Stategy for Lack of Spare Tire on Model S

[steve841]

Yes, I too have the repair kit mentioned ealier and a full size spare in case of a ruined tire.

Anyone in the market for a full sized spare 21" silver turbine, I have one for sale. Tesla Model S 21" Turbine Wheel - Complete | eBay

 

[robby]

Got a flat tire on the top of Mt Washington last month. Fixed it with a plug kit and 12V compressor. Can't say enough about keeping a kit like that in the trunk. Very little weight, space, and cost for a lot of peace of mind.

 

[fallen888]

Tesla roadside and AAA plus.

^This. If you can afford a Tesla, you can afford roadside assistance/AAA.

 

[Don85D]

This topic has been important over the past 10 years when Run Flat tires and no spare were first introduced. A simple puncture is easy to fix but a catastrophic failure that ruins the tire when running flat in remote ares can only be mitigated with a full sized spare and jacking equipment.

A recent posting of a Model S driver who hit a curb while avoiding a collision is a perfect example as the rim and tire could have been severely damaged. Having a matching rim and tire allows life to carry on with not much additional stress.

I carried a full sized spare and tools for road trips in our BMW especially with RFTs and staggered tire sizes. Eventually I changed back to non-RFTs to better suit sport suspension and to solve tramlining issues. I carried the spare full time for years to follow. Then it happened. Tread separation on a highway run made the full sized spare rim and tire the best insurance ever.

 

[juliusa]

I used to carry my full size spare in the frunk, but now I just leave it in the garage. Just not necessary unless you are in the Austrailian Outback or crossing the Sahara.

Years ago I used to carry a quart of oil, gallon of coolant, and a toolbox in the trunk of my cars. Stopped that decades ago too.

 

[BrokerDon]

The Gooloo powers the electric jack, and the compressor so you don’t have to use the car’s 12v cigarette plug. Just remember to recharge on occasion.
Hockey pucks for jack points.
I have this set up in all my cars. Haven’t have to use except to top off tire pressure.
Hope this helps.

Where do you attach the + and - alligator clips of the ViAir 88P on your Tesla?

 

[murphyS90D]

Where do you attach the + and - alligator clips of the ViAir 88P on your Tesla?

Open the frunk.
Remove the plastic panel near the windshield that the windshield washer cap protrudes through.
Connect the + lead to the indicated jumper point.
Connect the - lead to the frame of the car.
On a pre-refresh car there is a bolt sticking up out of the top of the steel beam that is behind the nose cone.
I have no idea where it is on a refresh car.

 

[jdeskins]

Took my first road trip this last weekend. Later that first night when pulling into one of the superchargers, the car alerted me to dropping pressure in one of the tires. Got out and found a screw in the rear passenger tire with that heart-dropping hissing sound. After reading some of these posts beforehand, I had purchased a plug kit and 12v compressor to take with us on the trip. Thankfully, I had that since this was in the middle of the night in a back parking lot and Tesla roadside assistance said it would be an hour or more before someone could get back to me to discuss options.

I rolled the car forward to get better access to the spot on the back tire. I had problems getting the reamer tool through the hole in the tire. Someone walking by saw all my tools at the side of the tire and stopped to help. He was able to plug the tire and the air compressor brought it back up to 45psi. We were back on the road a while later after confirming it was holding.

 

[Kalex]

Where do you attach the + and - alligator clips of the ViAir 88P on your Tesla?

I don’t. I use the Goolo to power the compressor, to avoid blowing the fuse of the cigarette plug.
But, I also wired a fused cigarette plug just in case
I need to run something else.