So many flats....

[Sam1]

Nice wheels I'd buy them if they weren't $2800. Post a pic

$1400 cheaper here, almost identical design.

 

[P3dStealth]

$1400 cheaper here, almost identical design.View attachment 588676

Where did you get those? I am a fan

 

[Sam1]

Where did you get those? I am a fan

Entire thread here. Company contact info inside it... I made the thread with an unbiased opinion because I didn't know how they were going to be, and I don't have any affiliation with the company. Few other people have ordered and posted in there as well already. For these in the 18's that I ordered, they are 17.8 lb each on my scale, so they're light as hell.

Custom monoblock forged wheels Info

 

[Phlier]

Funny you mention this, I got my first flat in my life with my Model 3. Admittedly I'm younger and have only been driving 10 years, but still. All those years carrying around a spare tire (usually full size), and of course it happens in the car I don't have any kind of spare for. Luckily I was close to home and made it back before it deflated. I jacked the car up myself, and brought the wheel into a local shop for repair, $160 later I was good to go. Ouch. Might just be bad luck, who knows, but I'm hoping it doesn't happen again! Especially since the patched tire now loses about 1-2 PSI per month.

Get yourself a good plug kit, and watch a couple of YouTube videos on how to use it.

Then equip your car with:

1. An electric tire inflator

2. A good plug kit

3. Some side cutters

4. Needle nose pliers

5. A tube of rubber cement (use this to lubricate the plug to make for amazingly easy plug insertion)

6. Cheap pair of garden gloves

I don't know how my wife does it, but she manages to get a flat tire at least twice a year. I average one per year. No idea what it is about the area that we've lived for the last 30 years, but flats happen a lot around here.

Anyway, plugs are considered to be a permanent repair. I've been using them for 40 years now, and have never had a problem with a tire I've plugged not lasting until it was down to the wear limits.

Plugs are much more reliable than tire slime or goop, don't unbalance your tires like the aforementioned products can, are a permanent repair, and easily done on the side of the road. You don't even need to jack your car up to plug a tire.

Also keep in mind that tire slime/goop won't work on the stock tires, as they have a layer of sound absorbing foam on the interior, which prevents the goop/slime from reaching the hole in the tire.

 

[dmurphy]

Anyway, plugs are considered to be a permanent repair. I've been using them for 40 years now, and have never had a problem with a tire I've plugged not lasting until it was down to the wear limits.

I agree with all you said, except this ... a plug is only considered a permanent repair combined with a patch on the inside ... Now I'll grant you the first two links are kinda the fox-guarding-the-henhouse (the guys who sell new tires...) But the third is the NHTSA itself.

Tire Repair Basics
Tire Repair
Tire Safety, Brochure (DOT HS 809 361 October 2001)

(And yes - in a practical sense, the plugs are of course just fine .... but just pointing out the manufacturers and the NHTSA only consider the belt-n-suspenders approach permanent. I travel with an inflator & plug kit with tools exactly as you recommend!)

 

[nocelldontcall]

Keep a plug kit in the trunk. I've had my 3 since April 2019. 5 flat tires later I finally replaced 1 tire. The other 3 are still running after almost 40,000 miles with several plugs installed

 

[Ritz]

Hello all. I have a 2018 Model 3 with the 19 inch rims. Prior to getting this car, I think I had one flat tire about 20 years ago. Since taking delivery of this car in October 2018, I have had 2 flats that needed to be replaced ($345 each) and 4 repairs. The last mobile repair person told me these are so susceptible to puncture because of the weight of the vehicle. Makes sense but if this keeps up, I may go broke buying tires.

I have two questions: 1) anyone having the same experience? 2) anyone know of a better tire that resists punctures?

Thanks--

I'm sure it has absolutely nothing to do with the horrendous quality of the roads in NJ.....plus a little bad luck.

Best,

 

[Ritz]

I agree with all you said, except this ... a plug is only considered a permanent repair combined with a patch on the inside ... Now I'll grant you the first two links are kinda the fox-guarding-the-henhouse (the guys who sell new tires...) But the third is the NHTSA itself.

