I’m not sure if it’s just my anxiety or if a lot of people worry but even as a mechanic, I often worry about getting a flat tire and not having what I need to get back on the road. I live in South Carolina and our roadways are pretty bad. There are tons of debris in the roadway such as nails, pieces of metal, screws, etc. The difference in being prepared for a flat tire can be a few dollars in tools or a few hundred in towing to a tire shop. Let’s look at what you’ll need:
A Good Tire Jack:
Believe it or not, I have actually heard of car salesmen taking tire jacks out of a car and selling them. Not saying everyone does it, but definitely make sure your car has a tire jack. Unless you have a super strong friend that can lift the car up, you’re going to need one to change a tire out or take it off to inspect it. Most car jacks that come with the car can be time consuming to use. I personally keep a heavy duty jack in my car that can lift the car in a few seconds. Here’s a list of some good ones:
Plugging or Fixing a Tire:
A lot of people get intimidated by having to plug or fix a tire. Honestly, It’s super simple to do whether you just want to get back on the road for a few days before getting a new one or ride it out until the tread is gone. You can also use spray cans that are called fix a flat and it will seal from the inside but I don’t personally like using them because I’ve seen what they can do to the inside of the tire (they can also cause the tire to go out of balance). Generally, to plug a tire with a kit, you will have the tools to remove the puncture, create a smooth hole, and insert the plug. Also, when you are done plugging the tire, you are going to want to fill it with the correct psi (look on your drivers side door jam for correct psi of your tire) then you are going to want to take some soapy water and spray the plug to make sure there are no bubbles (aka leaks from it). If done right, you shouldn’t have any leaks. Here’s a few good tire plug kits with the first one being the can of fix a flat:
Portable Air Pumps:
Portable air pumps have become a lifesaver. Even if your tires are good, you may see someone on the road that needs air in their tire and you can come to the rescue. If you are trying to plug a tire on the road with what has been mentioned above, you’re definitely going to need a portable tire pump to help pump air back into the tire after plugging. Not to mention, if you often stop at places to pay for air, this will save you money in the long run. Most portable air pumps work in the same way, you plug it into the cigarette outlet or USB port and it is usually digital to tell you how much psi is currently in the tire. Here’s a list of some good portable air pumps from amazon:
Other Tools to Make Life Easier:
As a mechanic, some of the tools I keep in my car for emergencies like tire repairs are a little excessive, but they can help me change a tire out on the road very quickly. One thing I always keep in the car is a 1/2 drive impact. The reason to keep a 1/2 drive impact in the car is to easily take off the tire lug nuts. Generally, most lug nuts are going to be similar sizes such as 17mm, 19mm, 21mm, etc unless you have lug nut caps that swell overtime. The best thing do to if you are going to keep an impact in the car is to get your correct lug nut size and get that size socket or just keep a lug nut socket set in the car. I’d prefer getting a socket set just in case a friend or family member needs help on the road.
Keeping these tools in your car at all times will help decrease the anxiety feeling of wondering if you are going to get a flat tire (which in my case is all the time because I worry about a lot of stuff). At the very least, you’ll have peace of mind that if you get a puncture in your tire, you’ll be able to fix it instead of paying high towing costs for a tire place to basically do the same thing you could do on the side of the road. Plus you’ll look cool doing it as well. If you have any questions please feel free to email me at lubetechcurt@gmail.com.
