What to do when you get a flat tire?

[MrFusion]

Hey gang,

I’m about to take my first long road trip in my Model 3 and am curious what the flat tire procedure should be other than calling roadside assistance. Any tips?

I have a tire repair/plug kit and an air compressor. Now I’m wondering if there’s enough room between the tire and the wheel well to use the repair kit tools (the drill-like tool to enlarge the hole and the tool to actually insert the plug). I’m thinking probably not.

So now I’m thinking I would most likely have to remove the wheel/tire from the car in order to plug a hole with the kit. I’ve got a set of the jack pads but don’t have a jack. Now I’m debating just taking the scissor jack out of my other car for this trip in case I need to use it under the jack pad to remove the wheel. But then I’m also a little hesitant to leave the car raised by just the jack while I perform the tire repair since normally you’d just be swapping a spare tire in and wouldn’t be dependent on the scissor jack for so long.

Anybody have any thoughts or ideas? I’m hoping to have some type of repair solution just so I’m not entirely dependent on roadside assistance.

Then the next question is... if the tire is beyond repair where do you get one of these tires with the special Tesla foam inside? Seems like I may end up having to buy some random tire in a pinch and then switch it back once I get home and can order the special kind. I might end up accumulating a lot of non-foam tires this way!

 

[Dolemite]

I plan on having two sets of wheels - one for range/winter & one with fat summer tires. Will throw one in the back on long trips. Plan on using a scissor jack + pad to lift, if needed. I don't think there's any problem leaving the car on a scissor jack for an extended amount of time - it may even be more reliable than a hydraulic jack.

 

[atnbirdie]

For long trips off the beaten path I carry a Modern Spare. It is big (full size diamter) but incuding the well in the trunk I can still fit 3 carry on bags plus some smaller items like a small gym bag, tote bags, etc.
There are no special Tesla tires. Mine are Michelins. The foam is a tire manufacturer's inclusion that is supposed to help them run more quietly. Other manufacturers use it too.

 

[Stanwood Steve]

For long trips off the beaten path I carry a Modern Spare. It is big (full size diamter) but incuding the well in the trunk I can still fit 3 carry on bags plus some smaller items like a small gym bag, tote bags, etc.
There are no special Tesla tires. Mine are Michelins. The foam is a tire manufacturer's inclusion that is supposed to help them run more quietly. Other manufacturers use it too.

I do the same - I have a Modern Spare kit that includes the spare tire, jack, lug nuts, telescoping lug wrench and bag. I took a 2,500 mile trip recently and didn't want to take a chance on a flat. I also have the Tesla compressor kit with puncture seal, but I have my doubts about how well that will work with the foam lining in my tires. Needless to say, I had no issues while on the trip, but I was ready.

 

[jkoya]

I'm also planning on purchasing the Modern Spare as I previously had a flat in my VW R32 in an area with no mobile phone service.

 

[Blucenturion]

Modern Spare. First I've heard of that.

 

[house9]

Anybody know if Model 3 comes with Jack pad adapters included? Or you need to buy your own?

 

[dmd2005]

Anybody know if Model 3 comes with Jack pad adapters included? Or you need to buy your own?

You need to buy your own or make your own with hockey pucks.

 

[Kevy Baby]

Anybody know if Model 3 comes with Jack pad adapters included? Or you need to buy your own?

You need to buy your own

 

[dhanson865]

I use a portable compressor for slow leaks or a portable air compressor + a rubber plug for turning a fast leak into a slow leak then park the car somewhere at home or wherever until I can get a tire shop to swap tires for me. I might have to air it up once to get home and air it up again another day to get to the tire shop.

If I have winter/summer tires I swap a pair (never have a difference between left and right side of the car). If I don't have 2 or more spare tires I just buy a brand new replacement for one tire or a new set of tires depending on the condition of the rest of the tires in my rotation.

Most of the time I'd swapp tires out myself if I have another set laying around. But the last 2 times I tried I hit two seperate issues, one time the lug nuts were on so tight I had to borrow a cheater bar several days later to get lug nuts loosened. Another time I had no problem loosening the normal nuts but couldn't find the "key" for the locking nuts.

In short there is no single answer, every solution you try to apply to this problem adds it's own issues to the mix.

* Do you have a spare
* Do you have an air compressor
* Do you have a plug kit
* Do you have a good jack
* Do you have jack pad adapters for your Tesla
* Do you have a good lug wrench
* Do you have the correct torque bar / torque wrench (when tightening) or cheater bar (when trying to loosen someone else's bad work)
* Do you have the key to your locking lug nuts
* Do you have...

 

[house9]

I have a tire repair/plug kit and an air compressor.

Just watched this video on using one on model 3

Modern Spare. First I've heard of that.

Me too, looks legit, too bad the frunk or rear sub-truck are not big enough to fit it. Still looks like best option if you have.room:

 

[Blucenturion]

I have all items to jack and plug, remove, and if the situation precludes any of those measures, I'm hitching a ride till cel service enables me to call for tow. One thing I'm NOT doing is carrying a spare tire around with me.

 

[Black306]

I picked up a cheap Hyundai 19” spare from eBay. The tire is a bit taller than factory tires (155/70/19), but I’ll find out if it’ll fit once the car arrives. If not, I’ll replace the tire with one that is the same height (135/70/19). Intent is to bring the spare only on long drives.

 

[VinnyS]

I also have a Modern Spare for my Model 3. So one afternoon I decided to see how hard it was going to be to put the spare on while parked in my garage. Found out there are two different bolt patterns on the Modern Spare, one for Tesla, one for some other vehicle. Won't say how long it took to realize this but needless there was a lot of frustration thinking I had the wrong spare! So now I have duct tape with arrows pointing to the correct lug nut holes on my spare tire. There are no markings on the Modern Spare to indicate which bolt pattern is for what vehicle. Really glad I discovered this in my garage on a weekend instead of on the side of the road somewhere.

 

[jkoya]

I also have a Modern Spare for my Model 3. So one afternoon I decided to see how hard it was going to be to put the spare on while parked in my garage. Found out there are two different bolt patterns on the Modern Spare, one for Tesla, one for some other vehicle. Won't say how long it took to realize this but needless there was a lot of frustration thinking I had the wrong spare! So now I have duct tape with arrows pointing to the correct lug nut holes on my spare tire. There are no markings on the Modern Spare to indicate which bolt pattern is for what vehicle. Really glad I discovered this in my garage on a weekend instead of on the side of the road somewhere.

Thanks for the tip !! I'm planning to order a Modern Spare and will definitely check if it's the right one upon receipt...

 

[toolman335]

Good thread and great call to practice!

 

[VinnyS]

For those of you with a Modern Spare or thinking about one. Take a look at the attached photo and how I have the Model 3 lug nut holes marked.

 

[KenC]

Bimmerzone has a spare similar to the Modern Spare. Some may prefer it, as it doesn't have all the lug holes. I bought a Hyundai Genesis compact spare on ebay for $150, Porsche jack, also a tire repair kit, air compressor. I don't carry the spare day2day, just for trips.