No spare tire caused a huge inconvenience

[Glamisduner]

I worry about this all the time. OPs experience is worrying, and knowing that it could have been even worse is even more troubling! The plug patch kit I keep in the car isn't always going to work. I have a second set of wheels but wonder if it would truly work ok in a pinch (235 on 8.5" wheels vs 245s on 9" ride wheels)...

I had one flat and Tesla says they had no spare wheels available. I was towed a short distance to the service center. Luckily the service center had a spare for me.

I keep tossing around the idea of dividing up the stock wheels for spare tires, but I wouldn't bring a share with me most of the time. Not a bad option to have one at home though.

 

[rhumbliner]

Adventure is just bad planning. — Roald Amundsen

I was reciting this to myself as I sat on the side of I-15 in the middle of Idaho one blustery, cold night with a blown sidewall. I now carry a full spare whenever I travel the hinterlands. It takes up a lot of space but the peace of mind is priceless and because its there I know I’ll never need it.

 

[tvad]

Do you know if Premier will provide a flatbed tow for 200 miles? How familiar is AAA with the unique towing and jacking requirements of a Tesla? We have kept our AAA membership but I’m not really sure how useful it will be since they don’t provide spares and they don’t normally flatbed cars while towing.

I have requested a flatbed in the past from AAA and they provided one. It did take a little longer than a standard tow truck, and I was informed of this. This was for a car prior to our Model 3.

The onboard Tesla manual has comprehensive towing instructions if needed.

 

[Skotty]

I don't like not having a spare, but the entire auto industry seems to be headed that way, so I don't fault Tesla for it. I've considered getting a pancake spare that is compatible but haven't actually taken that leap yet. It has cost me one tow so far that I wouldn't have needed if I had had a spare.

 

[jjrandorin]

I worry about this all the time. OPs experience is worrying, and knowing that it could have been even worse is even more troubling! The plug patch kit I keep in the car isn't always going to work. I have a second set of wheels but wonder if it would truly work ok in a pinch (235 on 8.5" wheels vs 245s on 9" ride wheels)...

I had one flat and Tesla says they had no spare wheels available. I was towed a short distance to the service center. Luckily the service center had a spare for me.

I keep tossing around the idea of dividing up the stock wheels for spare tires, but I wouldn't bring a share with me most of the time. Not a bad option to have one at home though.

The OP still never says why he was "towed to a local tire shop" instead of just getting a spare tire. I have been told that, sometimes, the towing agencies that tesla contracts with may be "out" of spare tires, but they normally have them. Like I said, unfortunately, I have had to use tesla roadside twice last year, for flat tires that I could not drive on, and I simply used the app to get roadside assistance.

One time I had the tow driver take the flat tire to my local service center. You sign an agreement that you will go "deal with" your flat at the local service center, they put a spare 19 inch tire on your car (regardless of what size tires you have on, they put a 19 inch tire on the car) and away you go.

The second time I had the tow driver put the damaged car in the trunk, and dealt with it myself by taking it to the service center in the next couple of days.

Not being used to different size tires on the car, I challenged roadside assistance when they said "our engineers have stated that we can put 19inch tires on any of the model 3s we sell. I asked for that to be sent to me in email, from their tesla account as I wanted some proof that someone told me that (being used to being told that you must have same size tires on an AWD car). They sent it to me, in an email, stating exactly what they told me on the phone.

the only issue is, the spare doesnt have a TPMS so complains about tire pressure, and they mark the loaner tire up with paint, stickers etc, because they have had a problem with people just trying to "keep" them rather than dealing with their spare.

Anyway, if the towdriver / company didnt have a spare thats one thing, but if someone just says "tow me to discount tire, ill buy a tire there" the tow driver is not going to argue with them, and then its the owners fault, not the tow drivers if they cant find a tire.

 

[MP3Mike]

So because my Tesla didn’t have a spare tire. I had to spend the night in Green Acres, FL. I had to get an Uber to a hotel. Get another Uber back to Firestone just now and my Tesla is finally about ready. I should have been home yesterday late afternoon but instead I won’t get home until today late afternoon. I had to pay for hotel, meals, and Ubers on top of the new tire and half my weekend is now gone.

Even if your Tesla had a spare your situation wouldn't have been much different. Almost all spares now are limited service spares for short distances at low speeds, enough to get you to a tire shop. You still would have run into the same issue of no replacement tire being available locally to get you back on your way. Sure you might have saved the wait for the tow truck, but that would be about it.

 

[KenC]

While I have a compact spare, I also kept two OEM Michelins, when I swapped them out early. Just in case I run into a situation where the tire store doesn't have a replacement, I have a couple used tires that will work in a pinch.

