Got a question for all you guys that seem to travel with your Solstice ,I am leery of going too far because of the fact that you do not have a spare tire or even a jack.I can beat the jack but what about the possibility of a flat tire on the road?I have to admit I have not been stranded on the road with a flat tire but it would be my luck to go on a 1500 mile trip and get a flat somewhere.I know you can carry that green goo but just do not trust it to ,not to mention it would be better to be able to jack the car up before adding any goo.
Traveling with out a spare tire
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I have done some major long distance road trips in my Sol. Going to the Nationals last year I had MAF sensor go. I drove without boost to a GM dealership in North Carolina where I got her fixed and was on my way after a couple of hours. Coming back from a roadtrip to just outside of Pittsburg and back I had my drivers side rear tire blow out on the highway about 20 minutes from Toronto (home). I was lucky I was near an exit off the highway. Got the car safely to a donut store parking lot. There looked like there was enough meat left on the tire so my rim looked ok. What do I do? After I took a few deep breathes and got myself calmed down I realized I still have my extended GM warranty.
Called the number on the card and requested a flat bed. Truck arrived in 10 minutes. He gently winched her up onto the flat bed. I climbed into the cab with him and he drove me to my dealership. Tow and ride was covered by warranty and yes the rim was fine.
Called the number on the card and requested a flat bed. Truck arrived in 10 minutes. He gently winched her up onto the flat bed. I climbed into the cab with him and he drove me to my dealership. Tow and ride was covered by warranty and yes the rim was fine.
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442 Posts
I was concerned about a flat tire on my last trip and then I asked myself how many flat tires have I had in my forty-two years of driving. I answered myself two. So now I don't worry about flat tires that much anymore. If I do get a flat tire, I can always call my GMPP roadside assistance.
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16,617 Posts
A tub.ess tire repair plug kit costs about $10 you should have a pump in your trunk
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The tire repair kits don't work when the sidewalks are compromised or if you are forced to drive on the flat. Last year I got a flat on the bridge and had to drive 1 mile before I could pull over. It was a sunday night and my tire was ripped to shreds, good thing there was no damage to the rim. I called my insurance company and got towed 55 miles home. Had to wait for 4 hours for the tow truck. The truck driver insisted on a cash payment and then I had to submit it to the insurance company. $250 for the tow.
I can't imagine how much worse it would have been if I was further from home.
I can't imagine how much worse it would have been if I was further from home.
I'm going to take a 1,500 mi road trip next spring to make my car to our vacation home & plan to get one of those c02 inflation kits from Lowes plus a plug kit, anything beyond that and we'll call AAA.
My dad always told be that once you get to 1/2 tread that's when you get flat's and in my 35 years of driving that's generally been the case. I've always taken my tires seriously, and driving without a spare has been a little difficult to get over I must admit.
My dad always told be that once you get to 1/2 tread that's when you get flat's and in my 35 years of driving that's generally been the case. I've always taken my tires seriously, and driving without a spare has been a little difficult to get over I must admit.
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4,586 Posts
Very few, if any new cars carry spare tires. Caddilac does not even offer it. Ford motor company is the only company that still offers a spare tire with all of it's vehicles (if I'm not mistaken). The reason they quit including spare tires are 2 fold. First weight savings. Second was that 99.9% of all people that had a flat tire called road side assistance to have it changed anyway. I can't tell you (knock on wood) the last time I had a flat tire. Furthermore, the green goo will get you up to 50 miles. I can tell you from seeing it in the dealership, I've seen green goo go 500+ miles!
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I started traveling with a spare last year (on trips) and I needed it when I ran over a piece of metal on an X-way curve. I was traveling with a small trailer, and had the room for a spare. As far as the jack goes....make sure it will fit under the axle when the tire is flat! (I had to borrow one). :brentil:
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Along with the factory-provided air compressor, I carry a small sissor jack/tire iron combo velcro-ed to the truck floor. As others have mentioned, I also carry an inexpensive plug kit, which I recognize doesn't help with sidewall damage or catastrophic blow-outs, but will for the occasional nail or screw in the tread. I also carry a small tool kit with a set of metric wrenches, pliers, wire cutters and screwdriver kit. (Thanks to Harbor Freight) plus a 3 cell Maglight LED flashlight.
First off I totally agree with all of you ,I can't even remember the last time I was stranded with a flat tire.Always seem to get somewhere to re inflate it and then get it repaired.
Interesting comment about flat tires with 50% wear ,never really thought of that,did have a flat tire on a brand new Lewis General tire 5 miles from where I had just purchased it.Put the spare on ,went back to the dealer,dealer would not replace it,called it a run flat.What do you expect when you are driving 75 to 80 on the expressway and a tire blows out.Never ever used a Lewis General tire again.
Longest trip I have taken with this car was 352 miles,was not comfortable without a spare and oh yea by the way when you buy one of these cars used like I did ,it is the norm to find that someone has already taken the inflation system out of the car.
Considering going to Va to see my son on the 4th if he can't come to my house,that is why I posed this question.I have the green goo and now a inflation pump.What I did once many years ago was to use an old spark plug ,hollow our the ceramic and tap a 1/4 npt thread in it ,screw it in #1 cylinder ,red neck compressor.
Interesting comment about flat tires with 50% wear ,never really thought of that,did have a flat tire on a brand new Lewis General tire 5 miles from where I had just purchased it.Put the spare on ,went back to the dealer,dealer would not replace it,called it a run flat.What do you expect when you are driving 75 to 80 on the expressway and a tire blows out.Never ever used a Lewis General tire again.
Longest trip I have taken with this car was 352 miles,was not comfortable without a spare and oh yea by the way when you buy one of these cars used like I did ,it is the norm to find that someone has already taken the inflation system out of the car.
Considering going to Va to see my son on the 4th if he can't come to my house,that is why I posed this question.I have the green goo and now a inflation pump.What I did once many years ago was to use an old spark plug ,hollow our the ceramic and tap a 1/4 npt thread in it ,screw it in #1 cylinder ,red neck compressor.
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300 Posts
Be aware the goo has a limited lifetime. My factory goo was rock hard after two years. So now I buy a can of goo every year. Only one puncture on the road and the compressor was enough to get me home stopping every 10 miles to air up. Two other punctures occurred, but not discovered until the next day in the garage.
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I've been driving for 52 years, and I've only had 1 instance that the inflation pump would not have handled. I took my SKY on a 2800 mile road trip to NASSM last year, and I'm looking forward to NASSM this year, where I'll likely drive close to 5000 miles.
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Hi Rob. I got bored and came in to look around. God I miss my Solstice:cryin:
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