[jmcbrew]

What distinguishes a good one from a bad one? Are there any that can handle a puncture of the shoulder or sidewall?

Sidewall... no. What makes the difference is both the hardware and the plugs themselves. I was in a pinch twice and bought plug kits from an auto parts store. One of those times I was unable to get the plug in, the other time I was able to use a rubber mallet to get it in, but it permanently damaged the tool. I think my 10-year-old daughter could plug a semi truck tire with the Blackjack kit. It is hard to explain unless you picked it up... then you would immediately realize why it is better. You know the tool kits they sell in department stores the week before father's day? It's like that vs. SnapOn.

 

[Tim]

Sidewall... no.

What about the shoulder?

 

[jmcbrew]

What about the shoulder?

It's a little sore... maybe my wife will give me a massage.

 

[jmcbrew]

But seriously, I think the sidewall and shoulder are generally considered "non-repairable." You're also a lot less likely to have damage in those areas unless you rub a lot of curbs. Out of all the tire damage I've had in my time, I have never had sidewall damage and only once had damage to the shoulder. That's in well over a million miles.

 

[GB74]

Right rear tire curbed about 1/2 mile from home tonight while turning at a corner wife says. Onstar showed 11 PSI a minute before pulled into driveway. I could feel air coming out of small slit in sidewall when I tried to add air. So the tire is gone. I'll get a better look in daylight.
Edit: There was a loud pop when the tire curbed and PSI went to 0 right away.

 

[Darren Donovan]

I know you weren't asking me, but I have this Acpatur brand cordless tire inflator and have been very happy with it. My father got a very similar one from a different brand and the battery stopped charging. He returned it and the second one is having the same problem. Something to watch out for.

I'm so tempted. I currently have a couple of inflators that get power from the cigarette lighter plug. Kinda inconvenient to have to turn on the car, plug it in, before use. I'm thinking to just give those corded units away and buy this one.
Thanks,

 

[cconklin1]

all of you people worrying about a spare tire...How many have you had in your life that this is a serious concern? I'm 58 and my current count is ZERO...
Do you not have AAA or some sort of roadside assistance?

 

[EBS]

Two of serious ones.

One was when my car was vandalized. In the middle of the night. The tire was slashed.

Second was on a busy interstate, in a construction zone area. Tire blow out. With baby in tow. AAA? Forget it, waiting for an hour on that side of road with cars flying in high speed.

Two more while the car was near home. Easy peasy. Including bolted Bolt in garage.

Four more while traveling in the daylight.

Would I wait for AAA? Probably not. I'd rather having spare and continue my journey as soon as possible.

BTW all those were in the span of 20 years.

So yeah. As the good old scout say: be prepared.

 

[cconklin1]

Two of serious ones.

One was when my car was vandalized. In the middle of the night. The tire was slashed.

Second was on a busy interstate, in a construction zone area. Tire blow out. With baby in tow. AAA? Forget it, waiting for an hour on that side of road with cars flying in high speed.

Two more while the car was near home. Easy peasy. Including bolted Bolt in garage.

Four more while traveling in the daylight.

Would I wait for AAA? Probably not. I'd rather having spare and continue my journey as soon as possible.

BTW all those were in the span of 20 years.

So yeah. As the good old scout say: be prepared.

So.. you would rather attempt to change a flat tire with cars "flying in high speeds" than wait in safety for AAA for a hour?...ok, makes perfect sense to me...
8 flat tires in 20 years...... you're luck is beyond bad....

 

[CommExperts]

So.. you would rather attempt to change a flat tire with cars "flying in high speeds" than wait in safety for AAA for a hour?...ok, makes perfect sense to me...
8 flat tires in 20 years...... you're luck is beyond bad....

No, its about being prepared for whatever comes at you....and being man enough to do something about it.

Including dealing with snarky know nothing Trolls.

 

[cconklin1]

No, its about being prepared for whatever comes at you....and being man enough to do something about it.

Including dealing with snarky know nothing Trolls.

Lol...

 

[EBS]

So.. you would rather attempt to change a flat tire with cars "flying in high speeds" than wait in safety for AAA for a hour?...ok, makes perfect sense to me...
8 flat tires in 20 years...... you're luck is beyond bad....

Well, that one time on the side of interstate was an exception. I chose to change the spare, since it was on the passenger side so I was away from the running cars. Not great, but at least I could drive further to go to tire store to replace the actual tire. Since we were 500 miles away from home. Since the baby would wake up sooner to have milk, and obviously it would be more danger releasing him from his car seat. At least at that time he was safely strapped inside the car in his car seat.