 

[SomeJoe7777]

I'm sorry for the OP that he had go go through this. A huge pain, for sure.

One thing that can be considered to possibly avoid a similar situation is to take a look at the tire/wheel configuration on the car before the road trip, and see if you can use tires/wheels that might be more serviceable.

The Michelin Pilot Sport 4S in 235/35R20 is a summer sport/track tire, and is fairly uncommon. Not to mention it's got terrible efficiency and short life due to the soft rubber compound. It's certainly not the best tire for a road trip, and especially not in the winter.

If you plan to use the vehicle on a road trip often, I would investigate using 235/45R18 tires on 18" wheels. You can choose eco-friendly grand touring tires to increase your range, and tires in that size are far more common. Had these been on the car, the tire shop would either have had them in stock or could get you one that same day.

For my P3D, I have the Michelin Pilot Sport 4S in 235/35R20 as my summer tire, and then have a set of 18" wheels from T-Sportline with Vredestein Quatrac 235/45R18 tires as the winter and road trip set. The Quatracs are an all-weather tire, like the Michelin CrossClimate or Nokian WRG4. If I go on a road trip, even in the summer, I put those on, as they're more efficient than the Pilot Sports and more common in case I need to replace.

 

[jkoya]

Do you know if Premier will provide a flatbed tow for 200 miles? How familiar is AAA with the unique towing and jacking requirements of a Tesla? We have kept our AAA membership but I’m not really sure how useful it will be since they don’t provide spares and they don’t normally flatbed cars while towing.

I don't know about AAA So CA, but AAA Nor Cal told me if my car was stock and the manufacturer recommends a flatbed, they would provide a flatbed for the required tow, up to the distance of my AAA membership level. If I lowered my car and it required a flatbed, then I was responsible for the extra cost of the flatbed. However, this was several years ago when my stock Nissan 300ZX required a flatbed tow...

 

[OCR1]

It sounds like AAA will be fine if I need a flatbed tow. Glad to hear others have had a good experience with it.

I’m hoping that if I get a flat it will be close enough to home that they can just tow me home and swap out my flat with a spare I keep in the garage.

 

[pwykes]

Anyone Buy Modern Spare Tire Kit?

Yes, I bought it. Was worth it for the peace of mind. I've had too much bad luck with flat tires to go without a spare. Does take up a lot of trunk space though. Knock on wood I haven't had to use it yet.

 

[Glamisduner]

Tesla told me this is the preferred way to tow a model 3.

But the tie down straps did scruff my wheel a little.

 

[jkoya]

Tesla told me this is the preferred way to tow a model 3.

Was this because of your flat tire ?

 

[Stanwood Steve]

Anyone Buy Modern Spare Tire Kit?

Before I headed out on a 2,500 road trip I purchased one of the "Modern Spare" kits - takes up a little room in the trunk but the piece of mind makes it worth it. By the way, other cars also don't come with a spare. I have a 2007 Mustang Shelby GT500 and that didn't come with a spare either. I purchased a spare wheel and had a tire mounted to bring with me for the same reason I mentioned above. I subscribe to the theory that if I have a spare, I won't need it. So far that's been true...

 

[CrayZ1]

Tesla told me this is the preferred way to tow a model 3. View attachment 502379

But the tie down straps did scruff my wheel a little.

I was thinking just that. I was going to ask if the buckle was on your rim. IMO that's a not a good method. Always supervise and don't be afraid to speak up. Most tow drivers don't mind getting input on cars that they are not familiar with. Like some will use steel hooks to grab the undercarriage. This is unacceptable for most modern coupes and sedans and can damage your car.

 

[dmurphy]

Tesla told me this is the preferred way to tow a model 3. View attachment 502379

But the tie down straps did scruff my wheel a little.

Either way - a flatbed or towed on a dolly like that - is just fine. The key is to not have the wheels free-wheeling. Given how common AWD has become, most tows are done in one of these two ways these days.

Much less common to see the old school hook-and-drag method...

 

[jkoya]

Before I headed out on a 2,500 road trip I purchased one of the "Modern Spare" kits - takes up a little room in the trunk but the piece of mind makes it worth it.

Well said - I agree !!! Never know when that pothole will show up to damage the sidewalls....

 

[OCR1]

Are the towing requirements the same for RWD models?

 

[Lloyd]

I gave the local tow company, John Boys Towing, two wheels with usable tires. One 19" and one 21" for the model S. Proavtive !! They told me that they use at least one of them every week with traffic on Highway's 101, 41, 58 and 166. Everyone should do the same if you have an extra wheel lying around.

 

[Glamisduner]

Was this because of your flat tire ?

Yes