Tesla Owners Online Forum banner

Donut spare tire kit?

95K views 295 replies 79 participants last post by  styleruk 
#1 ·
It would be great if we could source a compact spare tire kit for the 3 that includes the wheel/tire, compact lug wrench and scissor jack. They seem to go for about $220 on Amazon for other makes. Finding a compact wheel that fits over the 3's brake calipers may be a challenge.
  • I refuse to gunk up my entire wheel with the slime spray (and possibly kill the TPM sensor).
  • Roadside assistance takes at least an hour if you're lucky and is only good for a few years.
  • The tire plug kits are impossible to use on a low car with limited wheel well room like the 3. You'd need to take the wheel off to get the plug tool in there, which requires a scissor jack, lug wrench and air compressor anyway, taking up half as much space as a spare, though this is the next best option for me personally.

Having gotten a flat just a few weeks ago, it was nice that it only took me ~15 min to put on the spare, ~15 min and $10 for my local garage to patch the tire and ~15 min to swap it back when I got home.
 
#2 ·
Definitely get a plug kit, small portable compressor, and a scissor jack. That will handle running over nails and other sharp road debris.

I make due with that for my Leaf, but I won't be going on any road trips in that car. We'll have to see what donuts will fit the Model 3.

I've used the plugs twice now. Both times it was a slow leak, and I was able to fix the tires in my garage.
 
#3 ·
Doesn’t the car come with roadside assistance?

Whether it does or doesn’t, I get roadside from American Express.

I have never owned a car without a spare and I have also never touched a spare in my life. To me it’s just unnecessary added weight.
 
  • Like
Reactions: AZGuy and PNWmisty
#4 · (Edited by Moderator)
Doesn't the car come with roadside assistance?
Yes, but for how many years?

Whether it does or doesn't, I get roadside from American Express.
Still takes a while to get there, and they are not allowed on the PA Turnpike. You need to use their service. What does roadside do, patch the tire on site? What if it's unpatchable?
I have never owned a car without a spare and I have also never touched a spare in my life. To me it's just unnecessary added weight.
So are airbags, impact beams and seatbelts until you need them ;)
 
#10 ·
As mentioned already, if we really need it I can look up someone to call. But I carry a plug kit and DC compressor in addition to the donut. And I have used it. Don't want to use a donut if going any real distance. Also my supplies are great to have in the car without any spare.

Also probably should have the can of goo as well. If it's freezing out, that definitely sounds like a good option to me despite the drawbacks.
 
#17 ·
who said anything about changing the tire yourself on the freeway?

You'd still call AAA or some other roadside assistance service, including Freeway Ranger that runs around where I live to help motorists in need for free. They park their vehicle behind your's and changes the tire for you.

Obviously one can always point to exceptions but. vast majority of people, including in this forum, who have experienced flat tire would say that if the choice is to have the tire changed on the spot versus have the vehicle towed (and either repair or find new tire), most will pick to have the tire changed without the tow.
 
#19 ·
I guess call me crazy, but I don't want the roadside assistance (on the side of the road) and while I hate the inconvenience of being towed I really don't want my expensive rims being touched on the side of the road either.

Between the safety aspect and really just wanting the right person touching my car - I'm not having anything done on the side of the road.

I may be in the minority there, but that's just my opinion on it.
 
#21 ·
I'm a little surprised Tesla doesn't copy BMW and at least include runflats, but it's not so bad going without them.

I always carry a tire plug kit in my cars just in case. Although I seem to get a nail or screw every year, they only cause very slow leaks and I can wait weeks and repair at home. This covers any puncture in the tread area.
http://amzn.to/2yYNS8h

You can also buy your own compact spare (or extra full-size) wheel, maybe a nice wheel bag, and keep it in the car or better yet only throw it in when you are going on longer road trips. I did that for a while when I replaced my runflats with normal tires. Never needed it but it was 30 lbs of piece of mind. Since I always had a full set of winter/summer wheels, I just kept one in a tire bag, no need to buy any extra wheel.

 
#23 ·
I appreciate you moderators sticking together but you realize you guys are rationalizing why its okay for Tesla not to include a spare tire....

Frankly, something as basic as a spare tire should not be something one do without for a mass market car (TM3). If it turns out that the public production model does not come with one, I'll go buy something like what JWardell mentioned above and throw it in the trunk.
 
#29 ·
....My 2006 Cayman didn't have one ...
....2008 car without a spare
.....My 2012 Opel Astra..does not include a spare tire.
Yes mfg wants to get rid of spare because its an added cost and does take up space (Cayman is a mid engine two seater so given its front design, its either spare with no luggage space or just a small luggage). I know some cars are equipped without a spare but that doesn't mean that "most" cars come without. You can always point to those without but does that make it okay for everyone?

My 2018, 2013, 2008, 2004, 2003 and 2000 all had spare tire (all spacesavers except my 2000, which was full size with matching spoke wheel). In the case of 2004, which was Mini Cooper, it had Run Flat and a spare.

