After looking around online at new Cobalts, I have discovered that they come with the option of having tire sealant in place of a spare tire.
After removing my spare tire cover today, I got to thinking about removing the spare tire and just using a can of tire sealant in it's place. I mean, in the 10 years I've been driving I've never once gotten a flat tire and I really never drive very far from home anyway. Also, when I have my 17s on I figure it wouldn't be too good to drive with the spare on there as the car would be horribly uneven with 3 17s and a spare.
Anywho, my question is has anyone replaced their spare tire with tire sealant? Does anyone have any ideas on how I could secure the tire sealant in the spare tire well? Is the tire sealant that comes in the Cobalts just glorified Fix A Flat, or is it actually something better?
This would be only for the summer as I'm guessing the tire sealant wouldn't do well in the spare tire well in the winter.
Thanks in advance.
I would not do it...What if you get a blow out? I was about 3 days from pulling my spare, (was waiting for the weekend) when POP!!!!!! cruising down the highway I had a blow out. Good thing I had my spare. Now I have a full size spare.
Well, basically what I was thinking was just doing this for daily driving. If I went somewhere further away or something I would toss the spare back in.
The same thing could happen with the Cobalts which is why I think it's interesting they have the tire sealant option.
Think of the guy that changes the flat tire. Carry a spare. That tire sealant creates a horrible mess inside the tire.
Tinkles
2003 Cavalier 1SV
Bagged and Blown
see about buying yourself a 5th matching rim and tire to keep as a full size spare.. even if ya dont want to spend the money as least keep the normal spare in there, although fixaflat will fix a leak anything over a certain size hole is a waste to try and fix, you can also put a plug kit in the trunk (anything over a small nail hole can big fixe with it within reason) they cost about 5 at walmart and you dont need to take the tire off to do it..
but dont drive without anysize spare..as un even as it may be it would be better to baby it to a service area or home then have to wait for help should something happen at 3am..trust me I know..I took the spare out of my trunk one night to clean it out and look for something and forgot to put it back in..went for a small rd trip..tire blew out 2 hours from home at 10pm.. we diddnt get any help and had to have my car towed another hour to a service station where we had to sit till 8 am..then they charged me 200 for a tire and service being stuck that far from home there wasnt an option but to pay them..
stick with the spare.
Been without a spare for years. Do have 100mi AAA Towing though. For trips > 50mi I throw the spare in the back seat or trunk.
Tire sealants are bad for the finish on the wheels man. I've had plenty come in with deteriorated finishes on the inside.
I'd keep the spare in since it's not hurting anything by being there. and since the 17's are the same outside diameter as the 15's I cont see why you couldnt use it with the 17's if you had to. flat tires are a pain in the ass.
Did I mention I drive a 2000 Lumina now?-----wigm-tuners.org member
I took my spare out to do a false floor audio setup, so I switched to the can method. It worked fine when I hit a nail and noticed my tire going flat. I sealed it up and babied the car to the closest gas station with air.
For highway trips, I always chuck my spare in the trunk, but in the city I feel comfortable with the can.
Though I know tire shops hate it cause it's ammonia based. Every time they pop a tire of a rim they get nasty fumes flying out.
yup, some of the cannedstuff is very bad, works great to remove paint off of wheels(some of it anyway)
I have gotten it in the eye before because the jerk didn't tell us that he had used it(shot through the valve stem), and it hurt like a mofo.
the stuff is really only good if you catch a tire going low before it is driven on, for the most part, if you are going over 50 km/h(about 30mph) and the tire goes right flat, it will likely chew the inside of the tire up and you would just be putting yourself, any passengers, and anyone else on the road at risk.
carry a spare, it may feel like a waste most of the time, but when you need it, you will be very happy you have it.
my 2 cents
bradsk88 wrote:I took my spare out to do a false floor audio setup, so I switched to the can method. It worked fine when I hit a nail and noticed my tire going flat. I sealed it up and babied the car to the closest gas station with air.
For highway trips, I always chuck my spare in the trunk, but in the city I feel comfortable with the can.
Though I know tire shops hate it cause it's ammonia based. Every time they pop a tire of a rim they get nasty fumes flying out.
The fumes are nasty, plus you have to empty the tire and clean off the rim. The part I hated most about being a tire guy was when a customer didn't tell you there was fix-a-flat in the tire and you go to break the bead and that @!#$ gets everywhere.
Did I mention I drive a 2000 Lumina now?-----wigm-tuners.org member
Tire sealant makes an unholy mess.
Ew.
It also @!#$ up tire pressure monitors. BADLY.
EVOFire {DesertTuners} wrote:I would not do it...What if you get a blow out? I was about 3 days from pulling my spare, (was waiting for the weekend) when POP!!!!!! cruising down the highway I had a blow out. Good thing I had my spare. Now I have a full size spare.
Bingo.
Tinkles wrote:Think of the guy that changes the flat tire. Carry a spare. That tire sealant creates a horrible mess inside the tire.
Bingo again.
If you don't remove every bit of this crap, the next time you do a tire change, it going to be really hard to get a good accurate balance if at all.
Many car companies use these cans to create more trunk room, or create more profit... it's cheaper to throw in a $2-5 can then to put a spare tire and not change the MSRP.
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-----The orginal Mr.Goodwrench on the JBO since 11/99-----
