Another Flat Reminds Us Why Spare Tires Are Good - 2016 Chevrolet Volt

Edmunds.com

Another Flat Reminds Us Why Spare Tires Are Good - 2016 Chevrolet Volt

Edmunds' long-term 2016 Chevrolet Volt falls victim to another flat tire, and this time we're all out of tire sealant.

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jlaszlo

I bought a used CTS-V that came from the factory with run-flats. My wife and mother-in-law took it for errands and then called me that they had a flat tire and no tools were in the car. The dealer had replaced the original tires with non-run-flats but neglected to supply any tools or goo. Completely useless feeling having your car towed because of a simple flat tire.

s197gt

it was at home, right?

i would have just taken the wheel off and taken the wheel/tire to a tire shop. (presuming an extra car (I have 6 total) or friend/neighbor/family/co-worker.) in my experience that will get you in and out a lot quicker as well.

willin58

Didn't the TPMS alert you to the flat?

PF_Flyer

Just a guess.. backing out of a driveway and didn't expect a flat. Attention on backing up and not the dashboard lights. I'm not a fan of "no spare" either. Last time I had a flat, I had run over something that punctured the tire, but I was in heavy traffic on an interstate. By the time I could safely get over and off the road, the tire had gone completely flat and was damaged to the point where "fix-a-flat" would have been useless. Good thing we had a donut spare. Cargo space vs safety is an interesting trade off

the_big_al

you guys get more flats than anyone i know. Granted the likelyhood is that much greater due to the number of miles each car is driven each year and the number of vehicles in your fleet, but still. Just based off my anecdotal evidence that still seems like a lot. I can count on one hand the number flats I've gotten in the last 10 years over the course of 4 vehicles. One car even made it 130,000 miles and 12 years without a flat tire.

PF_Flyer

We put on a LOT of miles and in the 30 years we've been married we've had 3 flats. As I recall, 1991, 2013, and 2016. Tires definitely are better than when I kid and helped Dad change flats.(Yea, I did a bad job of holding the lug nuts in the hubcap...once )

moparbad

I don't think our family has gone more than 4 months at a time over the past 5 years without a flat on one of our vehicles. Nails, screws, and other debris in the road. TPMS will tell you your tire is low or flat. TPMS does not replace a spare. TPMS will not change a tire.

arcticbluetsx

I bought a Volvo a couple of years ago, and was shocked that the car didn't come with a spare tire. Volvo! A company that made its name on safety does not include the most basic of safety features? There is not phone service everywhere, and what if I get a flat in one of those areas? I was forced to purchase a spare tire (which ate up a good chunk of the already small trunk) from the dealer for over $500! All for a slightly higher EPA rating...

agentorange

...and this is why I won't buy cars without a spare. As for buying one and having it loose in the trunk, every time you go in there you get a wonderful reminder of how inept the manufacturer was, and how much of a fool you were for buying it.