how to fix my flat?

Got my donut on, question, since im on 18s how bad is it to drive the car at all? im down in newport now and there isnt a town fair tire around here. the shops ive called want to plug it not patch it from the inside and they want 20 bucks where as town fair tire will patch it from the inside for 4.23... But I dont really want to drive on my donut to get there if its gonna be bad for it....

 

patch vs. plug, i always used plugs in atv tires but for cars i always thought a patch was better long term since higher mileage and speeds (usually)

 

any advice here?

Anybody? am i going to mangle my driveline going 20 or 30 miles on my donut with 18s on the other three rims

 

 

Patch vs. Plug?

Go with a patch only. Plugs can work themselves loose, and aren't as effective.

 

 

Drive responsibly on the donut and everything will be fine. You are worrying too much.

Make sure the donut is pumped up enough though...

If you are that concerned, plug it for the time being until you can get it patched. Just have the shop rip out the plug, clean it up, then apply the patch.

 

Plugs aren't all that bad either, works just fine for me and others as well. Some have even tracked with plugs in place with no problems.

Put the donut on the front and you should be fine for that distance. I drove on my donut for 70+ miles on the B with 18s.

Put the donut on the front and you should be fine for that distance. I drove on my donut for 70+ miles on the B with 18s.

plus one.

 

 

just try to keep your speed down.

yeah thats fine its highway but with 50MPH speed limit, the donut is on the right rear tire. Ill just wait till I get back to northern RI and have town fair tire do the patch. All the Ahole shops here in newport want $20+ for a plug not even a patch!!!! at home in CT the local gas station will put in a plug for like 4 bucks even if its on the car still. And I told all these places I already took the rim off... Everybody in any sort of service industry around here is soo grimey a about trying to screw the rich people, which isnt me, Im just here cause my girlfriend goes to school at Salve which is in newport

99% of the time plugs will last longer than the tire will.

new tire > tire patch > tire plug

Do the plug yourself for about $5-10. Go to the nearest local auto parts store and pick up a plug kit. It will have the tools and about 5 plugs. Takes 5 min to do.

sooo.... update:

 

Turns out that tire is shot... I went to the tire place from the first time when i didnt know it was flat i destroyed the sidewall. Only drove it a mile to the gas station and noticed when i went to pump gas. It wasnt flat flat flat but pretty close. I had been in the car only 6 hours earlier driving from CT to RI and had no problems so i neglected to do a full walk around on the car when I went to it the next morning. I went and got a plug kit to do it myself but when i put air in the rim/tire the inside sidewall was bulging in like 6 different spots. I knew then and there it was shot but went to tire place JUUST to be sure. My tires arent verry far from the wear bars maybe another 5-10 thousand miles so im gonna have to get 4 new tires now....

 

Gotta be all season, anybody got a recommendation (for the 18" spec.b Rims) Was thinking of going with the Goodyear Assurance Triple Tread

http://freedom-automotive.com/images/tires/723-S-GoodyearTripleTred.jpg

any other ideas?

 

in a thread i wrote a while ago somebody mentioned

 

i decided to go with the Goodyear F1 All Seasons in a 225/45/18 size for my spec b rims. Installer says they should be no problem cuz the 225 tire is made for a 7-8.5 rim.

Potenza 960s are highly praised here... Avon M550, G009, Fusion HRi, Kuhmo ASX...all good tires. Check out the tests (not user reviews) on tirerack.com

Potenza 960s are highly praised here... Avon M550, G009, Fusion HRi, Kuhmo ASX...all good tires. Check out the tests (not user reviews) on tirerack.com

 

since your here in RI any places you recommend to have the work done and purchase the tires at?

BTW the triple assurance is not something you want to put on your SpecB. That tire is for grandma Camrys, Buicks, Oldsmobiles, etc. Great wear, low noise, no performance.

I always buy my tires from tirerack or discounttire and have someone local mount them (specifically D&M Tyre in Cranston).

 

If you don't want to wait for shipping you can pick a Bridgestone tire (such as the 960s or G009) and print out the product page on Tirerack. Any firestone dealer will match their price and there is a good chance they will have that tire in stock.

 

I wish I could lend you my full sized spare but it is a 17".

my dad is loaning me the money he said i should get something that is rated for like 40 or 50 thousand miles.... I gotta find a balance between performance and longevity and price cause unfortunately hes my bank for the time being till I graduate... but ill keep that in mind for the triple trouble

Gotcha, for high mileage and decent performance I would narrow my previous suggestions to the Potenza G009 and the Fusion HRi. Both are dirt cheap, decent in all conditions, and should last 35-40k with normal driving. Everyone stocks the Fusions too.

and they should fit my rims? on tire rack its only comming up with 3 all season tires (for if you include the RE-92s but those are OUT of the question... Tire rack says the rim is 215/45-18

why not just buy summer tires?

 

 

by next winter you should have a job and be able to afford winter wheels/tires.

why not just buy summer tires?

 

 

by next winter you should have a job and be able to afford winter wheels/tires.

 

cause my pops is putting up the money for them and doesnt believe in running dedicated summers/winters nor does he think we have the space to store a second set of rims/tires so he isnt going to lend me any money to buy summers. SO i can run around on three bald stockers and a donut or get all seasons

Sorry I didn't notice that the G009 and Fuzions weren't available in 18s. It seems your only decent option is the Kuhmo Escta AST which is a middle of the road tire @ $80 (225/40/18).

 

http://tinyurl.com/3hb6ed

 

The 225/40 will fit but will be about 2% off--your speedo will read 60mph but you will actually be traveling 59mph.

Just noticed Yoko Avids are in that size too. A better tire but $45 more.

 

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Yokohama&tireModel=AVID+H4S

so anybody know if its safe to go from a 215/45-18 to a 225/45-18 tire. Ive heard from a few people its an OK switch but i was looking for a few more opinions

215/45 -> 225/45 is just a wider tire. You will get better pothole protection, a bigger contact patch (more grip), and it will extent a bit outside of the rim, protecting it from rash.

 

If you meant my suggestion (225/40), then the 40 is a lower profile tire and a bit wider. It's not the best alternative, but that is one of the few sizes with all season tires available. The reason being is that most cars that have low profile 18" wheels almost always run dedicated summers, thus the reason why you have few A/S choices.

215/45 -> 225/45 is just a wider tire. You will get better pothole protection, a bigger contact patch (more grip), and it will extent a bit outside of the rim, protecting it from rash.

 

If you meant my suggestion (225/40), then the 40 is a lower profile tire and a bit wider. It's not the best alternative, but that is one of the few sizes with all season tires available. The reason being is that most cars that have low profile 18" wheels almost always run dedicated summers, thus the reason why you have few A/S choices.

 

yeah it sucks I would like to run dedicated summers/winters but I dont have much of a choice as my father is putting the money up for me at the moment. was planning on just having these tires hold out till i finish up schiil mid-summer and get a job but since hes putting the money down hes "having a say" in what I get. ohhh well.