Went for a Jag drive with a friend yesterday. Sadly, my car picked up something in the LF tire, which went flat. Even more sadly, my spare was flat! But, since I was with another Jag, I used his spare. This has all motivated me to become more “fault tolerant” in the future. To whit, I am going to put a DIY flat repair kit in the boot. It will consist of:
A spare tube
A patch kit
A schrader valve removal tool
A pair of tire “spoons”
A 12V air compressor
The only problem is how to break the bead in the tire on the roadside. Once the bead is broken, it is quite easy to remove the outer tire bead, extract the tube, and repair or replace it, then pop the tire back on the wheel. But breaking the bead is not easy. So, I’m thinking about making a very simple special tool for the purpose:
The large diameter tube will be sized to slip over the splined hub on the car. The “blade” will extend down, a few inches below the brake rotor on the front, and the hub carrier on the rear. After the wheel is removed, it will be placed face up on the ground, under the blade, with the blade against the OD of the rim. Then the jack is simply lowered to break the bead. Should take just a few seconds to do.
How about (in addition) a tyre pressure sensor attached to the spare, which illuminates, perhaps via Bluetooth a “spare low pressure” warning light in one of your new instruments? The sensor would either be powered from a 12V source in the boot or its own battery. If the latter, the warning light would warn not only of low pressure but of low sensor battery.
Hi Ray, sounds like a fun project. An alternative comes to mind as follows, not quite as robust a solution as you propose.
Flat tires are pretty rare these days. Two flats at the same time is highly unlikely. Carrying a spare tire should solve a single flat readily on the roadside. Carrying a rechargeable portable air pump (I use a Ryobi One+) can be easy for slow leaks or low tires (either the leaker on the car or the spare). Some leaks are slow enough a pump refill will allow some limp-along and recheck.
This is one of the reasons I went to tubeless wheels and tires. I carry a small 12v pump and a handful of tire plugs and the two T-handle installation tools to install them. The spare, which has a tube is strictly a last resort item.
Yeah, we had TWO electric pumps yesterday. Neither one worked! Still, with the remote places we often drive, better safe than sorry. Seems to me having the ability the do a roadside repair is still valuable, just in case the worst happens.
Maybe I’m just paranoid. Last year, we had a break-down in the middle of nowhere at 3PM. It took us until 10PM to find a tow service willing to even come there, and two more hours for them to arrive. The whole fiasco ended up costing us well over $1000 by the time we got the car back home. OTOH, that is the ONLY time, in 22 years and 50K miles, the Jag failed to get us home. Every other problem we’ve ever had, we were able to fund a way to get the car going again, and the worst one we only lost about two hours, as it required finding a welder. On a Sunday. Outside Mammoth Lakes, CA.
But having seen (@davidxk) and experienced flat tires 1000+ miles from home it would be of some comfort to know I could repair a flat to at least once again be driving with a spare.
Ray, I think alot of his has to do with time…
Time goes by, how old were the tires, how old the wheels.
Its a constant battle which used to be fun.
Ive been going all out latelty and the breaking down issues really dont exist.
Tire looses air and 5 years old, All new tires and so on…
Just my thought.
GTJOEY1314
PS TRIPLE A Is a great insurance policy.
Oh boy, I think you missed the point, time goes by, thing deteriorate…
Hard as brick tires can hit a pothole and its all over. Rusted spokes leak, and so on…
I drove my mark 2 on our last rally as 3 Etype owners had locking up master cylinders, leaking tires or draining battery.
It just a constant up keep.
The hose trick is a great idea which the Germans used on all the vw bugs and buses with a little hose to the tire…
gtjoey1314
Don’t some German cars use the spare tire to supply pressure for the windshield washers?
Two of my cars do not even have a spare tire, including my F- type. Just a very cheap compressor and a container of goop with an expiration date. I replaced with a better compressor, goop and plug repair kit.
Glenn
Did anyone ever go to the world head quarters of triple A or pass the building?
When I joined in the 1980’s I did so because of my parents and my oldest son was born, just in case.
In the mid 2000;s getting involved with Ford I passed the building, I thought the organization was run by 2 old ladies that typed out a card and called the local tow guy…
They are a HUGE MACHINE , They have bailed me out more than 10 times, from trailering to flats or someone left the keys in the car…
Good insurance.
gtjoey1314
