Hi,

My front drivers side tire just popped and it is sitting on the spare right now.

1) Is it safe to leave the car on the spare as long as I don't drive it?

2) I have about 600-700 mi on my tires. If I replace just one of them, would there be a problem because of the tread wear?

3) Or is 600-700 not enough miles to switch both front tires?

Thanks in advance.

 

Tires, like most things, have a warranty on them too. Go back to where you got them from (or the dealer if it's the stock tires) and get it replaced. If it's a small puncture, any tire shop can fix it.

You can drive on the spare for 100 miles or so.. I wouldn't drive on it for more than a day (although many people do).

Just curious, is the G35 your first car?

<P ID="edit"><FONT class="small"><EM>Edited by JediRacer on 05/18/04 01:16 PM.</EM></FONT></P>

 

hi,

it is my first new car (second car overall), but my first flat tire.

1) hey there would be a warranty even though it is a puncture from like a nail?

2) i bought them from revhighonline (one of the sponsers of this site) through phone, this would be covered?

BTW the guy at the tire shop said it cannot be fixed, because the damage is on the sidewall, is this true?

thanks, appreciate it

 

Yeah, a puncture to the sidewall cannot be fixed. The tire will have to be replaced. If the warranty doesn't cover the replacement of the tire, you may be able to get one at a pro-rated price. It all depends on who sold you the tires I guess. In any case, I wouldn't worry about buying 2 new tires if you only have 500-600 miles on them.. unless it really bothers you.

 

thanks a million jediracer

 

500-600 miles is nothing to a tire, so you're fine getting just one.

Sidewall punctures cannot be repaired. Tread punctures can be -- but get them "patched" -- not "plugged." Plugs blow out again. Either way, the speed rating of a tire is considered void after it's patched. It's probably fine, but you definately shouldn't take a patched tire to the track.

Tire warranties are only for manufacturing defects. Road hazards require a separate, optional Road Hazard warranty. Original equipment tires do not have a road hazard warranty. When you purchase replacement tires, you have to purchase a road hazard warranty with them, or you won't have it. Road hazard basically gives you free tire patching, and pro-rated replacement based on the amount of wear on the tire (in the case of 600 miles, probably a practically free replacement). Without it, you get to buy the new tire yourself.

Make sure your spare has enough air in it, and it should be fine. Compact spares generally need somewhere around 60psi in them, much more than your regular tires, so make sure it's not underinflated. Those things can go a lot farther than just a 100 miles. I've had to use a spare when I got a flat out-of-town, drove around on it for a day, then drove 200 miles home on it the next day. Just drive carefully, and don't go too fast. It's not rated for speed, and it doesn't have much traction. I wouldn't bother to inconvenience myself by finding alternate transportation just because the compact spare is on the car, though.