So Guys and Gals, how many flat tires have you had in the recent past? Up until a week ago today I would have said none in the last 6 years. Today I have to say two. My 13 XKR vert is my daily driver. Last Saturday morning when I started the car the TPMS said check LR tyre pressure. Given my past history with rogue TPMS systems going off when they felt like it, I kind of doubted what it was telling me. But just to be on the safe side I checked the pressure, sure enough it was 10 Lbs low. I went down to my corner gas station and brought the tyre up to 35 Lbs. On Monday of this week the light was back on. Went back to the local service station and they patched the tyre which had been attacked by what looked like a broken box cutter blade. Cost $30 + $5 tip to the tech.

The cat sat idle Tuesday. When I started it Wednesday morning the RR tyre was lit up. Went back to the local service station and the tech said he didn't want to touch it because of the difficulty they had in getting the low profile tyre on and off the wheel. He sent me to a nearby tyre retailer that had the proper equipment after filling the tyre up to 38 lbs. This time I was informed that there was a nail about .25" in from the outer edge of the tyre and that it was not repairable. Since I have about 6000+ left on the rear tyres I opted to replace the original equipment Dunlop with the same tyre. Total cost $360 installed. Tyre had to be ordered from out of state. The retailer over inflated the punctured tyre to 45 Lbs to get me through to Thursday. Had to refill the tyre Thursday morning on the way to getting it replaced. Tyre replaced. The people I dealt with at Stokes Tire Service in Santa Monica were very nice and very efficient.

By the way I made sure that both places that removed the wheels from my XKR used torque wrenches to 100 Lbs to ensure that the nuts wouldn't get stripped. End of story. If you have reached this point, thanks for your patience and persistence.

 

I had my first flat about 3 months back, so about 9 months into owning this XK. I was coming into a gas station entrance, I will admit I was coming in HOT as I always do (there wasn't any other cars nearby) and BAM, slammed into a pothole. It sounded bad and was bad, a complete and catastrophic tire rupture. Instant flat. So I put on my spare while cursing under my breath, went in and asked for a manager but was told the pothole was a city deal. I said "thanks for at least putting a cone up or something"!

Fast forward from Friday night to Monday, the IAS wheel package I purchased covered the tire replacement but not the alignment. No sweat. Dealer had my new rubber in stock, I never checked the torque or if they tightened the nuts. So far my road results tell me they didn't fubar my tire install.

 

I'm pretty sure that the torque spec is 92 ft.-lbs. Check your Owners Handbook to be sure.

 

You are correct on the torque sir.

Last flat I had was on a set of retreads in 1973.

 

I got a flat on my rear Dunlop 6 months after I got the car. Good thing and bad thing as I thought the Dunlops sucked so I replaced them with conti's. First flat I had in at least 30 years.

 

Ralphwg,
Tyre! You used the Brit spelling! Are you an Anglophile, a true enthusiast, or an expat?
Regards,

 

The Icon says tyre which is why I used it instead of tire.

 

My last real flat was in my Etype about 10 years ago. Hauled out the spare and it was on the brink of being flat. So, I nursed it to the closest WaWa for free air. The tire fix cost approximately $1800. I replaced the wire wheels with Dayton units with SS wires also 4 new tires and tubes. So far so good! BTW, please go out to your garages and those with real spares, check the air pressure. Ha, Ha, Ha...

 

Do you actually think I'm going to jinx myself and tell you after 55 years of driving, I have never had a flat on the road? No sir. I'm not saying nothin'.

 

I have a pretty good history of getting a flat shortly after getting new tires or a new vehicle. It's happened about 5 times. Sure enough about 1 month after I got the XK last year we picked up a roofing nail in the drivers side rear.... That's also when I realized the stock lug nuts are **** and replaced them.

 

There's really nothing wrong with the OEM lug nuts provided that you never allow anyone to remove or reinstall them with an impact wrench. The OEM lug nuts are 2-piece, with a decorative chrome outer shell that will strip and revolve around the inner nut when abused by an impact wrench. Also, tire shops often use the wrong size socket that is just a wee bit too big and will round off the corners of the outer shell. I require tire shops to do my repairs by hand, and use my OEM socket. Another common errror is over-torquing the lug nuts to 100ft.-lbs or more "because that's what our computer calls for." The proper torque spec is 92 ft.-lbs.

 

Agree. I bought my XK used and they were already abused. I should have said "That's also when I realized MY stock lug nuts are **** and replaced them."