed early. Since the only thing the emergency service could have done anyway is tow our car to a dealer that was closed, it would be of little help anyway.

We finally used the emergency tire repair kit - compressor/goop. I have to say it did work quite well, as we ended up driving far enough to find a hotel to stay the night, and in the morning the tire was still inflated and we drove home on it 3.5 hours. (Which is completely not recommended, the directions say you can go 62 miles at 50mph.)

But now I am facing buying a new tire ($146 for a $92 tire if I get from the dealer) plus most likely a new TPMS ($113), since it sounds like using the goo ruins the TPMS, and probably getting a new repair kit ($150). From reading the threads, it sounds like getting an air compressor without the goo instead of the one from Toyota is the best bet, although assuming I would again be unable to patch the tire if it happened again, getting a donut or spare tire would make sense for the future. It sucks that it will take up storage space, but I would probably leave it in the garage and only use it when traveling longer distances.

Edit - FML. Stopped at stealership first - oh by the way instead of a spare tire we provide you with a compressor and can of goo but don't tell you that by using that it will ruin not only the tire but also the wheel and the sensor and it will cost you $800 to replace it all. Obviously, I am going to price out other paces, maybe I can find an actual mechanic who is willing to clean to goo off the wheel.

 

Sorry about the flat...we just had a bad flat around town here but we have the compact spare.
You can see my thread if it helps, you can get a TPMS from Amazon although I am confused if the same one fits. I do not see why the TPMS is ruined but needs a good goop clean up I guess. The OEM TPMS has its own white goop (silicone gel) so I suppose the question is goop compatibility...I'd keep the old one if it was me. I think they can rebuild the stem...do not know. I got the TPMS from Amazon like under 12hrs. Next morning it was there.

Flat Tire Today | PriusChat

EDIT- Amazon fit guide is working better now for 2006...may need a different model# for PiP

 

Yesterday I was preparing the TSX for a long drive for my wife and found one of the tires at 10 PSI. Overinflating the tire didn't produce the hissing noise I'm used to hearing when there is a puncture, so I filled a spray bottle with soapy water and sprayed the bead and tread. Initially I couldn't find anything, but eventually found an extremely slow leak at about the same spot as the nail pictured above.

I probably should have just filled the tire and allowed it to leak down over the next month she will be away since it was so minor, but I just wanted to repair it and be done.

Since the puncture was so minor, the reaming tool in my $5 plug kit wouldn't fit through it. I had to drive a screw through the hole to enlarge it enough for the reaming tool, and then I was able to adequately prep the hole for the plug.

Once the plug was in, I sprayed the area with soapy water again and there was no leak. I consider this a permanent fix despite the manufacturers suggestion to treat it as temporary.

The dealer is the surest way to loose money. Why tow it to the dealer, ever?

That is way conservative. As you found out, it's safe to go much faster and farther.

That's the most difficult and expensive way you could deal with something as simple as a puncture. The TPMS can be cleaned up, a plug kit costs $5, you don't need a new tire, and a spare is no less effort than plugging a puncture.

 

If you TPMS light hasn't gone on, then the TPMS sensor is probably still working. You should be able to clean the goop off of the TPMS sensor. Maybe there's a small hole in the sensor which is used to measure pressure, and if goop gets inside it, the sensor can get ruined. I woudn't assume that the sensor is toast.

 

Since I had trouble finding where the air was leaking out, I would have trouble patching it. It sounds like you have found smaller holes using soapy water, so that might be something for me to try. Although since the tire re-flattened so quickly after filling it with air, I would have expected the hole would be large enough for me to find easily.

As far as the TPMS, I know nothing about it, so just assume that the dealer/tire repair place would say it needs to be replaced whether it does or not. I guess that's the next thing I should research.

 

Actually the TPMS light is still on from when the tire flattened; probably because we were only able to inflate it to 30 instead of 32 or 33 that it is supposed to be. I need to look into learning more about the TPMS as in where it is located, what it even looks like.

 

google is your friend. it's a fairly simple device inside the tire, mounted opposite the shrader valve.

 

It's the inflation valve. When they take the tire off of the wheel, the TPMS is the other side of the valve, on the inside of the wheel. Make sense? The valve inflation stem is part of the TPMS sensor.

 

Seems funny the TPMS light is not going off...so maybe the goop is doing something to it. What some of us have the Toyota Techstream software and Minivci cable from Amazon or EBAY so you can see the TPMS readings coming off the sensors on your laptop, for Gen2 the alarm is set at 26.5 and the data updates every couple minutes. Not sure about 2015 PiP. I could not readily find a OEM Denso on Amazon that the fit guide said fit for 2015 PiP, but sometimes you have to read the comments to see who tried for Gen3 Prius.

 

The TPMS sensor is an air pressure sensor. It probably has a very small opening to let the air in, and I guess when that opening gets clogged and coated with tire glue, game over. That's one reason why I keep a tire plug kit and my own air pump in the Prius. Tire plugs can last the life of the tire.

 

So after hearing what the Toyota dealer had to say (replace tire, wheel, and sensor to the tune of $800) I went to my regular repair shop. They fixed the tire, cleaned the wheel, and replaced the sensor, for under $200 total. I am looking into getting a spare to keep in my garage to bring on future long road trips.

 

Going from full spare to compact spare was not bad, has some pluses. But, the sealant and pump is a big step backward.

 

For PiP owners in NJ, I've posted an ad for the donut spare I used for mine.

 

A lot of talk about run-flat flat tires here! I had my first one this weekend. Had to take it off the car and take it to a tire place. No nail, just worn out. 36,000 miles??? So he said since one is worn out, the rest might be as well. Took the car in today and had all the tires replaced with normal tires. And to top it off, my dealer just serviced the car two weeks ago and said my tires were just fine. They got a little email from me this morning. Not having a spare is bothersome to me, but I will be keeping the car because of the carpool stickers only, at least for another year......