2016 smart car not safe for women

xaahida

i have a 2016 smart car & i've loved it, until recently that is. i had a flat tire due to a sidewall tear. when i bought the car, the dealer sang the praises of the fix it kit, but neglected to mention that it's useless (as are "run flat" tires) for a sidewall tear. because the smart lacks a spare tire, i was stranded. roadside assistance is useful only if you have cell phone service & dead zones abound. no service & you're at the mercy of strangers. problem #2: only one company worldwide makes tires for the car, so finding one can be difficult. it took 8 hours to get my tire changed! i have been in communication with mercedes about this issue & urge others to contact them & post on forums. smart cars need spare tires! my solution has been to order a tire & rim to keep in the car as a spare. no one knows how long it will take for the tire to arrive, so until then my fingers are crossed...

Mr_Shiftright

Sounds like you have the only real solution for sidewall tears--but is there any room in the Smart to store a spare?

I guess there's always this:




http://clubsmartcar.com/index.php?/topic/25584-hitch-mount-spare-tire-carrier/

SmartyVan

I am a woman and I share your concern. I had a flat tire and used the kit that came with the car, however, they did not tell me that if I did not rinse the inflator kit immediately the goop would gum up the inflator, rendering it single use. I bought another brand inflator for $40 but sometimes you have issues - like my valve going today, that an inflator can't fix. Also the replacement goop is extremely expensive ($50+). I think I will need to do your solution as well, although it is going to talke up a lot of my trunk space.