They make some now they claim doesn't harm them.

But I don't know that I want that crap in my tires and on my wheels. It makes a mess.

 

I use AAA too. And we have the unlimited towing contract. But, as someone else pointed out long ago, 1st call a local Chevy dealer or Vette custom shop and ask them who they trust to tow a Vette. Only then call AAA and negotiate that same tow service or it's equivalent.

Before any of that I have a electric pump, two bottles of slime, and a plug kit in the sunken compartment where the CD changer is. And, I have full unrestricted use of my trunk area at all times.

Can't imagine doing anything else. I've had five slow leaks in 48 years of driving and have never had a severe blowout where the tire is completely unusable.

Why run around prepared for WWIII and lose the use of your trunk when it only happens once or twice in a lifetime at the most??

 

flat bed tow......my steering wheel locked up. I also go AAA.

 

We pay a little more to AAA for towing up to 100 miles IIRC.

 

AAA and a phone. No worries anywhere I go

 

Yeah, right. Try that in West Texas 60 miles from nowhere. There's a lotta places in the Southwest off I-10 where I wouldn't want a stove bolt through my tire, waiting an hour for a flat-bed to see if the ramp angle suits a Corvette.

"Call AAA and deliver the car to the nearest dealership on a Sunday morning."

A little too slow for my tastes.

Can I respectfully request that my question not get buried in suggestions to bring a cell phone and be happy? I'd prefer out of my own choice, to pack a spare. Can anyone answer the questions I posed?

Thank you.

Just to bring it "back to the top":Thank you.

 

If you get a spare that will work on the vette and fit in the trunk,I would like to know where are you going to put the flat tire that I believe may not fit in the trunk?
BTW AAA says they will change your inflated spare tire for you.
Fred

 

 

Here's my solution to this long standing dilemma...

1) AAA and Cell phone
2) If I'm out of coverage area, I made my own emergency kit and this is what it includes:

1) Starter Jack- I have an ultra low profile jack from California Car Cover and is only an 1.5 inches tall. Since my car is lowered, this servers as my starter jack which will go up to 6 inches.
2) Scissors Jack - this comes from Harbor Freight and enables me to get the car high enough to remove the tire.
3) Portable Impact wrench - this plugs into cigarette lighter. It is cheaply made but is used only for roadside emergencies so I expect it to last
4) Gorilla Lug wrench - yep, from the people who make "Gorilla Glue", this has a colapsable arm. When pushed out, I can get lots of torque. This is a back up if the battery is dead or the cheapie emergency impact wrench doesn't do the job
5) Tire plugs - Can't recall the brand but these plugs are inserted into the hole. However, I will comment the one's I picked don't put any spray any goo into the tire and risk damage to tire sensors
6) Various tools - pliers, screw drivers, and socket wrench all needed for this setup.
7) GM Z06 tire inflator

I should note I don't carry this emergency kit with me unless I plan on long drives outside of town.

 

AAA will tow, but they will NOT "plug" a tire for liability reasons (in Hawaii anyway...) For that reason I carry a sissors jack, electric pump, two short pieces of 2"X4", and a quality plug kit. Used it once on a strangers C6 that had a rear flat. No problems.

 

 

In 35 years of driving i've had 2 flats. One because I was running on the steel belts knowing I needed a tire, the other was a beer bottle in an alley. So odds are I won't get a flat. I also buy tires before they hit the wear indicators.

 

I guess you can hide it in the wide open spaces and go back with your p/u truck and try to find it. Or, you could just "fergetaboutit."
I apologize in advance for making fun of stuff half thought through. Me guilty of that as well.

 

This thread has been beneficial to me and reaffirmed my choice of how to handle non-runflats. As a vert driver there really is no option to carry a spare and certainly no way to put the bad front or rear wheel & tire in my trunk. I certainly won't leave a $500 wheel/tire behind and hope for the best, not to mention the wasted time in driving all the way back out there to find it later.

I carry AAA and slime and plugs and a pump to use on the non-runflats and will continue to do so.

