Spare Tire a good / bad idea?

[@kWhpony]

I bought a Modern Spare kit for my Model 3 to use on road trips, just to reduce the time to repair in case of a flat tire. In town, I don't carry it in the car, easy enough to call roadside service. I plan to do the same with the Mach-E.

Think that will fit in the frunk once all the dividers are taken out?

Sponsored

 

[jsteach]

Being in the automotive service dept for 40 years. I had my share of stories. Its not the
repairable one that you wait 1 hour for a tow truck, and another to fix it. Its the TIRE damage
beyond repair. And It will take two days to get it , in the middle of BFE. I have always carry a spare tire on extended trips going through nowhere. One other solution is to buy a tire without a rim. It the tire is not repairable they can install the new tire on the rim.

 

[generaltso]

Think that will fit in the frunk once all the dividers are taken out.

No. The Modern Spare is about the same outside diameter as a stock wheel and tire, just a lot narrower at only 4”.

 

[digdug52]

Think that will fit in the frunk once all the dividers are taken out?

As answered by @generaltso, it will not fit in the frunk. In the Model 3, it takes up some room in the trunk ( or in the back seat area if I put it there) but since I travel alone or with one person, it is not much issue. If traveling with 3 or 4 people and luggage, it could be an issue having room for everything and passengers. On the Mach E, a little more room but the same issue could also happen. I only take the spare on trips where I could be is sparse population areas and putting on the spare will save some time instead of waiting for roadside service to come. In town or heavily traveled routes, I don't carry it since roadside can probably be there in 30 to 60 minutes to get me going and I can get flat tire repaired or replaced.

 

[buffasnow]

As answered by @generaltso, it will not fit in the frunk. In the Model 3, it takes up some room in the trunk ( or in the back seat area if I put it there) but since I travel alone or with one person, it is not much issue. If traveling with 3 or 4 people and luggage, it could be an issue having room for everything and passengers. On the Mach E, a little more room but the same issue could also happen. I only take the spare on trips where I could be is sparse population areas and putting on the spare will save some time instead of waiting for roadside service to come. In town or heavily traveled routes, I don't carry it since roadside can probably be there in 30 to 60 minutes to get me going and I can get flat tire repaired or replaced.

I am considering a spare, but I would probably have to also buy a fairly robust jack as well. I have regular Craftsman hydraulic jacks in all the ICE cars, some of the provided scissor jacks I have seen make me nervous. Has anyone actually used the scissor jack that Modern provides or have other suggestions?

 

[deadduck]

A little thread necropsy but I just had my first flat in I don't know how long today. Must have driven a mile, maybe two or more, with it almost flat. Got it to a service station, inflated it, and could still hear the leak. So, I pulled the spare, changed the tire, and drove back home. I'll take the tire to a tire shop tomorrow and get it repaired, hopefully, although it's holding pressure without the weight of a car on it.

A kit would have been easier but I liked being able to swap it out. Can't remember the last time I changed a tire either.

 

[Carsinmyblood]

If you're not going full out for a mounted spare, buy a tire and have it ready to take to a tire store, in the event they don't have one. The place that services our Ford dealer will take from Saturday til Wednesday to get a tire for my wife's car. That's a really long time to use the tire pump.

Being able to toss a tire in the back and get it mounted right away is worth the $225.00 it'll take to have it handy.

 

[Jeffvisor]

The car comes with a tire-sealant kit and electric tire pump. The idea being that you would apply sealant, re-inflate, drive the car a few miles to distribute the sealant, and re-check the pressure. You may want to pick up a tire plug kit (fantastic for dealing with punctures.)

See page 312 in the Owners Guide.

https://www.macheforum.com/site/thr...manuals-and-web-sites-for-mach-e-owners.1660/

I bought this tire repair kit on Amazon there are cheaper ones this one has everything you need.

 

[Carsinmyblood]

The tire store that is replacing my wife's tire called. They ordered the wrong tire, it'll be another day or two before she gets her original wheel with a new tire on it. Flat on Friday, replaced on Thurs. or Friday.

I'm very glad I purchased a wheel/tire.

 

[rhougey]

Being in the automotive service dept for 40 years. I had my share of stories. Its not the
repairable one that you wait 1 hour for a tow truck, and another to fix it. Its the TIRE damage
beyond repair. And It will take two days to get it , in the middle of BFE. I have always carry a spare tire on extended trips going through nowhere. One other solution is to buy a tire without a rim. It the tire is not repairable they can install the new tire on the rim.

Here's a post I just added to the thread "Spare wheel/tire at home".
I can't imagine not at least having a spare at home to throw on the car, but this is an option to throw in the back of the car when you have the space and/or going on a trip.

https://www.macheforum.com/site/threads/spare-wheel-tire-at-home.6007/post-198166

 

[Carsinmyblood]

I can't imagine not at least having a spare at home to throw on the car, but this is an option to throw in the back of the car when you have the space and/or going on a trip.

Exactly what I did. The tire didn't show up on the dash. That'll go back to normal when the tire is finally installed on her original rim and swapped back onto the car.

 

[rhougey]

My emergency spare kit is complete, and I think I like what I've got more than what Modern Spare is offering. Admittedly, it took a bit of time to assemble all the parts, but it was a lot cheaper, too.
My kit is:
1) A salvaged spare from a late model Range Rover Evoque, bought on eBay for $90. Fits perfectly, and is more compact (thickness-wise) than the alloy wheel M.S. is using. Same size temp tire.
2) A vinyl spare tire cover purchased from etrailer.com for about $12, makes the spare more presentable in the cargo area.
3) An extendable lug wrench purchased from Auto Zone for $20, seems to be the same one M.S. is including in their kit.
4) A Hyperion electric/hydraulic compact jack, powered by 12V "cigarette lighter" ports inside car, 3 ton rating, works great, purchased from costco.com for $99. Some Tesla owners have complained that the M.S. ratcheting scissor jack is difficult to use because it needs a longer ratchet handle.
5) A 2-1/2" rubber bottle jack lift pad purchase from ebay for $7. I did have to machine out the hole on the underside of the rubber puck from 3/4" to 2" to fit the Hyperion jack.

Total cost $228 plus some tax. I also carefully carved out and bored out the factory styrofoam under the cargo floor to house the Hyperion jack and the lug wrench, so the only thing left in the cargo area is the spare itself. Total combined weight is 48 pounds. The cargo floor sits all the way down on the lower position with the jack and lug wrench neatly stowed away. If I need the space, I can yank the spare and hang it on my wall. Otherwise I just leave it in the car. The total height of the spare when sitting on the cargo floor is exactly 6-3/8". It appears the M.S. spare will be a bit more than that because of the alloy wheel they are using.

 

[DYohn]

I for one am happy I am not carrying around the extra weight.

 

[theo1000]

Glad that's not in the back of my car!

I have spares on my cars but have never bothered to use them. Roadside assistance East of the rockies is so good now that it is never more than an hour to get a ride. Just not worth the effort.

My insurance pays for road side assistance for 'free' so I'm not going to waste my time.

BTW if you are so terrified of a breakdown in the middle of mountains what are you doing out there at 2AM.

 

[karioka]

Just had a blow out coming back from UT, so 'often'? Even if it never happens, the thought of being in a remote location in summer w/o one is not a good idea. Maybe something like this? https://www.amazon.com/2017-2018-Tesla-Complete-Spare-Carrying/dp/B07KS3VLWT

I also had a beyond repair blow out coming back from UT, had to have the car towed as I had no spare. I'm thinking of buying a full-size spare in case it happens again, need to drive long miles on it, eventually to get back home.

Sponsored