Other times? Yeah, better having spare rather than waiting.

Bad luck? Yeah. That's called life. It sucks, but you'll love it.

 

[jmcbrew]

No, its about being prepared for whatever comes at you....and being man enough to do something about it.

Including dealing with snarky know nothing Trolls.

No room for a spare tire in my Bolt. Not with all the lumberjack tools, guns, and bodybuilding equipment I take with me, Also need enough tools in case I have to build a shelter for me family.

 

[CommExperts]

No room for a spare tire in my Bolt. Not with all the lumberjack tools, guns, and bodybuilding equipment I take with me, Also need enough tools in case I have to build a shelter for me family.

My response was mainly directed to @cconklin1 since he was trolling me on the "$7500 Tax credit" thread, however you should be prepared for hazards of driving a car, since that is what you is what you are doing. You take all of that other stuff if you want, but I will have my jack, spare tire, plug kit, impact driver and inflator with me. If I get a flat, I assure you I can have that tire fixed or replaced in well under 15 minutes. I have not received my Bolt EUV yet but I already have my spare tire and tools ready to go in it. I will not lose any cargo space to carry them either. The spare and tools will go into the spare tire well under the underside storage. Yes, the compact spare from the Chevy Cruze will fit there if you deflate it to under 10 psi and make some minor modifications to the well (not if you have Super Cruise option). I have a CO2 cartridge inflator that can restore it to 42 psi in 12 seconds and a battery powered inflator to finish the job. I have a similar setup for my 2019 Volt, but unfortunately the Volt has no place under the deck for the tire, just room for the tools. I have a form fitting nylon tire bag for it and only keep it in the car if we are driving greater distances otherwise it hangs in the garage. For anyone who uses these compact spares on the Bolt/Volt they can only used on the front wheels for 10 miles or less due to them being smaller and that can heat up your differential. You can always swap a rear tire forward and put them on the back if you need to go much farther. There are plenty of post and links out there on forums like this one that will tell you which compact spares will work but the ones for the Chevy Cruze generally work well (mine is load rated at ~1400 lbs).

 

[ricardocabesa]

No, its about being prepared for whatever comes at you....and being man enough to do something about it.

Including dealing with snarky know nothing Trolls.

Your description is spot on. He shat in another thread I'm in and contributes nothing.

 

[cconklin1]

Your description is spot on. He shat in another thread I'm in and contributes nothing.

if you click on a users name, and then click on the three dots in the upper right, you can then add that person to your "ignore" list. As you are over 100 years old I suspect that you probably already knew that, but just in case you didn't...

 

[Lets Bolt]

A few years back I spent 3 hours on a Friday night waiting on a tow truck in a Hyundai that came with just a can of goo and an air pump, the next day I bought a spare kit for the Hyundai and have decided to go the that route also for the Bolt.
I had a small scare yesterday morning driving over to the trailhead to ride my bike. I got a big rock stuck in my Bolts tire treads. I could hear it with every rotation of the tire and had visions of my day being ruined. Luckily it was just a rock, but it was enough to remind me to put together a donut spare kit for the Bolt. I spent yesterday ordering up all the pieces, thanks for the reminder.

 

[EBS]

A few years back I spent 3 hours on a Friday night waiting on a tow truck in a Hyundai that came with just a can of goo and an air pump, the next day I bought a spare kit for the Hyundai and have decided to go the that route also for the Bolt.
I had a small scare yesterday morning driving over to the trailhead to ride my bike. I got a big rock stuck in my Bolts tire treads. I could hear it with every rotation of the tire and had visions of my day being ruined. Luckily it was just a rock, but it was enough to remind me to put together a donut spare kit for the Bolt. I spent yesterday ordering up all the pieces, thanks for the reminder.

This gives me the memories of calling the free Hyundai towing service to tow my Hyundai out of car crash site. It was totalled gloriously after head-butting with Volvo. A very good purchase I've ever had for a car.

 

[Lets Bolt]

Just waiting on the tire bag to arrive then the spare setup will be complete. Looking at around $265+tax. Sorry the pic was an after
thought.
Ebay Spare 125/70/16
Scissor jack ADT-7459
Husky 18" breaker bar and 19mm socket
2 Rhino chocks
Work Gloves
2 reflective safety triangles
Tire bag

 

[Lets Bolt]

Tire bag arrived