I wish I can say that I haven't needed a spare in 30 years but unfortunately, EVERY car I've owned, except the 2018 that I just picked up, I have had multiple flat tires in each. And not all of them are on the tread. Some with damaged sidewall and requiring a replacement.

Once on a 4th July Holiday (US Independence Day), experienced a flat tire while on a vacation. My so called 24/7 roadside assistance service estimated 3 hrs before they could get to me. They said its a holiday and short staffed. I was in a parking lot of a shopping center. I just changed it to a spare and took the tire to be fixed the next day but I was back on the road and continued essentially uninterrupted on our family vacation.

Another time, one of my kids got a flat on the way to his game. AAA came and changed out the tire to spare and he was on his way and made the game. If it was towed and had to deal with repair or replacement, he would have missed the game.

The point is for every story that says "don't need spare because x, y, z", there are stories that say a, b, c reason why its needed.

At the very least, spare should be an option.
 
#27 ·
I don't find spare tires worth the hassle. They're big and heavy and are almost never used. I'm not all that old yet, but I've been driving for 30 years. In those 30 years I've only had to use my spare tire twice. And one of those times the spare ended up being so difficult to get at it really wasn't worth the trouble (up under the bed of my pickup and rusted/corroded in place so I couldn't lower it.) Every other instance I've simply had slow or fairly slow leaks that I could simply air up and drive to a tire shop to have taken care of. On one instance a semi truck lost a brake drum in front of me while we were traveling down the freeway. With no where to swerve without hitting another car, I ended up blowing both right-side tires and denting the wheels as well. I had a spare, but when two tires are blown it doesn't do any good. So my conclusion is that unless you're going to be traveling out in the bush, hours away from cell service or tow trucks, just skip the spare tire and carry an air compressor and tire plug kit.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Michael Russo
#30 ·
I'm on the fence on this one. I've been around long enough to have used spares a number of times - I can see their utility, but I can also see the reasons for leaving them off (cost, weight, most people having roadside assistance, etc.). IMHO, I think Tesla is OK with not including one. Yes, it would be nice to have a place to hold an optional donut spare (that could be purchased from the Tesla Store for a couple hundred bucks), but I can understand their not going out of their way to find room.

If you feel you must have one for your peace of mind, find one that fits and toss it in the trunk.

OTOH, if the Model Y has a reasonable degree of off-road prowess (probably wishful thinking, but one can hope!) I think it would definitely be in Tesla's best interest to have an option for a spare, even if just a donut. It's tough to get roadside assistance when you're not near a (paved) road... :(
 
#33 ·
It looks like there's enough space in the trunk for a spare, but it would make the rest of the trunk a lot less useful. Plus, you'll have to drill a hole to add a mounting bolt - you don't want to leave it back there loose.

Check the end of this video to see how the 18" aero covers fit in the trunk's lower section, and in the frunk. A compact spare will be a good bit larger. It will give you some idea.
 
#35 ·
Here is the real explanation: it is not worth the loss of range and efficiency to lug around 30 extra pounds for the lifetime of a car for something that 99% of owners will never use.

How many people do you know even know how to change a tire? Much less have actually done it? How many that have a spare actually regularly check its air pressure and condition? How many are actually willing to pull to the side of the highway in a rain/snow storm and change a tire? It's a very tiny fraction of drivers that can do all this.

Run flats are the most convenient, and although not great 10 years ago, are much better handling now especially when the suspension is designed for them. Just drive where you are going and fix the tire in the next few days. They are still a bit more expensive but worth it for the convenience alone.

In fact I have a friend coming over in a few hours so I can plug his tire, which has been leaking for a week but like most everyone else has no clue how to handle this. As one will do these days, he turned to facebook, had a billion comments, the most of which were take it to gas station and pay $50. For some reason my offer to stop by, have a beer, and I'll patch it for free was more enticing...
Spend five bucks on a patch kit. Practice changing a tire. It will pay of multiple times in life!
 
#37 ·
Here is the real explanation: it is not worth the loss of range and efficiency to lug around 30 extra pounds for the lifetime of a car for something that 99% of owners will never use.

How many people do you know even know how to change a tire? Much less have actually done it? How many that have a spare actually regularly check its air pressure and condition? How many are actually willing to pull to the side of the highway in a rain/snow storm and change a tire? It's a very tiny fraction of drivers that can do all this.

Run flats are the most convenient, and although not great 10 years ago, are much better handling now especially when the suspension is designed for them. Just drive where you are going and fix the tire in the next few days. They are still a bit more expensive but worth it for the convenience alone.

