Spare Tire Location

[HaulingAss]

Wow. I’ve been driving for 55 years and have had dozens of flat tires. Everything from screws on paved streets to sliced sidewalks on rocky trails. Lucky you!

I've had a number of flat tires over the course of my life too. One trip to Mexico in my off-road Nissan Patrol, I had three flats in a 6-day period while exploring remote coastal deserts, all punctures caused by cactus spines, all of them easily field repairable, although I didn't have the knowledge I have today to know how to do it so I wasn't prepared with a tire plugging kit. We did it the old-fashioned way with a big, heavy spare, stock car jack, and a lug wrench. It was a half-day affair to find the local tire shop to affect the repair so we had a spare again. Fortunately, we never got two flats at one time because we only had one spare (and no tire plug kit). Almost all of the flat tires in my life were back in the day, flat tires were super common back then, especially if not buying top quality tires, not keeping them properly inflated and not watching what you were doing when driving. That's how it became standard practice to always carry a spare tire/wheel (plus, tires and wheels were much smaller/lighter back then). Now, tires are something I never compromise on quality, even though good tires are expensive. I buy the best I can get, and it's worth it.

I can't remember the last time I got a flat, and I've never had one that wasn't easily field repairable. While that could suddenly change at any time, I think the odds are strongly in my favor, at least strong enough that I'm not about to spend over $1000 so I can lug around 100 lbs. of wheel/tire/tools just in case I get that rare tire damage that cannot easily be field repaired until I can replace it. You can even do a temporary repair on a cut or punctures sidewall if you know what you're doing. Spare tires no longer make sense. I wouldn't even bring one if I was going to travel remote areas of Mexico again.

Tesla will offer a spare wheel/tire kit as an extra cost option (probably well over $1000 extra on a truck needing strong wheels and tires), so the Cybertruck production ramp can become profitable sooner rather than later, and to take care of those people who have never plugged a tire, don't know how, and are convinced a vehicle is not complete unless it has an old-fashioned spare tire/wheel along. I like to do things the easy way, not follow irrational dogma that is no longer valid.

Keep in mind, as a TSLA shareholder, it's in my best financial interest to convince you to buy the optional spare wheel/tire accessory, and many will buy it, because it gives them warm, fuzzy, manly feelings, but I'm an honest person, so I have to tell you it's easier and faster to plug tires than dealing with bulky, heavy and expensive spares. It is an out-dated strategy, even if you want to be self-sufficient. And, yes, you will also feel manly lugging that 80+ lbs wheel out of the bed and trying to wrestle it on the hub studs on the side of the trail. 35" truck wheels might be heavier than you expect, if you have no experience handling wheels this big. When you repair your flat tire(s) the simple way, with a worm by the side of the road, you will feel more like a cross between MacGyver and a ninja warrior.

Always make sure you have a good plug kit, and the knowledge to use it for more tenuous repairs. Tesla will probably not offer plug kits for the same reason they are shunned industry wide, liability. Even the people who make the plug kits will not typically tell you how to shove three or four gummy worms in the hole to get you out of the backcountry, but it typically works really well if you have a bit of common sense.

If you read the reviews on Amazon, even for the cheap made-in-China plugging kits, you will see the gummy worm kits and replacement packs get higher ratings than most products on Amazon (mostly 4.8-4.9 out of 5), and thats a testament that even people that don't know what they are doing tend to have success with this method of emergency repair. If you are a "belt and suspenders" type of guy or gal, get some thin and some thick gummy worm replacements. The thin ones are handy for smaller punctures, cactus and small screws and nails, while the bigger ones can be doubled or tripled up for even larger damage.

I don't plug the tire plugging method to make money, I plug it because it makes more sense than investing a lot of money in a spare wheel and tire and a jack to use it (and I'm shocked that more people are still stuck in the old strategy).

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[PilotPete]

I'm pretty sure this is why Tesla is not letting anyone take pictures of the back seat or talk about what they have seen back there.

