Anything can happen I suppose. But some people are far better at avoiding damage than others. I learned when I was 16 not to overdrive my headlights at night. Because I was taught this in Traffic Safety class. And it made perfect sense to me. It's mostly a matter of how well you pay attention but, sometimes in the heat of the moment, reaction time can play into it as well. I am a motorcyclist and take full responsibility for my actions. I've never been injured in nearly 40 years of riding because I pay attention like my life depends upon it. Because it does. Some people are more cavalier and/or become complacent. If you have normal vision, you can almost always see road debris in time to avoid it. 9 out of 10 road debris strikes would have been avoidable but the driver just wasn't paying attention. I've seen a lot of cars hit road debris that wasn't even moving and that was small enough to easily drive around it. Sometimes it kicks it up right in front of my motorcycle. When it's moving it's definitely more difficult to avoid but that doesn't mean that I don't try. I see this happen all the time.
I commend you on your personal safety history and driving protocol.
Sudden, accidental catastrophic tire failure can happen at any time to anyone regardless of care while driving, or dedicated attention to tire maintenance. This is particularly true in urban areas with high density traffic and resulting road debris (i.e. junk falling off trucks or tossed onto freeways, etc), and poor road conditions resulting from heavy traffic loads. Beautiful Maple Falls, Washington likely has less of this high density urban traffic and debris. You're fortunate in this regard.
Wait a minute. You mean if I carry a spare I will have one less person in the car to compensate? How does that even play into this discussion? 50 lbs. is 50 lbs. And if it's there for every stop and go over the life of the car, yes, it will make a difference. That's a lot of energy, even if I do have regen to recoup around 50% of it. How many passengers I have is irrelevant.
As I previously stated, some will find the loss of range due to the extra weight of the spare tire and tools too egregious. Some will find the peace of mind worth the reduced range. It's an individual choice.
The point I was making about passengers, is that each passenger adds significant weight and reduces the car's range...yet you won't find anyone commenting about loss of range due to carrying several hundred pounds of extra people. It's ironic that carrying 50lbs of safety equipment would engender such push-back.
I carry a tire plug kit. It will work whenever tire slime will work (and sometimes when it won't). The "sticky worm" style are the best for emergency repairs. But using some common sense as discussed, you will likely not need to plug a tire. Run flats are going to be very expensive and give you a terrible ride. Self-sealing tires will not solve the kind of problem in the photo above. You still have to maintain your tire's air pressure and avoid road hazards.
I respect your opinion of run flats tires, and agree about their extras cost and different ride quality. Run flats offer an option for those who would benefit from the ability to drive 50 miles to a tire shop...or home...without stopping to repair the tire or waiting for a tow. Obviously, where one lives and how far one drives is an important consideration.
Self sealing tires, when available in the sizes required by the Model 3, will seal punctures long enough to reach a service station or tire shop, and they will have the benefit of improved ride quality over run-flats. They're certainly an option to consider for those who don't do their own tire repair, or who don't have time to wait for roadside service, or who don't feel safe at night waiting alone on the roadside.
Slime does not work on the OEM Michelin Primacy MXM4 tires due to the acoustic foam liner, which prevents the slime from reaching the puncture. Slime will work on non-acoustic foam tires.
Good advice about maintaining proper tire pressure and being vigilant for road hazards.