In fact I have a friend coming over in a few hours so I can plug his tire, which has been leaking for a week but like most everyone else has no clue how to handle this. As one will do these days, he turned to facebook, had a billion comments, the most of which were take it to gas station and pay $50. For some reason my offer to stop by, have a beer, and I'll patch it for free was more enticing...
Spend five bucks on a patch kit. Practice changing a tire. It will pay of multiple times in life!
LOL, given the obesity problem we have in US, based on what you're saying to extend Tesla range, we all need to lose weight!!!! We'll start seeing an ** next to the range saying "based on average driver 5-11" 165 lbs" right? Heavier person will affect the range....

In fact, I won't carry any luggage or perhaps goto road trips alone without my wife because she reduces range.... Maybe she'll like that and just meet me at the destination after flying there.

The notion of 30 lbs making a range difference (albeit true) is insignificant compared to other things that affect the range. The spare weight is less than 1% (30 lbs on 4,000 lbs car is 0.75%). Lets not rationalize or generalize too much here.

Most tire shops around where I live, they fix flats for free as a service, even if you didn't buy the tire there. Personally, I've been buying Michelin tires from Costco for all of my vehicles for years and they rotate and fix for free, including the flat I had on vacation over the 4th of July mentioned earlier.
 
#39 ·
@mkg3 If you want to solve your obesity problem, your range problem, your gas milage problem, and your debt problem, then just sell your damn car and walk! :)

@SoFlaModel3 Tesla's "special" tires are more for low rolling resistance and the extra foam inside to absorb noise, but yes they do have a higher weight rating that the average passenger car tire. Not sure it's really any more than an SUV though, and I'm not sure that is an issue with a runflat anyway. Maybe the sidewalls would have to be prohibitively thick.

Tire manufacturers are usually chomping at the bit to make "special" tires custom for a manufacturer. It wouldn't surprise me that they would provide them to Tesla for nearly free, knowing they will make a ton of money replacing them later. So I don't think cost is an issue at all.

It may be weight keeping them from runflats, or it may just be some personal belief of someone high up in Tesla.
 
#40 ·
@mkg3
It may be weight keeping them from runflats, or it may just be some personal belief of someone high up in Tesla.
Everyone who's ever had a BMW with the OE runflats hated them viciously for harsh ride and poor grip. As Tesla is targeting BMW directly, I'm sure they've talked to some focus groups where that topic came up.
 
#43 ·
@mkg3 If you want to solve your obesity problem, your range problem, your gas milage problem, and your debt problem, then just sell your damn car and walk! :)
Ouch! You really ought to get a better night of sleep so the you have a happier disposition:)
I'm going to assume that @JWardell meant that statement to be general life advice and an attempt at humor, and that he didn't mean to call @mkg3 fat. It sounds like you took it the same way.
 
#46 ·
According to AAA, they had 450,000 calls last year from owners that did not have spares.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/09/business/spare-tires.html

I always changed my own flat tires in the past when traveling, sometimes I even patched them with a plug even though I had a space saver spare or full sized spare. If it is a nail the leak is usually slow enough stop off the road to fix it. I think the Model 3 comes with pressure sensors giving you advanced warning before the tire gets too flat. You don't want to drive on a flat or near flat tire, doing so will destroy the sidewall in no time.

Having no spare is a sign of the times. I can understand not wanting to change a tire yourself particularly when your all dressed up going to work. Some SUV wheels are so heavy that I could not even lift them. I would not even want to try, maybe in my younger years but not now.
 
#51 ·
When I got rid of the horrible run flats on my mini I just put the kit below in the trunk along with the tools to plug/patch holes. As long as the car has TPMS and you know before the tire goes flat I'd say this would fix most problems well enough to continue driving. Before TPMS and back when tires where not built as well full blowouts were more common a spare was a necessity. It's taken me some time to be comfortable without a spare but how often do you see a fully blown tire now?

https://www.autozone.com/suspension...e-repair-kit/slime-tire-repair-kit/266790_0_0
 
#52 ·
I don't see fully blown tires often, but in the course of a month I drove through a construction zone on a highway in KC and chunks of metal destroyed two tires. Not slow leaks that can be patched, big chunks of metal that caused the tire to go flat within a minute while I was at highway speed. That's a rare thing (I wish more rare than twice in a month) of course, but patch kits don't work for all issues. I wish there was at least a compact spare.
 
#59 ·
Very interesting. But I can't imagine most people having the skill to perform all of that operation, especially on the side of the road, and that's assuming they have some way to inflate it!

Honestly I'm surprised we haven't seen more airless tweel tires get more adopted. Especially for spares. I have seen them start to gain popularity on construction equipment and bikes though.

https://paultan.org/2005/07/22/the-michelin-tweel/
 
#64 ·
I have had 2 sets of michelin runflats on my 98 corvette and have had 3 flats -- two nail and one sidewall cut.
All three times was able to drive home and deal with them at my leisure. Goodyear runflats were really terrible for noise and grip but the michelins were just great. I will be looking into replacing the non runflats. If I can get them you will see my OEM tires on this forum. My wife commutes and I don't worry about flat related issues.
 
Top