Hi,

I didn't get a spare tire kit for my car and as i've read in the manual it comes with a quick flat fix in a can deal. My question is, if i fill the tire with that stuff in the can, would i still be able to patch the tire lets say if a nail pierced through it? when i bring it to a gas station?

 

Some folks have said that the gunk ruins the tire, others have said just patch and go. I dunno.

 

I think it will stuff the tyre...

It is hard to imagine balancing the tyre with those glue on

 

Two words: Roadside Assistance

 

The tire cannot be reused. From the RX8 Owners Manual:

Page 7-5

Your vehicle is not equipped with a
spare tire. In the event of a flat tire, use
the emergency flat tire repair kit to
repair the tire temporarily. When doing
the repair, refer to the instructions
included in the emergency flat tire
repair kit. After temporarily repairing a
tire with the emergency flat tire repair
kit, take your vehicle to an Authorized
Mazda Dealer to have the tire replaced.

Page 7-12

• A tire that has been temporarily
repaired with the tire sealant cannot
be reused. Mazda recommends
replacing the tire with a new one.
• The wheel can be reused after any
sealant adhering to it is wiped off
and carefully inspected. However,
replace the tire valve with a new
one.

 

Yup, and there is also a long description of what kind of punctures that the can might be able to repair, which is not all of them, and forget about repairing a blow-out or slash from like jumping a curb.

The procedure is also a pain. You have to empty the tire of all air, remove the valve, with the enclosed tool, insert the goo hose, squeeze in goo, reinsert the valve, inflate with the enclosed compressor and drive the car to spread the goo all over the tire to cover the hole.

The tire is now trashed and MUST be replaced and this assumes that the proceess worked.

Let's try another idea. If you have ever had a puncture patched, you have seen the gas station guy use a metal ream, some glue, and a polyester cord patch that is inserted with a T handled needle. It is faster, has as good of a potential of working and best of all it has the potential of being a permanent repair, which the goo never will be.

THESE kits can be purchased from Griot's Garage, an on-line and off-line catalogue of car accessories and probably from others as well. However, they still don't work if the puncture is on the sidewall or if you have a slash, blowout or, becoming a more common problem with modern tires being put on with archaic equipment, broken beads.

It is also good to know that the polyester cord patch defeats the manufacturers speed rating on the tire. However, I already have a patch in one of my RE040's, and it seems to be running just fine.

All that said, I'm getting the spare.

 

Most places will fix the4 flat with that same polyester cord. It doesnt reeally affect the tire balance THAT much as it's barely a fraction of an ounce, and you can find them at almsot any auto store for under 5 bucks. Fixes a puncture in a few minutes and if the tire has no air in it, ya dont even need to take it off, just jack it up a bit.

 

Whoops, what I meant by that is that the manufacturer invalidates its warranty on the tire's speed rating if you have a plug in it. It's not particularly a practical problem as much as an issue with their legal departments. I was told this as the grease monkey popped the plug into my tire last week, and I noticed a mention of it somewhere on the tirerack's site. I think that it must be a pretty new thing as I have had over a dozen of these patches in the last decade, and noone ever told me that before.

 

If i get a spare tire kit, do i need to have the dealer install it for me? or is it fairly easy to mount it on the trunk?

 

I did it myself. It was fairly easy. Scariest part is cutting holes in the cardboard-ish trunk interior for the support bar.

Also, the instructions specify to drill holes in the car body to mount a rubber spacer. (The spacer forces some clearance between the tire and body.) I chose to glue the spacer instead.

 

I got a flat about 2 months ago. I poured about 1/4 of the Mazda Goop in the tire and then took it to 4 tire shops. 3 said that they couldn't unmount the tire because they would probably damage the rim. The last one was scared to break the pressure sensor. I know it's only supposed to be a temp fix but it's held up for two months. Thing is that it was a very small puncture so even if the sealant were to come off, I would have plenty of time to pull over. I just don't want to replace 1 tire and have the other one half way through it's tread life. I'm going to hold off for another month and replace the two rear tires or just get a new set of rims/tires. What do you guys think?

 

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I had the same thought when I followed this discussion. I'm now very sure to call roadside assistance and have them bring a donut or tow me if anyhow possible. Seems very costly to have to buy a new tire or better two.

-Peter

 

spare tires are a must, I don't know how automakers get by without providing one.

superfan, don't wait. one month is not going to wear out your other tire. replace one or both soon. the goo in the puncture tire must be heavier to rotate than the other one. I suspect this can cause uneven drive train and brake wear.

the lesson is not to use the goo and get a spare.

 

I put very little of the goo in the tire. First I rotated the tire so that the puncture would be on the floor. This way the goo would initially spread to the bottom of the tire and plug up the hole as soon as I put air in it. I've ran the car at high speeds and there is no vibration, so it looks like it spread pretty evenly in the tire. Remember, I only poured a little less than 1/4 of the bottle so that it become a glob in the tire. It's also on the rear passenger side so it's wearing out pretty fast.

