POLL: Do you carry a spare tire in your Model S?

[Don85D]

I consider Tesla drivers as being a fraternity. When we ride our motorcycle it is common courtesy to wave to oncoming motorcyclists and if one is stopped by the road with troubles we always stop. It's the etiquette of motorcycles.

When we pass at Tesla we exchange waves so it's the same and if one was stopped in distress we would try to help out.

Maybe this is just a local custom but I would like to believe that it is universal.

 

[donv]

I don't carry a spare, and a few weeks ago my son did have a blowout in the Model S-- well outside of any metro area. He called AAA, and they towed the car back to our vacation house. I ended up bringing our snow tires down and putting those on, and then we brought the car home and get a replacement tire.

 

[dgpcolorado]

I carry a spare and tools when I venture very far from home. Not for local trips.

I do the same. Also have a plug kit as first choice for a fix; that and the tools are with me all the time but the extra wheel and tire are only for long trips. When it comes to new tires (next year, I think) I will buy three and use the tire on the spare wheel as the fourth, and save the best of the old tires for the spare.

Note that I carry the spare in the trunk. Not in the frunk. A friend at Tesla advised against keeping it in the frunk as that would make the crumple zone in the front much less effective in the event of a crash and could even push the tire into the passenger compartment.

I thought about that but decided a loose tire in the trunk would be a lethal missile in a crash. If the tire could be firmly secured in the trunk, that would be best.

 

[Snerruc]

BMW 3 series doesn't have a spare. I just finished 3 years with one. Search for a thread about a BMW spare that fits Teslas for about $300. Several people are using it.

 

[Canuck]

The thing I love about BC is you can transit the province fully east to west and back again, getting fairly far north as well, all via SC.

Fairly far north in BC via SC? Not to someone who lives here. In fact, you can't get north at all by way of Superchargers. They are all way down south...

 

[WannabeOwner]

None of the vehicles we have owned in the last decade-ish have had spare tires (nor a jack) - from what I read here I think it is less common in USA?; the vehicles probably get a better EU CO2 rating for not having the weight of the spare, or some rubbish like that. One puncture and all the associated to'ing-and-fro'ing probably negates whatever the CO2 saving was anyway!

We have Winter tires for all our cars, so can use those as a spare (and vice versa) if we have to rescue one whilst we wait for local garage to get a tire - usually same / next day, although we would be very lucky to get a replacement winter tire, at all, if we needed one towards the end of winter. If we go on a long trip (once a year for a Brit like me!) we take an other-season wheel [and jack] with us, it surprising how much cargo space it takes up. We have Slime and Inflation pump in all vehicles ... I ought really to get a tire plug kit too ...

 

[Chopr147]

I have the 19' s . I keep the compressor and can of goop so I can maybe get home or to a shop. My daughter had a flat and the compressor and goop worked to at least get her to a station in her Hyundai. It works for a temporary fix. I'll try and stay away from those sidewall punctures. I also have a tire plug kit which takes up about as much space as a bag of peanuts

 

[kort677]

I have the 19' s . I keep the compressor and can of goop so I can maybe get home or to a shop. My daughter had a flat and the compressor and goop worked to at least get her to a station in her Hyundai. It works for a temporary fix. I'll try and stay away from those sidewall punctures. I also have a tire plug kit which takes up about as much space as a bag of peanuts

what would you do if you slice the sidewall and the tire cannot be repaired?

 

[msnow]

what would you do if you slice the sidewall and the tire cannot be repaired?

Why wouldn't you utilize roadside assistance for a tire swap in that situation?

 

[Chopr147]

what would you do if you slice the sidewall and the tire cannot be repaired?

Then I am up sheets creek I do have AAA plus Tesla service tow etc..... If that ever happens I just hope to be near civilization

 

[Chopr147]

By the way I saw on the "Like Tesla" youtube videos the X had a flat tire and while changing it the mechanic shows a picture of inside of tire which has a foam insert wrapped thru the tire. Because of this he said a plug would not work. Now wondering if the S has these same tires or is it just an X. It is for making the road noise quieter.

 

[kort677]

Then I am up sheets creek I do have AAA plus Tesla service tow etc..... If that ever happens I just hope to be near civilization

that's the point of carrying a spare, go into a local tire shop near you and see if they have the size tire you'd need for your care, more than likely they won't. carrying a spare save you from being stranded or a very long wait for a new tire to arrive at your location

 

[kort677]

Why wouldn't you utilize roadside assistance for a tire swap in that situation?

they do not supply a tire for swapping, they would take you to a tire shop, but more than likely the proper tire will not be in stock

 

[mikeash]

My cell phone is my spare tire. In 20 years of driving, I've never had a flat. Modern tires are pretty good, it seems. I know that if I do have a flat, dealing with tow trucks and roadside assistance and rare tires is likely to be a pain in the ass, but I'm willing to take that risk.

 

[ORB]

I carry a mounted spare and wheel for out of area trips only, I stow it behind the right passenger seat. I may include the tools someday if I come across a Tesla-rated jack that doesn't take up too much space.

 

[dgpcolorado]

My cell phone is my spare tire. In 20 years of driving, I've never had a flat. Modern tires are pretty good, it seems. I know that if I do have a flat, dealing with tow trucks and roadside assistance and rare tires is likely to be a pain in the ass, but I'm willing to take that risk.

I suppose it depends on where you live and drive. I live and drive in places that sometimes don't have cell phone service and road trips are frequently very far away from the nearest town with a tire shop. I'd rather be able to self-rescue and continue on with my trip. I have had flats in all my previous cars and consider a plug kit, tools, and a spare (for long trips) to be cheap insurance. If they never get used, so much the better. YMMV.

A few days ago I also used my spare to help with rotating my tires in my garage, since I have only one jack.

 

[mikeash]

Yeah, definitely depends on where you drive. I'm in Virginia and my long trips so far have been along the east coast and into the Midwest, where civilization is never far away. Going into the desert or mountain wildernesses, I'd reconsider my approach.

 

[habanero69]

BMW 3 series doesn't have a spare. I just finished 3 years with one. Search for a thread about a BMW spare that fits Teslas for about $300. Several people are using it.

That's because most BMW 3/4 series have run flats, or at least my last 4 did...

 

[habanero69]

...... <SNIP> In 20 years of driving, I've never had a flat.........<SNIP>

You are SO now going to get a flat...

 

[mikeash]

Pfft, I'm not afraid. Come at me, Fate, do your worst! I dare you!