Our 2004 Sienna AWD came without a spare, and while I haven't had to change a tire in many years (knock wood), I always have had something to fall back on in case.
Is there a great compressor and flat sealant out there? My thought was to buy a tube of slime, a patch kit, and a $35 compressor and call it good. Any specific recommendations?
I bought this one for my spareless 128i: https://www.amazon.com/Slime-70005-Safety-7-Minute-Repair/dp/B001DZFZPG/ref=sr_1_10
No occasion to use it yet, thankfully.
a AAA card
The Fiat came with a compressor and sealant. My wife never managed to get the kind of flat that could be sealed so she’d have to wait for me to bring a tire.
Is there a spot for a spare?
My Elantra didn’t include one, but had a spot for one.
My understanding is that the Canadian models were required to have a spare, so the spot was designed into the car. Now they have a “mobility kit” that includes the spare, jack, lug wrench, hold down, and foam insert.
You might find that the spare, jack, etc from an earlier model can be used if there’s a space for it.
I need to give in and buy a kit since I don’t want to be at the mercy of AAA or the closest tire store if I have a catastrophic failure when traveling to or from a kids hockey game that could be an hour from home, in the cold, and probably on a weekend night when tire shops aren’t open.
Didn't come with one or you don't know where it is?
Or, is it possible that the awd variant got none due to driveshaft?
That seems odd that it wouldn't come with a spare. Minivans hardly need to save weight/space like a sportscar would. Especially back in 2004.....
I would just buy a spare that fits and stash it back there...
Well, the problem with minivan spares came when everyone decided they wanted fold-flat stow-n-go type seats. Now you have to have big tubs hanging off the floor boards big enough to stow the seats in, and of course you still have your fuel tank, exhaust, and rear suspension down there too. It leaves very little if any option of where to put the spare. On Chrysler vans its directly underneath and between the front seats and it's a pain to use. Stick a driveshaft down the middle and there is now exactly no place under the van for one.
Yeah the AWD model has no designated place for a spare. It is supposed to come with runflat tires but mine has conventional Pirellis now. And isn't there some problem using a space saver spare on an AWD car as well or am I making that up?
Your plan plus a cellphone.
I'd put runflats on as soon as I could. Already save me a tow trip once.
I have a towing plan on my insurance BUT it has taken hours before for a tow and that's not gonna cut it with two kids in the car.
I think for around town I will put slime and an inflator in the back. And when we are road tripping I'll pack one of my snow tires as a spare and just strap it down to the roof or the back cargo area
Get a plug kit and a 12v compressor. It'll fix most (?) of the same flats as sealant, but won't ruin the tire. I got one to put in my RX8 in addition to the stock foam, it was like $10 at the local Canadian Tire.
i've had AAA Plus for 25 years. Never had to wait longer than an hour for a tow, but that doesn't address the OP's question. For that, I've got nothing. I'm the guy who checks the spare before every road trip, and brings the breaker bar and torque wrench along for the ride.
I have had very good luck with Slime branded plugs in conjunction with their sealant- plug the tire, fill with sealant, inflate, drive for thousands of miles. I actually have a plugged/slime'd tire that I ran all winter in sub-freezing temperatures which leaks less than many of my other un-berkeleyed-with tires.
If you bring it, you never need it.
Now I am setting myself up for failure but I haven't had a car with a spare in a long time, and havent had to change a tire since 99 or so.
Its really weird to see a spare in my Viper - it can stay, the chance of a mom and pop tire shop in Podunk, WI having a Viper size tire on the shelf is slim to none and slim just left town.
MrChaos said:a AAA card
You can make up the yearly fee in discounts pretty quick. Like phone bill, hotel rates...
z31maniac said:Your plan plus a cellphone.
I'd put runflats on as soon as I could. Already save me a tow trip once.
I've had significantly more debilitating tire trouble from runflats (specifically Bridgestone driveguards) than I have with any other tire. Hell, than every other tire I've used combined. Low profile runflats can have sidewalls so stiff that they blow out on uneven highway expansion joints. I've had this happen more than once. They run ok flat, but not blown out on the sidewall.
