I recently bought a used 2006 R53 which has normal, non-runflat tires. I thought I should by a small 12V compressor, some tire sealant, a plug kit, etc. But since I know a lot of you are in the same boat, I'd like to get some opinions on what I should buy. Please let me know what you carry and how well it works for you.

Thanks,
Leo

 

I've got everything you mentioned plus a tow card. I've fixed a couple of flats with the Dynaplug; worked well. I may invest in a spare for long trips soon.

 

Any suggestions on a good, small compressor?

 

I carry a can of fix-a-flat and my insurance has free roadside assistance. A tire plug kit is good to have too.

 

Fix-a-flat is not the best stuff. Slime is better. Fix-a-flat is nasty to work with when you change tires.

I have a small compressor and a spare tire in the trunk because you never know where you will be when you get a flat. (I don't have slime or fix-a-flat)

 

I bought an all-in-one kit with Slime and a small compressor at Wally World for $20 the day after I bought our MCS. Add a AAA+ card and I'm all set!

 

I carry a plug kit and my car has on-board air, so I skipped the cheapie cig lighter compressor for one hardwired to my battery that draws 21A.

 

Where did you get the hard wired compressor?

 

Slime makes a nice small one, 7x8 inches or so. At Autozone, among others. Mine was in a kit with a bottle of the sealant. I tossed in some gummy worms and an inserter. It came with a zippered bag that fits nicely in the boot held by the triangle netting.

 

Ditching the runflats was one of the first things I did for my R53, so I bought the same stuff you did as a long-distance trip kit. I also have AAA as backup. Most of my driving is urban/suburban so I don't carry this on a daily basis, but got it together for longer excursions. Can't remember what brand of compressor I have, but I bought it for ~$20 at a bike shop and have seen it at Wally World, Target, etc.

PS: congrats to OP on getting a 2006 - great choice!

 

It is a Viair 325. It was a part of a custom package I had put together from hornblasters.com I have a 4gal pancake tank in my clubman.
Here is a pic before I put the horns under the bumper.



With all of my normal car tools on top.

 

Very impressive set up you have there Yeti96! Would sure be nice to have you around when a flat occurs. I carry a small 12v compressor. I realize that Walmart and autostores sell inexpensive versions: maybe they do ok, maybe they don't. I would make a trial run at home to be sure they are up to snuff. I use the Aerostitch motorcycle models, the #3500 sells for about $50.. 6' power cord, hard wire harness, battery clamp adapter, lighter adapter and compact size carrying bag. A larger version with an 8' cord is about $100. I can attest to their robustness- takes less than 5 minutes to air up a motorcycle tire. I also prefer the slimy worm plugs with the sticky glue vs the mushroom solid plugs. Just seem to hold better for me. YMMW!

 

I got the spare from Detroit tuned and carrier/kit from Outmotoring.
Have not needed it yet. No Runflats for me.

 

I keep a can of slime in the car at all times. Also have a tow package with the insurance company.

For long distance, I roll with a donut. Got the rim at a mini dealer, purchased the tire from wheelworks or tirerack (forgot which one) and had it mounted.

 

I'm still on the OEM runflats till they wear out. After that I'm trying to figure out what I should do. The Cadillac SRX doesn't have a spare as standard equipment and doesn't come with runflats either. It instead come with a compressor/sealant combination. The sealant canister fits into the compressor which has two hoses, one for sealant and one for air. I don't know if the sealant is messy like the fix-a-flat product or more friendly like slime, though. I'm thinking about getting one of these for my MINI if I can find out more about the sealant but I don't know how much they cost. Might be pricey.

 

Same here.... I'm still on OEM run flats and I am considering ditching them and carrying a slime/compressor kit or getting a spare to carry. I don't mind the run flats though ...just don't like the costs.

 

Lots of info if you do some searches. Here's a copy/paste from an earlier post of mine:

I carry the following:

For tiny holes: http://www.amazon.com/Dynaplug-1007-.../dp/B000EXSER4

For larger holes: http://www.amazon.com/Stop-Go-Tubele...1520185&sr=1-3

And this (with the conventional sticky worms) as a last resort before calling AAA: http://www.amazon.com/Slime-Powerspa...520239&sr=1-13 (Only use the Slime as a last resort. It makes a huge mess.)

And you might be surprised at how small it all packs down.

 

Very nice! Thanks.

-Leo

 

I would avoid fix-a-flat. It rusts steel rims and eats up the clear coat on aluminum rims. Over time it creates a gooey residue which might cause balance problems and is a real pain to clean out of a tire or off a rim. Slime ain't much better, even the manufacturer recommends removing it after a couple of years because it dries out.

I recommend carrying a plug kit. Get the kind with t-handles because the tire is quite difficult to ream in order to fit the plug. A reamer with a screwdriver-style handle is almost worthless. I carry a small hand-powered drill which makes quick work of reaming a hole. A set of screwdrivers and pliers are good to have since they are handy for removing whatever it is that punctured the tire. A jack is good too since you can rotate the tire into position to make the repair and makes it a lot easier for your portable compressor to fill the tire if there is no weight on it. I successfully patched a 2-inch gash in a sidewall by inserting a row of plugs with copious amounts of glue. When I went to the tire store the next day to replace the tire the techs were blown away by all the plugs that sprouted out of the sidewall.

Has anyone actually tried to drive on a run-flat? I left the house one day and the car was pulling to the right really bad. Stinking tire pressure monitor never went off. I turned around and went back to the house to repair the tire. It had 15 lbs of air in it and was about half-flat. I can't imagine driving on that at speeds of over 25 mph.

 

www.tyreshield.com for me.

 

rear seat delete and full spare with matching wheel

 

I ride motorcycles and they use much softer compound tires than cars so punctures aren't uncommon. Sticky strings and the Slime pump make quick work of holes so that's what I carry in the Mini as well.

 

I bought the same compressor and slime kit.

 

I can't even tell you the last time I had a flat tire. (maybe 10-15 years?) I carry nothing, except the AAA card.

Then again, if I get stuck, I can afford to sit in a hotel and wait for a new tire if I had too. Hopefully I'm near Vegas or Atlantic City... Yea Baby...

 

See, that's crazy. I have plugged over a dozen tires in my driving career. (I am 27-16 = 11 years).