Have YOU ever gotten a flat and successfully used the spared tire?

[dtavres]

Have YOU ever gotten a flat and successfully used the spared tire?


- No, and I've driven the car LESS than 5,000 miles
- No, and I've driven the car 5,000-10,000 miles
- No, and I've driven the car 10,001-20,000 miles
- No, and I've driven the car 20,001-30,000 miles
- No, and I've driven the car MORE than 30,000 miles
- Yes, ONE time
- Yes, more than once

[Christian Dietrich]

I haven't used the spare yet but luckly i made it home before it went flat and found i had nail punch in there. Made for a very vibrating ride back home! Also had to get 2 new rear tires!https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20171225/c38bb7d71fd8345f7c386f5dc7f7a036.jpg

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[Christian Dietrich]

I haven't used the spare yet but luckly i made it home before it went flat and found i had nail punch in there. Made for a very vibrating ride back home! Also had to get 2 new rear tires!https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20171225/c38bb7d71fd8345f7c386f5dc7f7a036.jpg

Sent from my SM-N920P using TapatalkHere is the pic. Dont know why it wouldn't posthttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20171225/f8045f817ed192ea92780f1af8b5915c.jpg

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[Michael]

Almost 9 years, over 30k miles, no flats.

[Nicholas R]

I've driven on the spare to make sure that it held air, but never in conjunction with a flat tire. I've have however used a tire plug kit on the side of the road.

[jackb]

8 years of ownership, and just shy of 10,000 miles. Never a flat. I did replace the spare tire with a fresh one a few years ago though, just in case. Cheap insurance in the event it is ever needed.

[SS Spoiler]

156,000 miles, 30 years ownership, no flats, no spare.....

[Christian Dietrich]

156,000 miles, 30 years ownership, no flats, no spare.....Hahaha now thats awsome!

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[Mark D]

Approximately 16k in 9 years.

Got a "flat" in the middle of nowhere, IL on my way home from DCS '16. The steel belts in the LH rear tire failed causing it to bulge out of round. I installed the spare and it immediately went flat. My fault for not replacing the 35 year old rubber. I reinstalled the bulging tire, limped my way to Wal-Mart to get a new full size tire the next morning. I later replaced the spare tire rubber with this one from Tire Rack (Kumho T125-70D15):

https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIuI3trNiq2AIVWrXACh2cDA QAEAQYASABEgI3vfD_BwE&tireMake=Kumho&tireModel=Spare+Tire+T121&partnum=27D5KH&GCID=C13674x012-tire

[vwdmc16]

Trying to find the picture of it but I used my spare maybe 5 years back. I backed into a curb in a parking lot and found a few miles down the road the RR tire had a burst sidewall.

I had made sure I replaced the original spare tire when I bought my car so the tire held up fine for the 30minute drive home, but I doubt my differential liked the two odd sized tires.

The big issue I had was that my lowered car was too low to fit the emergency jack under the rocker sill. So I had to go hunt around the side of the road for a large enough rock to drive on top of with my flat tire to get enough ground clearance.

[DaraSue]

Not sure I'm parsing the options correctly - if you've never gotten a flat at all do you pick one of the "no" answers or are they intended as "I got a flat but did not successfully use the spare"?

13,000-ish miles in a year and a few months, haven't gotten a flat yet (tires were new when I bought it).

[dtavres]

Basically, I'm thinking about taking the spare tire OUT of the car and just leaving it in the garage.

So, I was curious how often people successfully used the spare tire (which I assume no one would use without getting a flat - haha) :)

Given that *I* live in SoCal and have only drive to Vegas and the Bay Area, if I get a flat, I can easily call AAA and get to a tire shop to replace the tire - without using the spare... so I don't think I need to keep it in the car - AND it gives me a little more space to carry junk. :)

Thanks all who replied!

[vwdmc16]

If you feel confident and comfortable with just calling AAA for them to tow you home, then sure go ahead and take your spare out I'd say. However I hate waiting on the side of the road for what seems like 3 hours so they could bring me a thimble full of gasoline or jump start my car. I rebuilt the engine in my car myself I think I rather change the tire by myself too. That's why I keep it on, especially if I go on long distance trips.

[SS Spoiler]

I think a thread telling of roadside breakdowns
and how you solved the problems would be good reading.
I could start with about a dozen in my 156,000 miles
of travels......

[Jonathan]

I think a thread telling of roadside breakdowns
and how you solved the problems would be good reading.
I could start with about a dozen in my 156,000 miles
of travels......

Go for it! I think that'd be a fun thread to read too and would have a couple of my own stories to share as well.

[SS Spoiler]

Even though I have over 700 replies I've never started a
thread. If someone starts one I can jump on...

[dn010]

I can't really vote because yes, I've gotten a flat but I didn't use the spare. About 15 years ago when I was in college, I parked the D and heard the hiss sound of doom from the front driver tire. Of course after class was over, I came to a car that was down on the rim. I removed the wheel and had someone take it to get plugged at a shop that was right down the road - back then I didn't carry a plug kit.

I would have been unable to use the spare as it has NEVER held air for any length of time. I still carry it around in the compartment but it is useless until I can get the tire replaced.

[hippieman9]

Back in 2001 when I bought my 83' Delorean It still had the original Goodyear tires on it. So I replaced them with new tires. Within a week of having the new tires I cut a corner too close and clipped the curb.... Tore the sidewall out LOL ... Went to put the spare on the car.... it was flat... Never crossed my mind to check the air pressure in the spare. ( I check it regularly now) After getting air in the spare I installed it on the rear of the car and drove it home. Ordered a new tire from tire rack, A few days later the spare was back in the trunk.