Tire Repair Basics
Tire Repair
Tire Safety, Brochure (DOT HS 809 361 October 2001)

(And yes - in a practical sense, the plugs are of course just fine .... but just pointing out the manufacturers and the NHTSA only consider the belt-n-suspenders approach permanent. I travel with an inflator & plug kit with tools exactly as you recommend!)

The "ancestral family business" was an auto repair shop/gas station/inspection station in NY that we opened in the 1930's and shut down about 15 years ago. I worked there many days after school, weekends, vacations, summers, etc. My father did the same. I have probably plugged thousands of tires and my father and grandfather likely did the same. Not only did I never experience one of these coming back myself, but can't recall my dad or grandfather mentioning one coming back either. I have never used a plug in conjunction with a patch....just simple self vulcanizing plug with a simple rat tail rasp to clean out the hole prior to inserting it.

So while I find the recommendations on various web sites interesting, it doesn't jibe with my actual "boots on the ground" experience. Personally, I just keep a plug kit, a pair of diagonal cutting pliers to remove screws/nails, and a small portable air compressor ($20-30 at your local Walmart) in the car and don't worry too much about it. Tire punctures are a fact of life.

Best,

 

[dmurphy]

The "ancestral family business" was an auto repair shop/gas station/inspection station in NY that we opened in the 1930's and shut down about 15 years ago. I worked there many days after school, weekends, vacations, summers, etc. My father did the same. I have probably plugged thousands of tires and my father and grandfather likely did the same. Not only did I never experience one of these coming back myself, but can't recall my dad or grandfather mentioning one coming back either. I have never used a plug in conjunction with a patch....just simple self vulcanizing plug with a simple rat tail rasp to clean out the hole prior to inserting it.

So while I find the recommendations on various web sites interesting, it doesn't jibe with my actual "boots on the ground" experience. Personally, I just keep a plug kit, a pair of diagonal cutting pliers to remove screws/nails, and a small portable air compressor ($20-30 at your local Walmart) in the car and don't worry too much about it. Tire punctures are a fact of life.

Best,

Sorry to hear your family business closed - we need more small family businesses in the US..... </rant over>

On the tire front, I agree with you - never seen a plug fail if done right. And like you said, I keep a plug kit with a couple small tools in the car, and an air compressor. It's a perfectly fine method. I was just pointing out that the NHTSA and the "industry" as it were don't consider a tire fully repaired unless it has a plug+patch. I think it's overkill, personally, but I'm sure there's a horde of lawyers out there that disagree with all of us .... just wanted to point out what their stance is, not that I agree with it.

 

[MXLRplus]

Most EVs use LLR (Low Rolling Resistance) or Eco tires. These have less protection and thickness in the plies. A screw that was only 0.375" depth punctured a then new tire on our Tesla. These kinds of sheet metal screws have no effect on our non-LLR tires. We saw the same thing with other LLR tires on our other cars.

Plugs: I've installed many of them, certainly over two dozen. I've never had a single one fail. However, not everybody is strong enough to install one. This might sound insane, but a 1/8" drill can help. Also, using rubber cement as a lubricant makes it easier. If you are good with tools, you can also use the weight of the car to install a plug. This is dangerous if not done right.
Needle Nose ViseGrips are very handy for removing nails where the head is small or missing. A utility knife can help remove rubber from around the head of the nail and also cuts the new plug flush with the tire.

Did you know you can display your tire pressure constantly while driving? This is a good idea for long trips. Most flats give you lots of warning.

 

[Ritz]

Sorry to hear your family business closed - we need more small family businesses in the US..... </rant over>

No worries. My dad wanted to retire and it was hard to justify me giving up a senior exec position at a Fortune 10 company to run the family business. It's also one of those businesses where it isn't very profitable to be an absentee owner. So we sold it instead.

Best,

 

[Ritz]

Most EVs use LLR (Low Rolling Resistance) or Eco tires. These have less protection and thickness in the plies. A screw that was only 0.375" depth punctured a then new tire on our Tesla. These kinds of sheet metal screws have no effect on our non-LLR tires. We saw the same thing with other LLR tires on our other cars.

Interesting. When my stock tires are worn out, I don't intend to replace them with LRR tires. I am completely fine with a vanishingly small reduction in efficiency to get a larger contact patch on the ground.

Best,