 

i've never had a car that did not come with a spare tire. i find that odd. what about other cars that even has a smaller trunk space, do they have one? like nissan 350z? Most the past cars i've driven even came with a full size spare. i know that'd take up all the space in the on a rx8 but the donut should have been a standard. the tires on the rx8 isn't cheap and it would harsh to buy a new pair of tires cause of the goo damages it.

 

There seems to be plenty of people on this board that are fine without a spare tire. Mazda is probably trying to start a new trend, pay extra for a spare. I think on next years model the passenger seat should be an option!

 

Mazda isn't starting a trend, there are quite a few other cars now with no spare. The first I was aware of was the Mercedes SLK roadster, with the folding hardtop - no spare. There's a BMW or two also that don't have a spare. The can of fix-a-flat and compressor are used in those vehicles as well.

Regards,
Gordon

 

Hey, you just happened to mention the car that my RX-8 replaced, a 2000 Mercedes SLK roadster. That car DID have a spare, you had to lift up the trunk floor panel to get to it. Have they since removed the spare (since 2000)?

 

Haze - what a wonderful idea! A reamer/patch kit and a source for air - maybe one of those cigarette lighter compressors presuming they work and you are set. I like that idea so much I might put together similar kits for my various cars.

You are right about side-walls - I did however fix ONE sidewall successfully. It was on my tractor though!

The reason is that the speed rating is largely a function of the 'cap' strength on the tire. The speed rating is as much or more a measurement of strength in order to pass the test. The logic being punctures and plugs weaken it's strength and so forth... Unless balance is affected (and a tire can of course be re-balanced) you are not likely to 'notice' any difference in a tire so repaired while driving the car. On any car I recommend an H rating at a minimum. It's rediculous so many heavy SUVs are running around on S T or non speed rated tires. Give ya one guess what kind of speed rating the Firestones Ford installed was.


COuldn't agree more djantlive. Makers of pricier cars justified this by citing that owners in recent years are less apt to change their own tires anyway and simply call a tow service or whatever according to surveys. That's when they got the bright idea to toss the tires and save weight and space and preserve precious cargo space in sports cars along w/ weight distribution. C5s haven't had spares since 1997 and that's about to be an 'old generation' car. They came for a while w/ run-flats not sure if they still do. I bet the Z06s do not. These tires are heavy, don't last that long, not known as great 'performance' tires, are expensive and as a result haven't proven to be that popular when it comes time to replace. Other than the convenience/safety factor - I've not heard that much in support of the tires but perhaps there's more to the story...?

WHen dealing w/ donuts: If you have anything other than an open axle like an LSD - If the flat is on a rear wheel and the donut is notably smaller in radius and you'll be traveling much distance - I suggest swapping a good front tire to the rear and putting the donut on the front.

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Folks, can someone tell me just how intrusive and large the optional spare tire kit is? Looking at the trunk I was concerned it would all but obliterate cargo space. Is it a full size or a donut? Anybody have a pic of one installed?

How about a DIYer kit like a skinny donut off a junker car w/ the same bolt pattern and outside diameter bolted into the trunk?

Just an FYI - if you buy just a replacement donut tire itself from a tire dealer - you might be surprised how much those tires cost! A good $100+. And good luck finding a tire shop that will mount that expensive tire on your spare rim. My advice if you own a car that has a donut (or regular spare) is to check it's PSI annually - they are high - maybe 50PSI or better. And if you install one on a car and it's 'real' low on air - dont' bother driving it - it will be destroyed in no time at the sidewalls and you'll now be out an expensive donut to boot! Don't ask me how I came by this information though

Anyway I just can't see potentially ruining a perfectly good or repairable tire w/ a can of goo!

 

The Instant Mobility System (goo) kit already includes a 12V air pump. Just toss the patch kit in the glovebox or the rear seat passthrough cover and you're good to go.

 

Cool - thanks! Also maybe pliers to pull out stuff like say a nail and scissors possibly to trim plugs?

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You know come to think of it, GM was providing cans of fix-a-flat as part of their collapsible spare system back in the 70s. You got a rim w/ a 'flat' spare tire so it could fit in a smaller spot along w/ a can. It was not an ordinary tire but had very soft sidewalls to allow it collapse down. You pulled the rim out and aired up the tire w/ the can of compressed air and hoped it was enough and put it on. Absolutely lousy.

 

Yeah, a buddy of mine had one of those collapsable-sidewall spares in one of his 911's, though Porsche provided a pretty decent 12V compressor to inflate it with, not a spraycan.

 

it would have been nice to get one of those sidewall spare on the rx8.

 

pgtr...

The spare is mounted to the roof of the trunk. It will pretty much make the trunk unuseable for anything but bgs of soft stuff. We opted to not get it and do the plug repair if far from home or if close, call a spouse and get one of the snow tire/wheels out of the garage for temp use.

 

I installed the spare, and the trunk is far from unusable. I can still fit a weeks worth of groceries, a days worth of random shopping, etc... I may have a problem if I go on a long trip with luggage, but in that situation I would want the spare tire even more.