Ditching the Spare: Emergency Repair Kit Ideas (OTW: Uber/Lyft)

[ScottCrane]

As a new owner of a 20 yr old car I have been wondering about ditching the unsafe (at any speed) spare. I find flats fall into two categories: complete failure, must replace or patch/plug/slime refill with air repair it, drive on. I've had plenty of flats where all it needed was the nail/screw pulled out, plug put in, aired up. Which I often did at home myself after changing out the spare out on the road.

So, my idea is to have an Emergency Repair Kit to handle the easy to fix flats. A cell phone call for other types. As everyone is probably aware, a lot of newer cars are also ditching the spare and replacing it with something like my kit.

So, the question is what would this kit contain?

1) Tire Jack. Stock is OK. But is there something better, easier to use, w/o being heavy and bulky?
2) Tire Iron. (those lugs aren't coming off themselves unless you are six million dollar man)
3) Air Inflator. bonus if it included LED light. should have gauge of course. I've had good luck with the not so cheapy inflators. Any brand/model suggestions?
4) Pliers. Any cheap ones will do for pulling nails/screws.
5) Tire Plug set
6) "Slime" or whatever green stuff they try and patch tires with. I've never really trusted the stuff over doing a plug and/or taking the tire to the shop for a proper inside patch. Might help with those dreaded slow leak tires.
7) cheap small "mechanics" socket/tool set. Which might include pliers. Ought to have a flat head/star screwdriver or add one.
8) Gloves for your hands. I also like to keep an old towel around the car. I've also used the towel or trunk bottom between me and our dirty, dusty Texas roadsides.

I guess if I lived up north I'd throw in a flare, a few MREs, and a hand warmer. But really, having things like a flare and maybe a little first aid kit are handy little things that you hardly ever use. But once the need arises, you will be thankful you have them. Same thing goes with any extra repair/emergency gear you decide to tote. Cars with slow oil leaks, I've always kept the oil container in the car.

I'm also wanting to fit all this stuff in roughly the same place and as replacement for the stock foam tool kit block in the trunk. And I'll want to figure a way of holding all these pieces from just sliding all over the trunk area. If you want to see a cool light show: just have a metal tire iron (or jack) slide across the terminals of the nearby battery. Side note: my terminals are exposed to the world. The positive one needs a protective cap/shield over it.

Also, thinking about this (as I write) is there any need for the jack and tire iron if I'm "limiting" my roadside tire repairs to plug/slime or call tow truck? No real need to remove the tire to do a slime or plug job. Granted you might need to roll the car forward to find the damage.

But, there is another option besides just calling tow truck. Assuming you can get the tire off: call for an Uber/Lyft to the nearest tire place. Just hope the driver is OK with you and your tire But seriously, this is another less expensive method with dealing with complete tire failure without towing (assuming tire shop within reasonable distance). But, heck, a tow for a longer distance is surely going to cost more than a Uber/Lyft ride round trip.

In summary: I'm looking for air inflator and possible tire jack suggestions. Of course, any comments/additions to my "kit".

[ProductUser]

What I would do is simulate a tire failure in your garage and determine what tools, jacks...etc., work best and fit in the allotted space. My Z doesn't have a spare tire and I'm too old to mess with a plug kit and the BMW supplied air pump. I've accepted that my cell phone and credit card are the only tools I'll need to repair a flat.

[IndianaRoadster]

I would not think you would need a jack and wrenches. A air compressor will inflate tire enough to roll the car just a bit if needed to access puncture.

[joelrg]

I have a plug kit, slime and a pump. When I purchased the car used it didn't have a spare, so this will hopefully be sufficient.

I've never had a blowout, I would think as long as you don't wear the tires to the belts or hit something big, you'll probably only get a small puncture anyway.

Joel

[KeysCoupe]

I have an M Coupe and have filled the tool kit with a Mini Cooper jack that works/fits perfectly on our cars. I also have a 16" space saver alloy spare I carry on long trips, just in case. It fits snug flat on the load floor. Uber/Lyft aren't options along many miles of interstate 95 though Fl,Ga, SC, & NC where I may travel. At least I can put a flat tire in the passenger seat, and drive on the space saver to get to civillization to repair/replace the damaged tire. I do carry a battery powered air compressor too.
-Donny

[Vintage42]

As a new owner of a 20 yr old car I have been wondering about ditching the unsafe (at any speed) spare...

Here's a picture of the Continental T125/90R15 compact spare tire that came on my car. The car (and tire) had evidently been garaged all its life of 32,000 miles. Except for the date of manufacture on it, the tire cannot be told from a new Continental T125/90R15 made in 2010 that I bought in 2013 to replace it. The rubber on both is still waxy and fresh. The older tire is my spare spare.

Continental T125:90R15 .jpg

I also carry this inflator kit:
https://blog.tirerack.com/blog/docs-advice-on-tires/no-spare-tire-weve-got-the-option-for-you

[R Shaffner]

My thoughts:

It would depend a lot on what the car was used for. If it's an all purpose daily driver, I'd really want a spare, even a small emergency one. Or (dare I say it?) run-flats.

(My wife has had a Mini Cooper S for 10 years, with run flats. She's had 3 flat tires. All of them were on Sunday evenings on the highway, after road trips, at least an hour from home. One was on a dark winter night, at midnight. It was WELL worth it to us for her to not be stranded -- to just slow down and drive carefully home. I'd feel the same about a small spare on an all-purpose daily driver.)

