Sienna tires?

That's what the article suggests, and it's very strange.

Of course.

The idea is that the run-flat tires never get flat, so you never need to put on a spare.

So why would you need a spare?

Jeff

Vandalism, maybe? Is there nothing that will damage that type of tire to the point where it would be unusable?

Not really. The idea is that when the runflat is punctured, you can operate at reduced speed until you are at a place where you can change the punctured tire. I believe the distance is about 50 miles.

Because when the run flat is punctured it has to be repaired or replaced.

Obviously, vandals would only damage one conventional tire. They would never damage two tires, because they want to make sure the car is still functional.

Of course these tires can completely fail. But, the idea is that these events would be rare enough to make a spare unnecessary. Or at least the space and weight savings justify the risk of being stuck with a failed tire, which is considerably less with the run-flats.

Personally, I would never get run flats, especially with the continuous pressure monitoring being required in the next year or two on all US vehicles.

Jeff

Anything that will puncture a conventional tire will probably do the same to a run flat.

There was a rash of tire slashing incidents here last summer - multiple tires on each car - about 20 of them.

Anyway, the lack of a spare is still goofy.

A few cars don't have the room for them. I've had two is the past couple of years that did not have a spare . Both the ZO6 and the Charger SRT8 came with a can of fix a flat and a small air compressor. I bought a tire and wheel for the Charger and suffered the lose of trunk space on trips. The Corvette, I took my chance's with.

The spare tire is underneath the vehicle right about where the passenger side cargo door is, inboard.

I prefer regular tires to the run flats. You surely don't have to use run flats.

I have a 04 Sienna and it's been a trouble-free workhorse with nothing more than regular oil changes, every 3000 miles.

Sorry to hijack this post, but anyone here who keeps a can of fix-a- flat?

I thought that stuff was outlawed years ago. :)

I think the rear axle and driveshaft on the AWD takes up the space where they'd hang the spare tire and mount underneath the car. Doesn't leave much choice as to where to put the spare.

Sure! It's your money, you can put whatever tires you want on it - but then you have to find a place to stash a spare tire, jack and lug wrench. The jack and wrench are easy, the tire and rim...

Not a huge problem, but will take a little work to do safely. You want the tire well anchored, because it will make a nice missile in an accident.

Myself, I do NOT like the idea of running around without a spare tire, run-flat tires are not a perfect solution - they physically come apart and you aren't going anywhere. Or you get a flat and you are a lot farther out than the "50 mile" safe flat driving range from civilization - like the middle of Death Valley...

I'd get a custom trailer hitch receiver built with three receiver socket tubes - it's a standard design for people putting motorcycle rail racks on the back of cars and trucks. Then it's really simple for the hitch shop welder to use one of the end tubes to fabricate a "swing-away" spare tire carrier, so you can easily open the tailgate. And you still have the center tube available for (Gasp!) towing a small trailer.

Go to the Dealer to get a set of matching wheel studs and lugnuts to mount the tire, the welder can drill the right size holes in the new tire mount backplate he makes, and pop the studs into the holes. Bonus: now you have spares with you if you break/strip a few...

$900 for a "Spare Tire Kit" is ridiculous, you can do the above for less, have a real wheel and full service tire (Not a "Tempa-Spare"), not lose the rear seat and/or cargo space, and have a hitch too.

Leave the spare tire and mount at home until the factory Run-Flat tires wear out, they work fine for around town where help is always close by. Throw the bracket and spare tire on the car before any long trips, and after you switch to regular tires.

You could also fabricate a bracket and put the tire up on the roof rack, but it's a bear to hoist the tire up there.

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There are these guys (and a few girls now and then, too) who drive around these tracks at places like Pocono, Indy, and Michigan, and don't have spares. They go like 320 km/hr. And they don't have spares either.

Tell Jeff Gordon or Michael Andretti that they or their teams are goofy!

Jeff

On Fri, 02 Nov 2007 21:38:08 GMT, Jeff

That was so stupid, my head exploded.

I keep one in my cargo trailer, as the trailer doesn't have a spare.

Let's see...you wrote that about an hour ago. Hopefully, you've had enough time to realize that what you said is in no way connected with the way most people drive.

Hi,

It's a shame that no one gave you a full answer, although one poster hinted at it.

Recent Sienna f.w.d. vehicles have regular tires, and do come with a spare tire, albeit one of those tiny temporary ones. On the other hand, the a.w.d. models do not have a spare tire, as the a.w.d. mechanism apparently takes up the space. Therefore, the a.w.d. models come with runflat tires. These tires are expensive, ride hard, and wear out fast. You certainly can put regular tires on your vehicle, but if you get a flat not near a service station, then you're in trouble. I bought a f.w.d. 2004 Sienna to avoid the tire problem.

Good luck.

Morton

Well, you are at least consistant. This, like your other replies to this thread, make no sense either.

This is from your link:

"Toyota now offers a spare tire kit that takes up one of the rear seats and is being sold to people who elect to buy conventional tires to replace those expensive and fast-wearing run-flats."

This applies only to the 4-wheel drive models. Giving up a rear seat to make room for a spare seems rather drastic. Just use a can of fix-a-flat in that case. I'll bet that the Toyota you're interested in is a two-wheel drive, in which case, you will not have that problem.

david