Minivans probably won't be so susceptible to this, but I've already got the bad taste in my mouth, and I won't ever trust runflats again. Regular tires haven't given me that trouble, and plugging a puncture isn't even a one-beer job on a thirsty day. I refuse to own a vehicle big enough to carry a spare and then not have one, even if I have to stick it in the trunk. My Z4 gets a pass, staggered tires plus nowhere to put one, but I keep AAA for that reason.
My wife drives a 2004 Sienna, that thing eats tires. Seems like I'm always putting a set on it. No way I'd drive a Sienna with no spare.
z31maniac said:Your plan plus a cellphone.
I'd put runflats on as soon as I could. Already save me a tow trip once.
Aren’t those pretty expensive?
Cactus said:z31maniac said:Your plan plus a cellphone.
I'd put runflats on as soon as I could. Already save me a tow trip once.
I've had significantly more debilitating tire trouble from runflats (specifically Bridgestone driveguards) than I have with any other tire. Hell, than every other tire I've used combined. Low profile runflats can have sidewalls so stiff that they blow out on uneven highway expansion joints. I've had this happen more than once. They run ok flat, but not blown out on the sidewall.
Minivans probably won't be so susceptible to this, but I've already got the bad taste in my mouth, and I won't ever trust runflats again. Regular tires haven't given me that trouble, and plugging a puncture isn't even a one-beer job on a thirsty day. I refuse to own a vehicle big enough to carry a spare and then not have one, even if I have to stick it in the trunk. My Z4 gets a pass, staggered tires plus nowhere to put one, but I keep AAA for that reason.
My buddy made it home with a literal quarter-sized hole in the sidewall in his old 3-series convertible after being run off the road. The Michelin's on my 135 got me to the tire shop so I could have them replaced without damaging the wheel.
Are they going to perform perfectly in every possible, imagined scenario? Of course not. Are they going to help me get the car and myself to safety to call for help? Yes, and that's what they are designed for.
Then again, I was always told a million times running 35/40 series tires on the road are are always going to result in flats, blown out sidewalls, and bent wheels. That's happened precisely once on the 135 (a flat) and that was because it picked a big shard of metal pulling into my neighborhood.
IME most cans of fix-a-flat or similar will just about seal a nail hole, but are pretty useless for everything else. I ran into that issue with my RX8 and while it got me to the place I was staying at, it wouldn't even hold enough air long enough the next morning to make it to the tire store. That was with a Philips driver bit through the main tread, so not much bigger than your average nail.
I'd put runflats on it and a AAA card.
I just carry a tire plug kit, a portable air compressor and a set of dykes. For anything that can't be plugged, I'll use my AAA card.
My 2014 TSX wagon came without a spare. The prior years had them. I went on ebay and bought the whole kit including jack for very little money. The 911 came with sealant and compressor. I carry a plug kit to avoid the sealant when possible.
MINIzguy said:I just carry a tire plug kit, a portable air compressor and a set of dykes. For anything that can't be plugged, I'll use my AAA card.
Recently had a screw in the tire that caused a TPMS light on my commuter. Had enough air to make it to Walmart without issue. Bought the tires there because commuter, and they where cheap and it was easy. Whats not easy is getting the tires rotated or a flat fixed there even though I have the road hazard coverage. Every time, its a three hour wait even if I am there at 7 AM.
This last time it was 5 PM, I was on my way home, and they stated they could not do anything until the following day around 10. I grabbed the 3 dollar plug kit, went out to the lot and plugged it. Done, about 35 minutes, 30 minutes waiting for 3 employees to hunt down a forth that worked in automotive to help those waiting at the desk, 5 to get the news, buy the kit, and fix the leak.
I also have AAA, if it was not drivable, I would have swapped on the spare myself if in a safe place, faster then waiting. I did use AAA for a flat once, could not get the tire off the car, no amount of beating with my feet would break the rim free from the hub. AAA shows up, pulls out the dead blow (wishing I had before the call), 2 hits and its off. I know keep a dead blow in the car.
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