[BoltAction]

For those of you who have decided to go the spare tire route (full size or compact), do you keep your spare in your Bolt at all times, only on road trips, or driving through areas with no cell coverage (i.e. National Parks)?

Based on your suggestions, I decided to go with an OEM full size spare that I bought from a used wheel shop. I cobbled together a tire changing kit by getting an old S-10 jack on eBay, a telescoping lug wrench, and a can of fix-a-flat. I now have peace of mind from my "spare tire anxiety." In the past, I had bad luck with tire punctures and because of that, I decided to keep the spare in my car at all times. However, I have a nagging feeling that the spare is taking up precious cargo space whenever I go to Costco. Usually I try to Tetris all the items in the hatch or fold down the seats if nothing will fit back there. I toyed with the idea of keeping the spare at home unless I drive out to the middle of nowhere. I should also mention that I switched to Riken Raptor ZRs so I don't really have the self-sealing line of defense of the stock Michelins. What works best for you?

 

[Sean Nelson]

For those of you who have decided to go the spare tire route (full size or compact), do you keep your spare in your Bolt at all times, only on road trips, or driving through areas with no cell coverage (i.e. National Parks)?

I keep my spare in the trunk all the time. I built a couple of trays to fit on either side of the spare that hold the jack, wrench, blanket, portable charger, etc. so that it only takes me a minute to remove everything in case I'm doing something that will require the space, but so far I haven't actually had to do that. Just folding the rear seat down has been more than enough for the loads I've carried.

I toyed with the idea of keeping the spare at home unless I drive out to the middle of nowhere. I should also mention that I switched to Riken Raptor ZRs so I don't really have the self-sealing line of defense of the stock Michelins. What works best for you?

My spare is the OEM self-sealing Michelin on an OEM wheel, and it took almost 2 months from the time I ordered it until the tire actually arrived. Based on that, I think there's value in it even if you leave it in the garage so that if you do destroy a tire you won't have to wait who knows how long to get a replacement to put your car back in service again. But even in the city I like the idea of having it with me so that I can get under way again within 15 or 20 minutes instead of being at the mercy of someone else's availability.

 

[XJ12]

My golf clubs take up the lower compartment, so had to pretty much convince myself to trust the self-sealing tires. First thing I did do was buy a cheap 12V pump to put in the foam insert.

Just a week ago, I got my first "flat" with the tires after 12,500 miles and year and half ownership. Tire had twenty something psi when I got in the car. Used my now trusty pump and pulled out the offending nail. This is not an option for you now. But this event sold me on the self-sealing tires. Never had to go to a tire shop, didn't have to call anyone, didn't have to jack up the car, didn't have to dig out the spare, etc...

But, like you, I don't have the lower compartment available. So I like your Tetris analogy. That's what I do most of the time and on a few occasions I'll lower a rear seat back. On one trip with family to the airport, I pulled my clubs and took advantage of the extra room for the suitcases. Driving to the airport like this without seal-sealing tires and a spare would not be an option with family trusting you to get them there.

 

[Stovebolt6]

I keep my spare in the car at all times- at least while I have the non-self sealing, non-runflat winter tires mounted. Along with a Chevy S-10 jack and lug wrench, I bought a compact spare wheel and tire. After that I decided to invest is a dedicated winter tire and wheel set. Now that I have two sets for the car, I could just keep one of the opposite-season wheels in the back of the car and use that as a full-size spare. Oh well, better to have more than not enough.

Everything should fit under the false floor that I bought but haven't yet installed. That will be a project for when the garage warms up well above freezing.

 

[BoltAction]

My spare is the OEM self-sealing Michelin on an OEM wheel, and it took almost 2 months from the time I ordered it until the tire actually arrived. Based on that, I think there's value in it even if you leave it in the garage so that if you do destroy a tire you won't have to wait who knows how long to get a replacement to put your car back in service again. But even in the city I like the idea of having it with me so that I can get under way again within 15 or 20 minutes instead of being at the mercy of someone else's availability.

I was thinking along the same lines in terms of waiting for roadside assistance vs. DIY. I've had pretty good experiences with AAA. However if I'm in the boonies, it could be awhile until they arrive. If I DIY, I could probably be back on the road within 15-30 min.

 

[BoltAction]

Just a week ago, I got my first "flat" with the tires after 12,500 miles and year and half ownership. Tire had twenty something psi when I got in the car. Used my now trusty pump and pulled out the offending nail. This is not an option for you now. But this event sold me on the self-sealing tires. Never had to go to a tire shop, didn't have to call anyone, didn't have to jack up the car, didn't have to dig out the spare, etc...

Happy to hear that the self sealing tires worked as designed. Run flat technology seems to improve with each new generation.

 

[BoltAction]

I keep my spare in the car at all times- at least while I have the non-self sealing, non-runflat winter tires mounted. Along with a Chevy S-10 jack and lug wrench, I bought a compact spare wheel and tire. After that I decided to invest is a dedicated winter tire and wheel set. Now that I have two sets for the car, I could just keep one of the opposite-season wheels in the back of the car and use that as a full-size spare. Oh well, better to have more than not enough.

