What do you carry for emergency flat tire repair

Have 70 Challenger with 275/60's on rear and 235/60's on front, 15 inch

Have no spare tire and if did likely would not be the right size if needed.

Considering carrying some type of temporary fix a flat system such as this product in the event have a need. Do have a AAA card but likely not find a proper replacement tire to match what I need in an emergency. Such as on the way to an event and need a few hours to get there and back home.

Looking at products such as this, or products that one can "plug" a hole externally and then inflate by a cigar lighter pump.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001DZF..._dp_o_pC_nS_ttl

What do you carry?

I carry a spare tire and jack. I sure am not going to sit along side the road and try to repair one.

For some things, you need a spare.

Me too. In your situation, suggest you look for a 70 or even 75 series tire with diameter about equal to the rear tire and will also fit the front for a spare. Any 7" or 8" steel wheel that fits should do fine for the spare... coat of black paint if needed for the wheel.

My front and rear diameter is about the same... so a spare spec'ed for the front works for the rear. I have driven cross continent and never needed the spare... but glad I had it just in case for the long desert crossings.

I have not carried a spare in over 40+ years. I think it boils down to the advantages of not having an extra 40? pounds of dead weight and losing the extra space, and no $ investment vs your confidence you can deal with whatever pops up. After 2 million+ miles, I'm still confident, and still playing the odds.

PS, the above strategy does not apply to everyone, like daughters, wives, etc, not wanting to be chauvinistic.

AAA card...(although I do have a spare in both daily drivers - had to use the one in the Durango last Friday). I have carried a spare in the GTS as all tires have been the same size, but since tires were different size on my son's Dart I thought it useless to have one.

Will the sure grip burn out driving with uneven sized tires ?

Yes a AAA card! And a properly inflated spare in case I must to get out of a jam.

AAA, 9mm, bottle jack and ratchet wrench and sockets.

A bumper jack, A scissor jack, & a 255 spare that'll go anywhere.

If I had smaller front tires I'd carry a spare for the rear for the sure grip, and some fix-a-flat & some plugs for the fronts.

A cell ph & AAA would be back up.

A sure grip would not like different tire sizes. A few 10's of an inch may be OK but not too much... that's why it important to match rear diameter pretty close.

Also, on the spare question... I always have and have recently used a full size spare for my DD Durango. Piece of metal on the road kicked up by the front tire and perfectly positioned to poke a 1/2" hole in the nice Michelin rear. Glad I could change the tire and continue my road trip. My wife somehow picked up a 3/8" x 7/16" combination wrench in her rear tire on the way to the gym. In through the tread and poking out the sidewall. I keep it as a souvenir. I was glad to get her back on the road with a quick tire change. My older daughter carries a full size and my younger daughter carries a full size + donut. Both have used theirs more than once. On the Neon they both drove at different times they have managed to take out several wheels as well as tires... and get home with no assistance with a quick tire change. All that is why I like to have a spare!

If you want to plop 200 bucks down on a spare, mickey thompson sells a 5" wide 28" diameter tire.

I know nothing beats carrying a spare and jack, but I also hate carrying that extra weight. Yeah, I know, it's not all that much but I still don't like it, along with the room it takes. So I carry a plug kit, pair of pliers to pull out a nail or whatever, a razor, and a bicycle tire pump. It takes a bit but I've pumped up car tires with bicycle pump.

I have a full size spare in garage and would throw it in trunk if taking a trip.

http://smile.amazon.com/Slime-70004-Powe...13C39E6TDV9Q8D8

Ordered up this kit as does include plugging option in addition to slime chemical and what appears a fairly decent compressor. Will give some feeling of security until decide on a real spare tire. Can also be moved from car to car as emergency back up for other vehicles.

For plugs only, the kit below has many fans. However no compressor, you must buy one separate.

Plan would be to have AAA come to your rescue, raise car from ground, plug tire, use their air to reinflate tire. This repair sounds quite durable according to reviewers.

http://smile.amazon.com/Slime-70004-Powe...13C39E6TDV9Q8D8

At least would not look dopey having car at Goodguy event with a mini spare as your 4th wheel.

What happens to a Dana 60 if you run a 235/60/15 on one rear axle and a 275/60 on the other, am considering a 235 as a spare,,,cannot use any larger as front end will not allow. Also still considering other recommendations picked up here.