I have a full size spare in my 540 and have had several flats on weekend road trips too. Was real glad I had a full-size spare.

I'd feel differently about a car that rarely left town. And if I had a sporty little car that I just drove around on nice days, I'd feel fine leaving the spare at home.

For me the patch kit would feel like wasted money. I MIGHT have used an emergency inflator when I had a nail with a slow leak. But too many of the flats I've had were damaged along the side wall and/or could not be patched from the outside.

[sjfuqua]

BMW makes a tire mobility kit. Went this route when we ditched the run flats on my wife’s Mini convertible:

https://www.ecstuning.com/b-genuine-...YaAkUWEALw_wcB

[R Shaffner]

BMW makes a tire mobility kit. Went this route when we ditched the run flats on my wife’s Mini convertible:

https://www.ecstuning.com/b-genuine-...YaAkUWEALw_wcB

Interesting. Have you used it? Or know anyone who has?

[amancuso]

You can purchase a new 16" compact spare steel rim from BMW for $44.00 and a Kumho compact spare for it for about $80.00 from tire rack that fits in the compact spare housing. Done and dusted.

[CoconutPete]

I struggled with this for months and finally decided to ditch the spare and the carrier and add the tools to plug a puncture along with this:
https://www.amazon.com/DieHard-28716...s%2C164&sr=8-4

[cyberman]

I'd feel differently about a car that rarely left town. And if I had a sporty little car that I just drove around on nice days, I'd feel fine leaving the spare at home.

I toodle around on nice days, but I also want to get it prepped for dreamed vacation trips in the future. In my almost 40 years of driving, I've only had one blow-out and that was in a Mazda 3 with tires prone to blow outs. Most of the problems were with small leaks which can be managed with a small compressor until fixed. I carry a can of flat fixer which I'll probably never use and a cheap inflator as well as towing coverage up to 150 miles. I've ditched the spare and the jack.

I figure there is a low risk of a major hassle on a trip where I'm hundreds of miles from the nearest repair facility but the last thing I worry about.

[sjfuqua]

Interesting. Have you used it? Or know anyone who has?

I own it and carry it in my Mini when I replaced the run flats. It is a convenient appears to be well made kit. Also doubles as an inflator. Have not had the need to use it yet but will buy again when I eventually replace the run flats on my 2020.

[cyberman]

I struggled with this for months and finally decided to ditch the spare and the carrier and add the tools to plug a puncture along with this

I want that, too expensive for me now though. But that reminds me, check tire pressure today!

[ProductUser]

Plug kits are great, but you don't want to learn how to use them on the side of the road. I would practice making puncture repairs when I changed my motorcycle tires, which happened 3-5 times\year.

[bk94si]

My car being an M model doesn't even have a spare. i was thinking of throwing a can of fix-a-flat in the trunk.

[Vinci]

An inflator and a plug kit will bail you out of minor failures. Anything worse and you're going to need a spare. If you go the plug route (which I personally use), get a good setup. The plastic kits you buy at the parts store are garbage and will leave you just as stranded. For a little more, you can get solid metal t-handled tools on Amazon that will actually get the job done.

[CoconutPete]

Plug kits are great, but you don't want to learn how to use them on the side of the road. I would practice making puncture repairs when I changed my motorcycle tires, which happened 3-5 times\year.

Summer after first year of college I worked weekdays in the shop at a full service gas station and weekends behind the cash register in the store or at the full serve pump. I made some great tips fixing small stuff and punctures for the local soccer moms at night after the shop was closed.

"well Ma'am, the shops closed, but if you wanna pull up in front of that first bay I'll see if I can work some magic"

[cyberman]

"well Ma'am, the shops closed, but if you wanna pull up in front of that first bay I'll see if I can work some magic"

Me too, summers, aged 16 to 18, plugged many a tire working in a garage. It's easy, but can require considerable force to jam the tool with the plug in. Started at $1.60 an hour in 1971 and I they raised the minimum wage to $2.00/hr. in 1974, but by then I commanded a big $3.25 an hour in Larchmont NY. I had an accident and two tickets, so my insurance, which my parents would not pay was $600/yr. So, I worked 185 hours for insurance and somehow managed to keep my little MGs running.

But we didn't have cheap 12V inflators then, at least not that I could recall and with most flats, the nail (or something) was still in the hole. If you pulled out the nail, you had to get a plug. So, I'm still back to: small hole/slow leak, keep inflating as needed until convenient to fix. Big hole, plug. Blow out (not repairable), then tow and new tire. My new Hagerty basic insurance comes with 20 miles per tow and is included in the Hagerty. Here are the offerings:

1.jpg

At least they give pricing. AAA (Mn covers Ia) makes you call, which doesn't sound too promising, here are the membership levels:

2.jpg

So, it's going to take some consideration to decide how much I'm willing to bet I don't need a long tow.

[mpire]

I don't know what your real world experiences are, but waiting for a tow truck is just not worth the time.

You can uber home, get a spare wheel/tire off your other Coupe, uber back with a jack and the impact gun, and throw the wheel on there and drive home.

All in less time than it takes for the roadside assistance guy to show up.

I have an E46 donut I carry around with me as well. Also, you can get the jack tray and put in a factory Z3 jack and tools if you don't have them.