Everything should fit under the false floor that I bought but haven't yet installed. That will be a project for when the garage warms up well above freezing.

It's definitely better to have more options available. The compact spare could be used for in town driving, that way you have a little extra cargo space. The full size might be best for high speed highway driving or travelling through rural areas.

 

[Sean Nelson]

I was thinking along the same lines in terms of waiting for roadside assistance vs. DIY. I've had pretty good experiences with AAA. However if I'm in the boonies, it could be awhile until they arrive. If I DIY, I could probably be back on the road within 15-30 min.

Murphy's law tells us that you'll get a flat on the way to an important appointment during a snowstorm when all the tow trucks are busy pulling people out of the ditch...

 

[GregBrew]

Happy to hear that the self sealing tires worked as designed. Run flat technology seems to improve with each new generation.

I wouldn't call these run-flats. You can't run on them at zero P.S.I. (i.e. "flat").

 

[BoltAction]

I wouldn't call these run-flats. You can't run on them at zero P.S.I. (i.e. "flat").

I stand corrected. Self sealing tires is a more accurate description. I'm still not too crazy about them.

 

[GregBrew]

I stand corrected. Self sealing tires is a more accurate description. I'm still not too crazy about them.

Yeah, me either. I'd certainly not even consider driving long term on one that has self-sealed a puncture, without having it properly patched.

 

[XJ12]

Yeah, me either. I'd certainly not even consider driving long term on one that has self-sealed a puncture, without having it properly patched.

Greg, I'm testing that for you. I'll keep you posted.

Interesting that Michelin doesn't say anything about it in their literature.

But tire rack has the following:

Energy Saver A/S Selfseal tires feature a sticky, viscous coating on the inside of the tire that instantly seals nail or screw punctures up to ¼" in diameter. The Selfseal Technology is designed to permanently fill the path of the puncture when the object is removed.

 

[Sean Nelson]

I'd certainly not even consider driving long term on one that has self-sealed a puncture, without having it properly patched.

I'm not sure what decision I'd make should I discover a "sealed" puncture in one of my tires, but I can tell you that having TPMS would give me a lot more confidence if I chose to "chance it"....

 

[fuddy]

I keep in the car at all times. Learned my lesson when I hit a pothole a few weeks ago. Needed a tow and a new tire. Cost of tow: $195, new tire $100, + time wasted. Never again

 

[raitchison]

I have mine in my car all the time, between the spare and the jack it does take up about 2/3 of the space under my false floor but I still have enough room for other stuff I need.

Edit: To add, when I damaged one of my factory tires 500 miles after I bought the car I was only 10 miles from my house but it was still a several hours long ordeal to get it back on the road.

 

[Electric Patriot]

I got a bolt (ironically) in my tire last week. Well, I discovered it last week as it got warm enough to drive with the window down and heard the thunk-thunk-thunk. With the windows up, there was no road noise at all and the pressure sensors showed no loss of pressure. I have no idea how long it was in there, but the head was about 1/4" wide.

I took it to the dealership late on Friday and they didn't get deliveries on the weekend, so I had to wait until Monday to get the new tire installed. They had pulled the bolt out and tried to patch it, but the self-sealing goo wouldn't allow the patch to hold. They refilled the tire and said it was holding pressure and that I could keep it for the weekend if I wanted, but by the time I got to the car the tire was flat so I got a loaner instead.

Which is a long way of saying the self sealing worked great with the bolt in the car, but not so much after it was removed. Also, tire availability is next day in my neck of the woods (South Carolina).

 

[chicagobolt]

My last car did not have a spare tire (Saturn Vue hybrid so only had the tire slime in the trunk) and this was never an issue for me. Drove the Saturn on long road trips and never thought about tire problems. If I lived in a remote area, maybe I'd worry about this issue more but I mostly do city driving. I even got rid of the factory tires on my Bolt so don't have the self-sealing tires anymore. I did spring for the tire pump and bought a small puncture repair kit, but I don't have a jack so this probably won't help much.

 

[hatchy]

The only time I ever bother to use the trunk is when I have the rear seats full of people. If I don't (95% of time I don't) then I just use the back seats as my "trunk" space. Trunks are over rated.

I carry a spare 100% of the time.

 

[BoltAction]

It looks like the majority keeps the spare in the car at all times. I think I will continue to do so as well after reading your comments. I never considered the wait times for the tow truck, the special repair procedures, and the special ordering for the tire (at almost $200 for a new tire) through Tire Rack or Mr. Goodwrench. It's nice that a full size spare will conveniently fit in the cargo area.

 

[Shmersh]

My self-sealing tires have never worked. I’ve had incredibly bad luck with my tires and replace three in my first year (tire vs. curb twice, screw once). I’m going to get a spare.