However, if I bought a C6 ZO6 or C5 ZO6 coupe I would likewise continue with this same solution.

As an accident investigator, I'm a little embarrassed to not have thought of the extreme danger of carrying an unsecured spare wheel & tire in the trunk of a C5 or C6 coupe.

Unless you design and install a custom system to secure that spare setup, you are playing with fire that could easily spell a broken kneck or fatality in the event of an accident.

When I say secure, I mean bullet proof secure, not a jury rigged net or some other half-assed gizmo that won't save your life in a serious high G accident. Paying an engineer to redesign the trunk area of a C5/C6 coupe just to carry a spare and avoid the PITA of dealing with one possible flat every five or ten years just doesn't add up to me. Sorry.

 

10 years ago I would have said the same thing. Since I moved to the Phoenix area I have had 6 flats. 25 years of driving where I used to live, I had 1. I am staying with the runflats.

 

If I had to deal with the obstructions you face, I imagine I would do the same thing. Just curious, how many were blowouts as opposed to slow leaks which are obviously not a problem.

 

It was already designed to accomodate a spare to some degree. The plan was abandoned with the decision to have unmatched front and rear wheels. I think a plate with a threaded rod attached from outside and through the bottom of the well (sealed of course) that would align with one stud hole or the center hole would get the job done.

I wouldn't do it, but that doesn't mean the OP shouldn't. I sure would NOT carry a spare without it being VERY anchored down.

 

I replace my tires at 5/32, no exceptions; it rains 'way too much here to chance it on less tread. I've had 3 flats I can remember that required immediate replacement, and others (about 5-7) that were repairable. The three debilitating occasions were a 5" lag bolt, an unknown puncture that left two 3/4" holes and another large puncture in the side wall. Two of the three were out in the middle of nowhere on I-10; two were at least 20 miles to the nearest "town", and all three 'major' inconveniences were at least 400 miles from home. One was on a 3-day weekend. I drive the deserted stretch of I-10 from Dallas to San Diego at least 4x per year. Sooner than later I'll probably have another 'catastrophic' flat.

I've yet to find a tire vendor in my town (pop. 120,000) who can get a 295x35-18 delivered in 2 days' time--this is a town I know; and the usual bigname vendors--Firestone, Goodyear, etc. I don't expect better in Sonora, or Plateau, TX or Bowie, or even Los Alamos, NM . Even worse, there are towing companies that have told me they haven't got the equipment to tow or flatbed a Z06.

My luck for punctures has not been convenient, to say the least. I expect to thread a coated steel cable somehow through the spare, I haven't figured out the tie-down points yet but when I get to removing the trunk carpet I'll see what my options are. As to transporting the flat tire--if a puncture so is bad that two or three Dynoplugs won't fix it temporarily and get me to the nearest "big" town, I'd probably consider the tire a lost cause. In that case, I'd cut the sidewalls out and off with a pair of shears and salvage the rim.

At least that's the plan I'm investigating. Most folks may not like the idea or "inconvenience" of storing a spare, but I won't give up on the idea until I rule it unsafe. I'm not one to rely on good fortune, synchronicity, or the aid of strangers, sorry. Especially near the Mexican border--but that's your choice.

The only other alternative is no fun at all--drive the other car... it has a full-sized spare, but it's a Prius.

I appreciate your suggestions and advice. Thank you.

 

They were all slow leaks. Fortunately, no blow outs.

 

Today I had a not so slow leak in the H3 and since I was local no big deal but on the rear of the Corvette far from home it would be a big deal. Enough to burn out the differential.

I think a can of flat fix would work fine with a slow leak other than in a side wall. I once had wall damage that a can of flat fix did not help

As stated before if you have a Z06 you can get a full size rear factory tire and wheel behing the seats but NOT through the trunk. On the convertible you have that center piece so no tire will fit behind the seat. I would have to just put the flat tire in the trunk with the trunk opened. That would be better than stuck by the road in the middle of no where. When I got to a town and if they had the right tire I would get it. IMO I would rather loose a wheel and tire than be stuck in a place no Easterner's can imagine.