Spare tire on road trips?

[Big John]

Maybe it is just me, but using a simple and cheap Plug Kit is so easy, and a small 12v pump to get the pressure back and you can be on your way in 10 to 20 minutes, long before any help can arrive. I have not needed to use it on our Tesla, but I never travel without it. I have used it twice before on other vehicles. Works great and lasted until the tires needed to be replaced as a set.

Be careful with this. This just happened to me two days ago. I plugged the tire and then took it to America's tire for a proper patch (the plug leaked some). They said that they will not repair a plugged tire. They said that plugging a tire (need to ream before plugging) ruins the integrity of the belts and exposes the steel to the elements. This makes a permanent patch insufficient to protect against water and rust-- they refused to repair it. I called some other shops and they said the same thing. So the plugging got me to the tire store but ruined a tire with only 10K miles on it. Ended up having to buy a new tire.

 

[supomglol]

Be careful with this. This just happened to me two days ago. I plugged the tire and then took it to America's tire for a proper patch (the plug leaked some). They said that they will not repair a plugged tire. They said that plugging a tire (need to ream before plugging) ruins the integrity of the belts and exposes the steel to the elements. This makes a permanent patch insufficient to protect against water and rust-- they refused to repair it. I called some other shops and they said the same thing. So the plugging got me to the tire store but ruined a tire with only 10K miles on it. Ended up having to buy a new tire.

This is some strait up horeshit.
These companies are just trying to protect their bottom line. A correctly-installed plug will prevent any such "elements" from reaching the belts just as well (if not better) than a patch.

I've plugged my tires countless times and never had a single one cause me issues down the road even after putting more than 30k miles after the fact and traveling at speeds of as much as 199 miles an hour with a plug in the tire. (seriously)

 

[mknox]

I've plugged my tires countless times and never had a single one cause me issues down the road even after putting more than 30k miles after the fact and traveling at speeds of as much as 199 miles an hour with a plug in the tire. (seriously)

I've plugged a small handful over the years myself too, but have never taken one in to a tire shop for "permanent repair" afterwards, as they all seemed to have held up.

However, I did take one of my winter tires in to a shop after I removed it in the spring because it had a nail in it. They used some sort of all-in-one patch/plug that is installed from the inside and looks like the image below. I asked about plugging from the outside and was told something similar to what @Big John heard.

 

[HankLloydRight]

This is some strait up horeshit.

I agree. They're also going to ream the puncture and "expose" the belts to the elements.

But their patch is OK.

Total BS.

 

[boelkers]

For those of you that do carry a spare, what is the size/brand? If say a rear tire was the on needing to be replaced, is the difference in size an issue?

 

[NHK X]

Interesting discussion. Would be nice if there was a 3/4 tire solution made of solid rubber and able to support the weight of the car to use in a pinch, something a little more compact and able to get you to hobble to a tire shop.

 

[bijucs]

Did anyone check out 2015-2018 Tesla Model X Complete Kit - Modern Spare Any feedback would be great. The conveniance and security with a spare kept in frunk is priceless..