Drove over a pothole yesterday and this morning the driver side front tire was flat. Dealer is 2 hours away from me and none of my local tire shops can or is willing to replace the Pirelli p-zero on the 20-in rim. Finally I called Jaguar roadside assistance. My car is now on its way to the dealer.

I am curious how all of you deal with the issue of our car not having spare tire and has low profile tires that are easily damaged. Do you buy a spare and leave it in the trunk?

 

I've just called Jag roadside. Donut spare takes up too much space and a full size tire won't fit. Make sure you get your wheel checked. When I did it I found out the wheel was bent as well.

 

Did you buy tire/wheel insurance? I bought it when I took delivery of my car. It gives me a lot of peace of mind. With sports cars it's almost mandatory with their expensive tires and rims. (Esp. if you live in an area with poor roads like in Chicago). Over the course of ownership, I found that it pays for itself several times over. Definately worth it.

 

I have the spare for just that eventuality- goop compressor or even run flats completely strand you and roadside has no option but to flatbed you away- what happens on a friday night???? you're stuck until monday. It would make sense if they equipped roadside with donut spares.

 

All the above seems like good advice.

I have both the spare and the tire fix kit, so I can mix and matcb depending on what trip I am taking.

Also have the wheel insurance.
Lawrence.

 

I'd get the alignment checked while you're at it.

 

If the pothole was severe enough to cause a blown tire you are likely to have bent or possible cracked the rim as well unfortunately. I know through bitter experience with the roads here on the East Coast.

 

and if it's just bent, no big deal. Costs about $150 to fix, and I'm sure your dealer has an alloy place they will sub it out to.

 

Yes, with all the freeze/thaw cycles we go through, east coast potholes are an epidemic. However, I view them as an opportunity to have fun.

I used to be very seriously into the SCCA autocross circuit, and the way I see it, potholes are like autocross cones, with an even more serious penalty for hitting them. I've been very successful so far "autocrossing" around them, braking to avoid major impact, and otherwise keeping my car-handling skills sharp. :-)

I've always purchased tire and wheel insurance too, but so far it's been a waste of money for me because I've not ever needed it. I've had it on my sports cars for 20+ years, and as bad as the potholes are in metro DC, I guess I'm a better autocrosser than I thought I was.

 

Thank you for all the good advices!

They will definitely check the rim. Keeping my fingers crossed.
I will look into tire/rim coverage.
Not sure about getting a donut. I still need some trunk space.
Will update the damage (to the car and my wallet).

 

No spare tires have unfortunately become all to common except for trucks. At least Jag offers a compact spare but as others have stated you can not get the tire/wheel off the car into the car so what are you going to do leave by the side of the road or maybe tie it on the roof? I also hit a pothole couple of months ago and was lucky as just a couple miles from home so was able to limp home with no damage to rim and then wait until the weekend was over and have the car flat bedded to my local dealer who was able to get a tire in one day. This has always been a concern of mine as my car is a daily driver and frequently go out of town. Would hate to be in a mountain pass no cell service and a blown tire.

 

keep a box cutter in trunk you can cut off the tire and a plastic bag puts the rim in the front seat or perhaps even the boot if the spares out

 

Go get a used tire and give that a trial run before you make that your emergency plan. I guarantee you'll give up.

 

I was at a Porsche event at pocono and deep in western jersey I was mixing it up on the way home hit a bolt and shredded a rear. I would have been stranded 100 miles from home and I would have spent 2 days waiting for tire rack to ship a tire. That generation 911 had a donut The tire and rim sat in the front seat for that trip

 

So you actually cut a tire off a rim with a box cutter? How long did that take?

It seems to me that just cutting through the beads would be next to impossible, and I'd hate to be sitting on the side of the road trying to pull that little feat off.

For safety alone, I'd be calling a flat-bed from road-side assistance and renting a car.

 

Just to clarify what I mentioned earlier... I have the tire fix kit for shorter trips or trips that I don't feel I would likely need a spare.. it should be good for a minor puncture in the tread area.

When I'm on a long trip or inner city jaunt for some reason, I put the spare in, which does take up room, but its good insurance.

If you do need to remove a wheel, you can probable utilize 'bungee cords' to keep the boot lid down.
Lawrence.

 

Foosh, the real men use their bare hands and teeth to chew through tire cords when their 911 blows a tire.

 

my 911 has a full size spare.

 

Good thought, but no chance in hell.

 

You probably would succeed in cutting a finger off, however.