I'm been making 300 mile trips lately. Hate that I have to stop twice to charge...been waiting 18-months for my Model Y LR RWD...I digress. There is no direct route, so I have to take a few 2-lane roads to get from "A" to "B" and back. Not too bad, about a half-hour or so. Today, I was slowing for a stop sign when I heard a click, click, click...what could that be stuck to my tire. I pulled over to take a peek. I didn't see anything, but heard the dreaded "hiss"...after a few quick four letter words, I hopped back in and drove it like I stole it. Yup, caught a nail or something and I'm in the middle of absolutely nowhere. My passenger brought up the tire pressures...it was showing 38 (I normally run them at 40 cold). A pinch and twist of the map showed a small town with a tire shop about 12 miles ahead. Pulled in just as it hit 25psi...and they only work on semi-tires. They aired it up for me at least. I popped the frunk and contemplated putting in a plug. Got my plug kit, got my super cheap harbor freight air pump, got my jack plug, got my tire iron...*sugar*, wrong jack. What the "F" was I thinking putting a bottle jack in my frunk. Jumped back in and drove it like I stole it yet again. 15 miles to the next town...a big larger with a few tire shops. Didn't think I was going to make it so I stopped at a circle K for air--what was I thinking. Of course they don't work...I've never found one that does. Tried the HF POS air compressor and I was losing air faster than I was filling so that was a bust. Took off again and was down to 25psi again when I pulled in...they said it would be 2 hours before they could look at it. They aired me up (went to 50 this time) and pointed me down the road a few miles. Made it...they could help me out, but--this guy said tires with foam can't be patched. I insisted he patch it and that cutting the foam was fine...it took a bit of talking before he agreed. I pulled out my jack puck and he said, you don't need that, we've done these before--NO WAY dude, I put it on and made him use it. I noticed the care in the stall next door...the lift was pressing on the body and bent it up...good luck opening your doors. It was a screw and missed the foam inside. They did have to cut a little bit to make room for the patch. Didn't take that long. The foam isn't anything special...you would find it in just about anything you pack for shipping. $40 later, I'm back on the road. Now I have a scissor jack and dual piston air compressor being delivered in two-days...before my next trip, where I'll be taking the slightly longer but more populated route. I will be buying a spare when my M Y is delivered. I hate to imagine how long I would have waited for Tesla assistance...if I could have even got a cell signal.
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My Flat Tire Story--with Pic of the foam inside the tires
- Thread starter Frog760
- Start date
stopcrazypp
Well-Known Member
This is why a lot of people said to print out the Continental repair guide for their ContiSilent tires with acoustic foam and keep it in the car for shops that argue that tires with foam can't be patched.
Continental link:
Tire Repair
Link to a more generic guide for patching such tires from the same tire repair supplier that Continental referenced (covers most of the major tire brands and sub-brands):
http://www.rematiptop.com/assets/tech/trm/Reference/Sound-Suppression-Tires-Repair-Guide.pdf
From the other thread:
Tires! A Cautionary Tale
get a spare kit from modern spare and never look back... comes with a quality spare (Pirelli) and jack/ wrench and a carry kit. jack/wrench I keep in lower trunk permanently - the spare tire I put into the trunk whenever i road trip and go through middle of nowhere. also helpful when you have a flat at home.
big difference between calling roadside assistance and waiting for hours VS. getting your hands dirty for 15min and be on your way to a Discount Tire going normal speeds (Pirelli spare rated up to 80mph)
big difference between calling roadside assistance and waiting for hours VS. getting your hands dirty for 15min and be on your way to a Discount Tire going normal speeds (Pirelli spare rated up to 80mph)
pnwadventures
@bpr1de on Instagram
Agreed, I bought this for my long/remote trips. One thing I haven't looked at yet though is whether the included jack requires a puck to lift.
Shelburne
Member
I'm ALMOST convinced to buy a kit from Modern Spare, but one thing still concerns me. It's the scissor jack that comes with it. Modern Spare says it
can be used with or without a puck. But when I look at the photo of their jack it doesn't look like it would work well either way. has anyone actually used this jack on their M3 yet, or at least taken a good look at it to make sure it is safe to use on the M3?
can be used with or without a puck. But when I look at the photo of their jack it doesn't look like it would work well either way. has anyone actually used this jack on their M3 yet, or at least taken a good look at it to make sure it is safe to use on the M3?
Shelburne
Member
I'm ALMOST convinced to buy a kit from Modern Spare, but one thing still concerns me. It's the scissor jack that comes with it. Modern Spare says it
can be used with or without a puck. But when I look at the photo of their jack it doesn't look like it would work well either way. has anyone actually used this jack on their M3 yet, or at least taken a good look at it to make sure it is safe to use on the M3?
can be used with or without a puck. But when I look at the photo of their jack it doesn't look like it would work well either way. has anyone actually used this jack on their M3 yet, or at least taken a good look at it to make sure it is safe to use on the M3?
i keep a puck in my lower trunk at all times... they are cheap and good to have. i also have a small chunk of wood in there (there's so much space in the lower trunk) which you drive onto with the flat tire and it provides enough lift so the scissor jack fits under the car (with or without jack). as long as you jack the car up from the lift point you won't damage anything...
Good idea about the piece of wood...hadn’t thought about that. Thx!
Here's my story about the foam and the 3 remaining Goodyear tires that are on my Model Y LR: On a short trip (less than 50 miles) our low tire pressure light came on. Checked tire pressure and found that the tire had only 26 psi. Called my locat TireChoice store in Bonita Springs, FL and was told to bring the car in to determine the cause of the low pressure. Sure enough: a nail had penetrated the tire. The bad news: the tire had the foam in it and was not repairable. Only choice: order a new Goodyear. More bad news: those tire are unavailble and no guess on as to when they will be available. The only solution was to order the Michelin tire in the same size 'normal' tire for a replacement which would be delivered the next day. The tire was delivered and installed, as promised. Now, I am thinking I will sell my 3 remaining Goodyear tires and buy 3 new Michelin tires to replace the Goodyears. Any thoughts or suggestions would be appreciated.
RayK
Active Member
Tires with foam liner are repairable; my local Tesla Service Center was able to patch a puncture on one of my stock MXM4. My understanding is that it requires more labor than a "normal" tire (cutting the foam away, patching then re-installing the foam) but that it can be done.
stopcrazypp
Well-Known Member
Goodyears with Foam (Sound Comfort) can be repaired, I linked above the procedure used by the industry:
http://www.rematiptop.com/assets/tech/trm/Reference/Sound-Suppression-Tires-Repair-Guide.pdf
Goodyear says even their runflats can be repaired (some brands don't allow this), so no reason why the foam ones can't (as long as they cut open the form to inspect the area). There is a specific bulletin for Goodyears with foam that any Goodyear dealer should have:
"For information on Sound Comfort, Noise Shield & Silent Core Technologies (foam in tire) see Product Service Bulletin listed in the Product Service area on Tire HQ."
https://gov.goodyear.com/docs/police/bulletins/psb2017-11-tire-repair-auto-lt-truck.pdf
ODWms
Member
I plugged a nail hole on the road several thousand miles ago, with no problem since. Took me less than 15 minutes without even having to jack up the car.
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