This is the allusive spare tire location. Mystery solved!!

Mount that bad boy in the middle seat longitudinally or tread facing front/back, and you not only have a spare, you have a wall between the kids and don't ever have to hear; "Mom, Dad, he's touching me!"

 

[pricedm]

https://www.nps.gov/cany/planyourvisit/driving.htm
2:15 - 3 min
Only for off roading, even more so in remote areas, I would like a full size spare. I bet the Cybertruck rim dimensions are common to other vehicles (like Rivian owners discovered with Dodge RAM).

Tire plug kit and compact compressor for daily use. If I have a spare, it will stay home most of the time. Might even post it here and TMC for rent/loan for others to use as a back-up on Moab or Colorado mountain trips.

One flat 2 years ago, graded gravel road on my parents rural property. Tear at sidewall/driving surface which necessatated tire replacement. Another time (early 90s) drove home 500 miles with nail embeded in tire-- thankfully no isssues. Today, this would be a pull and plug repair.

Agree, as a shareholder, I hope Tesla sells spare wheels!

 

[HaulingAss]

One flat 2 years ago, graded gravel road on my parents rural property. Tear at sidewall/driving surface which necessatated tire replacement. Another time (early 90s) drove home 500 miles with nail embeded in tire-- thankfully no isssues. Today, this would be a pull and plug repair.

Agree, as a shareholder, I hope Tesla sells spare wheels!

A torn sidewall? Was it a tear or a cut? What kind of tire was this? What was your air pressure? And what kind of vehicle was it?

This would be extremely rare, almost unheard of, with a quality tire of the appropriate class, properly inflated, and driven with a reasonable amount of care with respect to sharp obstacles.

 

[Deleted member 4261]

OK, I'll take that as a "I made it up from nothing".

I would be surprised if Tesla decided that was worthwhile to charge everybody more for the few who actually want to lug around an 80 lb. spare everywhere they go.

I'ld be willing to bet a fair percentage of people aren't even strong enough to remove and lift/install an 80 lb. spare on the wheel lugs. And why would most people even want to, considering how much easier it is to just put an emergency plug in it and be on their way?

No need for any heavy lifting when you have air suspension to adjust the height of the truck.

 

[HaulingAss]

No need for any heavy lifting when you have air suspension to adjust the height of the truck.

Incorrect. Haven't you ever changed a tire in the field? You still have to get it on the wheel lugs. A car jack can lift the car to the desired height, but it still has to leave the tire enough room to clear the ground. Trying to slide it on is bad practice, and even more difficult, all things considered.

 

[HaulingAss]

https://www.nps.gov/cany/planyourvisit/driving.htm
2:15 - 3 min

That video, created by the national Park Service is a good primer. But a governemnt video should never be taken as necessarily the best advice you will ever receive. Nor is it the last word.

The fact that they say a full-sized spare "should" be carried, without even mentioning the most useful thing, a plug kit and an air compressor, is all the evidence you need to know this video is a very basic primer designed to improve the odds of the most clueless visitors. What is someone supposed to do if they drive over cactus thorns that gives them two flat tires at once? Yep, they will be relaying for assistance if they don't have a plug kit.

Did you see the motorcycles in the video? I noticed they didn't have spare tires with them. I would bet they have a plug kit though! People are hesitant to recommend this most useful piece of kit for liability reasons. It's theoretically possible to have a flat that damages enough cords the tire is unsafe for highway travel. This is more of a small potential issue on a very light tire, with minimal re-enforcements to begin with, not a truck tire. If in doubt, limit top speeds appropriately until replacement can be affected. Remember, if you have a spare, but only one spare, it must be replaced ASAP, lest you have another flat. If you have two flats and a plug kit, you are good to go.

