It happened. Flat tire. No spare.

I was in Roanoke, VA and got a flat by hitting a curb on a very foggy evening in my 2012 PIP. It blew a hole in the sidewall, so forget the can of fix-a-flat. I solved my problem by finding a Corolla for rent at the Roanoke airport and taking Uber there. In the meantime on the Roanoke Craigslist, I found some 195 65 15s on sale, but he wouldn't sell just one, so I bought 4 slightly used Goodyears for $100 total. I used the Corolla spare to get my car back to the hotel and work the next morning. The guy whose tires I bought recommended a tire shop run by non-english speaking immigrants, so mounting and electronic balancing was $10 for the one wheel while I waited. I replaced the spare and drove the Corolla back to the airport. My client gave me a ride from the airport to where I got the flat and I drove home with 3 slightly used tires in the back. I have since learned there are tire shops run by non-english speaking immigrants in almost every medium or bigger city. Since it was my first Uber ride, it was free. The rental car I used a voucher on, so it was free, although I paid $2 for gas. So my outlay was $10 + $2 gas + $100 for a set of slightly used tires. Note that 28% of 2017 models sold without a spare, so this is not a problem just for EVs.

I got two flats in two days in a 2017 Avalon rental car in Detroit March of this year. A pothole on I-96 destroyed one tire and another pothole dented the donut spare rim, causing a second flat. I've had at least three other flats in rental cars and usually change the tire myself. The last Prius flat I had prior to the PIP was a 2004 Prius and naturally it was when I was coming back from a wedding and wearing a suit. I changed that one with the donut spare.

I have a extra set of 15" and 17" rims for the two Prius we have, along with some new TPMs.

 

Many tires shops run by native born English speakers will do the same.

 

Last time I had a tire mounted and balanced it was only $10 and those guys were as American as apple pie. And they rotated the tires while they were at it.

 

Just got a set of tires balanced for free at the local shop to my folks.

Tried to slide $10 his way and he refused as it was only a 5 minute job.

Good guys and shops are still out there.

 

Hey, lucky me!!!! I just got my THIRD flat on my Prime; these Michelins have maybe 10K miles on them. And guess what, the CENSORED, CENSORED, freaking low pressure warning came on AFTER the car fish tailed on freeway onramp! Am I super pissed!!! AND stupid ENTUNE won't tow me to America's Tire; fortunately I have AAA, so I blew off Entune; guess what I won't be signing up for!!?? Waiting for tow truck.

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AChoiredTaste.com

 

In case you haven't yet had time to browse around, note that Entune is being seriously de-contented in two months. So you'll have even less reason to sign up

 

I never had any use for the Entune media apps. On the other hand, I make extensive use of the Advanced apps (Charge Management, Remote Climate, Vehicle Finder, Eco Dashboard, etc), and they aren't going away (right?).

 

My ScanGauge shows the tire PSI and is mounted over the steering wheel. There is reason they are called 'idiot light.'

Since I run my tires at max PSI, experience with slow leaks show the light comes on when the tire PSI reaches door jam pressure giving plenty of time to visit the Firestone store walking distance from home.

Bob Wilson

 

People get flat tires. Choosing a proactive or reactive solution is on the owner and/or driver.

 

Must have been a large hole in the tire. TPMS isn't much help if a tire goes flat quick.

 

neither is a plug kit

 

It was a "Finishing Screw" with a collar, stuck in the very edge of the shoulder; unrepairable, and incredibly placed, AND my third flat in 1 1/2 years!!! The hole was minuscule, and I should have had several days of warning from the TPMS. (Tire had been inflated to 42PSI).

This car is tire jinxed! I usually get a flat every 15 or 20 years.
I had the warranty, so only had to pay for the optional "coverage on the replacement tire", $17.50.
The tow truck driver extorted $50 from me (tried for $60-$70!), said my AAA tow coverage was only for 7 miles; the shop was 12 miles from incident. He had proceeded to take me 180 degrees away from the correct shop, having misread his GPS, and tried to charge me for that EXTRA mileage!! I was ready to go to blows, but put away my sabre!!
BTW, my new spare tire was carefully, safely stowed at home, where no harm could come to it!! I, in my current decrepit condition, in 90° weather, could never have changed it, and I would still have had to have gone to tire shop to replace the fatally damaged tire. Having the spare, I could have called AAA to change it, driven to tire shop, and have them do replacement, I'm just not willing to haul this big turd/spare in my trunk, for these locally occurring, supposedly rare events!! Maybe after my 5th or 6th flat??!! I do intend on carrying the spare for "long" trips. BTW these were Michelin Defender T+H, in stock at America's Tire in Norwalk. 80,000 mile warranty. They had 20,000 miles, in a little over 1 year; mechanic said they showed well under 1/4 wear.

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michelin seems to be getting a bad rap around here lately.

 

Any tire can pick up a nail. Even right at the tread edge I would give plug repair a try. I know...

 

He's already got it replaced, but I'm with ya. I've plugged tires right at the edge, and once patched a knife puncture on a sidewall. Never had a problem! Safe? iono, but I did it.

 

I choose Defenders over anything comparably priced out there for cars...and for good reason.

 

No hit on Michelin; I will continue to make them my first choice. I'm just stupefied at my recent accumulation of flats when I drive no more than before, and still drive in the same areas.
In particular, the location of this puncture is (aside from the pain in the a...) remarkable.
The folks at America's Tire would not repair it, saying that it wouldn't be reliable. Since I didn't have to pay additionally for the new tire, I didn't argue.
Also, Michelin has Drillions of different tire models; it's our problem to figure out which tire will be best suited to our needs.


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For us, Bridgestone DriveGuard run-flat tires. 3rd generation run-flat technology. Smooth, relatively quiet, said to be good for 50 miles @ 50 mph without air (it'll be junk by then), added weight hurts efficiency. Best for us.

 

Sorry to hear your mishap. I hope you escaped your predicament without further incidents. While browsing through different but old "spare-tire for PRIME" thread, I stumbled upon your very early comment.

So, what happened to your donut spare?