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I'm sure it's to save money and weight. I have had valves clipped on my cars and in 1 case a broken rim which the sealer would not fix (I doubt the sealer could fix a sidewall gash). I prefer a spare (or temp spare). I also don't trust the sealent once it's in the tire to cause future problems. But when you buy a vehilce you don't have much of a choice.
 
I have never used sealant. It seems like it should be alright for most situations.
I have used a spare tire only twice in 30 some years it would not bother me not to have a spare.
 
Rick Tinley Park said:
In 2006 Saturn Sky's (and sista Solstice) had no spares -- only the battery compressor and sealant.... Of course No trunk either!
He he, what do you mean - 'no trunk' sure it has one! Just really small. ;D
Actually I'm surprised what one can fit in there, we have the 4 piece Kappa luggage bag set that fits in perfectly for those summer trips to the B.C. mountains.[/color]

RNOX said:
Rather have a spare than the sealant. Sometimes you can get more damage to the tire or even a rim. :D
I'm with RNOX, rather have the option to fix the flat properly than have the tire shop say they could have fixed it, but not now with the sealant in it. JMO[/color]
 
hyperv6 said:
Odds are it was removed for weight. THey SRX uses a larger tire. The SRX also weighs more than the Chevy and GMC. While it may not see like much weight it is often the first place many MFG go to remove any weight.

People that buy Cadillac are not about saving a few MPG's though...
 
I have to agree about being a little apprehensive with no spare tire, but I guess it's the way of the future. My previous car (an '08 Enclave) got a flat because someone cut the sidewall. I just put on the spare...and then had to fork over $285. for a new tire! My '05 Terraza had one flat (a nail) and my '02 Olds had one flat (a nail). So, I guess in 10 years there was only once that the sealant wouldn't have worked. (I'm old enough to remember when cars had 2 spares...mounted in the front fenders.) Anyway...
Will a tire shop repair a tire that has sealant in it? Good question! I'll have to stop and ask a few of them. I'll give you the results when I ask around.
 
If you have the sealer and it dosen't work you either have to take the tire to get it fixed (Need another vehilce) or towed . One thing with the spare is you have to check the pressure once and a while.
 
RNOX said:
Had a nail last week. On my Saturn VUE had 2 valves go and 2 nails over 7 years. I doubt the sealant would work on the valves. Does the compressor use the 12 volt power or batteries?
12 Volt,,
But get this, GM's idea of a 'full size' spare up here in the Great White North doesn't come close to the overall diameter of the OEM tires - so who would want to put that on a AWD transaxle either on the front or back. I suppose the back would be easier on the drivetrain but geez, if you had a front flat you would have to switch out two tires!! lol
Crazy GM, Roadside can send out a Tire shop service truck and fix me up onsite.[/color]
 
POLRCUB said:
12 Volt,,
But get this, GM's idea of a 'full size' spare up here in the Great White North doesn't come close to the overall diameter of the OEM tires - so who would want to put that on a AWD transaxle either on the front or back. I suppose the back would be easier on the drivetrain but geez, if you had a front flat you would have to switch out two tires!! lol
Crazy GM, Roadside can send out a Tire shop service truck and fix me up onsite.[/color]
Same spare in the USA. GM don't hate you any more than it hates "us".
 
Discussion starter · #33 ·
One quick note/update. I started this thread when my SRX picked up a nail last year. Fortunately, I haven't had any flats since. But I noticed a while ago on my in-dash display that a couple of my tires had low pressure. I needed to fill them with air the next time I got gas. But I hate doing that! I feel like I'm on a game show where you have to beat the clock. You put a few coins into the machine and the compressor roars signaling the start of the clock. You have to stretch the hose around your car while it's fighting you. I usually can't get the nozzle on correctly so I'm letting more air our than I am putting in. No one in my town needs air in their tires until I twist off the first valve cap. Then they are lined up behind me looking at their watches. So, of course, as inept as I am, I'm dreading my next Speedway visit. But then it hit me, and I smacked myself in the head. I have my own compressor in my hatch! So I was able to fool with filling my tires in the relative comfort of my own driveway. Oddly enough, a few neighbors still pulled up behind me but I was able to tell them to get lost!
 
I guess one can buy or maybe order a temp spare from a tire store. I think it would fit. Whenever I mount one i go straight to a shop to get the old tire fixed. I drove about 10 miles to my local shop and had no problems with the temp spare when I got a nail in a tire recently. I laugh when I see people on highways with them or use them like a regular tire. I also would not think that the sealent is a permanent repair repair. How can they find a puncture if the hole is sealed? Sometimes a nail head is obvious .. Sometimes not. I've seen shops use soap sprayed on tires to find leaks.
 
KCorey said:
About 6 months ago I discovered that Costco has free air.

Now, about spares...I wonder why the SRX doesn't have "run-flat" tires. Are they that much more expensive?
Run Flats have, for the most part, a relatively short tread-wear rating. Plus, they cost a fair amount more.
 
Her's a few "quick" answers. First, never, ever, use "Fix-a-Flat" or similar tire inflator in tires with a TPMS...it will ruin it.
Second, when I bought my SRX Luxury, I could have purchase a spare when I ordered the car at about $300 more. I was apprehensive about not having one but decided to gamble it.
Third, I did get a nail in the rear tire but it was a slow leak. I brought the tire up to proper pressure with the air pump (it's the same as the tire sealer pump) and drove to a place and they repaired it.
Oh, and a big point for me, my car was not $45,000 plus (as someone has stated). Maybe in Canada they are, but here in the States mine was $41,000.
 
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