You can take preparedness to any level you want, including carrying spare half-shafts, control arms, motor controllers, brake calipers, hydraulic lines and fluid, extra coolant, high-voltage solinoids, test equipment, redundant air pumps, two spare tires, back-up vehicle jack (in case your primary fails under load), steering gear and motor replacements, etc. Just know what you are doing and make sure it makes sense. My observation is that a little knowledge can either go a long way, or lead you down a path that doesn't make much sense. IMO, a spare tire falls into the latter category.

 

[pricedm]

A torn sidewall? Was it a tear or a cut? What kind of tire was this? What was your air pressure? And what kind of vehicle was it?

This would be extremely rare, almost unheard of, with a quality tire of the appropriate class, properly inflated, and driven with a reasonable amount of care with respect to sharp obstacles.

...
The fact that they say a full-sized spare "should" be carried, without even mentioning the most useful thing, a plug kit and an air compressor, is all the evidence you need to know this video is a very basic primer designed to improve the odds of the most clueless visitors.

Continental PureContact 235/50-18 XL with if I remember correctly like 7/32 tread depth. Since I was on a road trip, tire pressure was checked/set to spec. Yes, it was a fluke/bad luck situation. Driving on a private gravel road (top coat 3/4 road base) I manged to find a sharp rock which wasn't part of the top road layer.

Agree, a suitable compressor (something basic like Tesla sells, or a cordless inflator from your favorite tool brand Ryobi, Ridgid, Dewalt, Milwaukee, etc.) and sufficient bacon strips for your travels should be considered mandatory. Espically if its your mom or aunt who might not want/know how to deal with changing a flat tire (did that learning exercise with my 80+ y/o mom when she purchsed a new car a few years back).

 

[rudedawg78]

Spares are for amateurs

Gus, I am surprised you didn't post this photo:

 

[Crissa]

The only time I've had a flat in the last twenty years that needed a spare, something else was wrong at the same time, so... Spare was pointless.

I've used a spare three times in my life, once before I had my own vehicle.

-Crissa

 

[Crissa]

Trying to slide it on is bad practice, and even more difficult, all things considered.

Yeah, you need clearance, but... It doesn't take much. I've swapped tires lots of times (who needs tire places?) but I've never heard that sliding them in was a bad idea.

What makes it bad?

-Crissa

 

[HaulingAss]

Yeah, you need clearance, but... It doesn't take much. I've swapped tires lots of times (who needs tire places?) but I've never heard that sliding them in was a bad idea.

What makes it bad?

-Crissa

When installing a wheel, the only point of contact should be the wheel hub, not the ground. This eliminates the possibility that the wheel might not be aligned properly as the lug nuts are torqued.

In practice, it's just not practical to slide an 80 lb. assembly, across whatever terrain you are dealing with roadside, onto six lugs, without lifting it a little bit off the ground. You don't have to lift it far, but the wheel hub should be clear of the ground to ensure proper seating of the wheel with the wheel hub. People without good muscle strength might have to resort to getting it kind of on the lugs, and then jacking the vehicle another inch so you have positive ground clearance before you torque the lug nuts. Even that is difficult because the rotation of the tire must match the rotation of the wheel hub so the lugs line up, both in height and rotation. This is easy for most people if the wheel only weighs 20 lbs. but most people will find it pretty difficult when it weighs over 80 lbs.

Compared to that, plugging a tire is easy.

 

[Crissa]

Yeah, I always end up lifting and dropping the car onto the tire to shift it around while I do the torquing.

How do you do torquing without it spinning, though?

-Crissa

 

[HaulingAss]

Yeah, I always end up lifting and dropping the car onto the tire to shift it around while I do the torquing.

How do you do torquing without it spinning, though?

-Crissa

Initial torque is with the tire suspended above the ground. Lower the tire to the ground to do the final torque. The rear wheels could be done using the parking brake but I generally lower those to the ground for final torque too.

 

[Crissa]

Initial torque is with the tire suspended above the ground. Lower the tire to the ground to do the final torque. The rear wheels could be done using the parking brake but I generally lower those to the ground for final torque too.

Okay. So I'm flailing around and doing it right.

Thanks!

-Crissa

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