I have a 15x3.5 Weld Draglite with a 28x7.50 front runner that I use as a spare. It's kinda tall on the front but will work in a pinch. The wheel is dual bolt pattern so it works on my GM muscle cars as well as my Mopar. It's light and doesn't take up much room.

http://www.amazon.com/Victor-22-5-60207-...=tire+plugs+kit

or

http://www.amazon.com/Stop-Go-Internatio...=tire+plugs+kit

There is another screw in plug that i cannot locate right now.

It looks like a black plastic tapered phillips head screw that you slather with sealant bonder and screw into the hole.

Your goal in these repairs is only a temporary repair that will allow you to drive modestly to a good tire repair shop where the tire will be dismounted, inspected and patched from the inside. Good tire repair shops also have a Hunter Computer Balance Center that applies a 800 lb road force load.

Plug kit with the CO2 cartridges eliminates the need for the compressor. With that you can fix any nail/screw flat. Good tires rarely fail, although I have a spare in everything. Just make sure u have a small jack and LUG wrench to remove said tire and work on it safely off the road.

Good point on jack and lug wrench. Don't need to try doing a plug with the tire on the ground. I have neither in the car.

Any thoughts on the best compact portable chassis jack that one might use on uncertain surfaces? Perhaps carry piece of heavy duty plywood or some such to sit it on. Certainly no bumper jacks allowed, bottle jacks a bit problematic.

Bottle jack will certainly be the most compact and you don't need a monster jack for one tire swap/fix. Maybe wood and a wedge of some sort for uneven ground.

When the time comes you can just wait on AAA or pay the freight and get it home and fix it there. Just part of the gamble I suppose.

Peace of mind always costs something.

Best answer, and that's how I roll too. I don't even bother carrying a spare in anything for any distance. Dead weight.

Only been bit once in probably 2 million miles, and it sure wasn't the end of the world: On another vehicle driven by a Family member it had a low tire, I had AAA show up, air up the tire, and I went and fixed it myself.

I plug all my tires at home, easy work.

I shake my head when I see Ebay E-body space-savers bid to $2500.00. What are you going to do with that $2500 spare, drive on it? I don't want to see that ugly thing everytime I open the trunk, taking up valuable beer space. I have like 3 of them useless things sitting in the same pile as my equally useless E-body frame tie-downs.

I've had good luck with the scissor jacks. A flat front tire can be too low to get the bottle jack under. Plus they're compact and lightweight.

Found this along with others. Many good reviews, however advise reading the extensive 2 star review posted by one skeptic.

http://smile.amazon.com/Pilot-Automotive-Q-HY-1500L-Electric-Jack/dp/B004G5A7NU/ref=cm_rdp_product

There are others both manual and electric. Option for some manuals to be run by your battery powered impact gun.

Of special note on electric jacks, what happens if you get it up and systems fail and you can't get it down. Push or drive it off the jack?

Why would you bother with a motorized one? Regular scissor jacks are cheap and easy to lift a car with. Get a used/junkyard one for next to nothing.

If you slime or fixaflat be prepared to pay extra when you take that tire in to get it repaired. That crap is a real mess and the tire shops do not appreciate trying to clean it out.

Worry worry worry. Maybe you should just pay a towtruck to follow you wherever you go.

The AAA card is good until you are either in a hurry or else driving where cell phone reception is spotty. That happens to me every time I go through Kayenta, AZ. Funny, Verizon has good coverage nearly everywhere else.........

So you plan to fix your tire by the side of the road...Good luck trying to fix some of my tires! I've been in situations where I could not stop for 1/4 mile or so, like on a 2-lane mountain road with a guardrail. By the time I pulled off, the tire had a few extra holes plus was smoking from all the friction. I was sure glad I had a spare.

There are some pretty tall temporary spares out there, and they can be had pretty cheap in most wrecking yards.

Sure Grips don't work well with odd size tires, good thing I don't have one. If I did, I'd have an identical diameter spare.

Oh, well, have a happy weekend! And don't forget to tip your towtruck driver!

R.

I carry a small aluminum floor jack, one of the cheap ones from Harbor Freight.
I also carry a quality plug kit(the rope type plugs, not the rubber ones), some quality glue and a bicycle air pump or small air tank.
And I never go anywhere without a good selection of tools.

If the above fails, I have AAA Plus, 100 miles free towing.

Fix a Flat works well on small pneumatic tires that leak down in days. I got tired of airing up the lawnmower, wheelbarrow, yard cart and hand truck tires every time I used them. Fix a Flat keeps them up for weeks instead of days, the quicker the tire leaked down, the bigger the shot I gave it.

get a spare and small scissors jack to limp it home.