ha. your suspension will make it so the tire is planted. they just say to not use diff sized tires as it will blow out your clutch pack. thats why i question the size of my spare, but wtf do i know

 

what?

 

yes of course,unless you close the "differential gear"
i dont know how you call that gear.

 

Ughh, fix a flat. I used to work a tire shop, so I had to deal with it. It's a pita, however, it can seal the hole. However, that makes it harder for tire techs to find the puncture. Overall, I'd recommend avoiding it, but that's just because most people who work at tire shops don't want to deal with the hassle. Not to mention, a lot of people don't know how to use it, so they overfill their tires and think it's a solution, but it's only a temp fix.

I'd strongly recommending against using that tire repair kit. Most people call it the gas station plug. Due to the fact that you have to basically make the puncture bigger without knowing the correct angle to insert the plug, you can damage your tire to the point where it's no longer safe to drive on. I know at America's Tire Co, 90% of the time, we reject any tire that has that type of repair in it. Also, because the way it works, it only seals the inside of the tire, not the outer part, which can lead to the steel belt rusting.





When my stepsister got a flat on the Forester, she put on the spare and kind of forgot about it for a week. Luckily, I was driving it when the AWD light started blinking, so I could take care of it. Since it was an automatic, I could just swap it out to FWD. I had to call Subaru to see what fuse I needed to put in, and they said, as a rule of thumb, NO MORE than 100 miles on the spare.

 

As long as the overall diameter of the spare is close to the rest of the tires it will work. the tolerance is 1/16" IIRC... also you can tow (non flatbed) for 5 miles (07 STi) and the drive train will be fine. with that I assume that if the spare is too small you could also go for 5 miles without major damage. EDIT: just saw the 100 mile rule of thumb.

But there is another alternative... If you get aftermarket wheels/tires... GET A SET OF FIVE!

Me personally, after THREE flats on three different cars... I have grown to hate wimp wheels with a passion... I finally got a full size spare for the PedoVan... stay tuned for when I get a flat again...

My next car will have a full size spare as well...

 

I have roadside assistance with geico. They will tow on a flat bed. You just have to let them know you have AWD. They contract out to local towing companies.

Just make sure that they chain it down properly. I had a Durango towed on a flat bed and they pinched my rear brake lines. My brakes caught on fire and caused several thousands of dollars in repairs. Geico covered it and then went after the towing company for the damages.

 

You don't need a flat bed just all four wheels off the ground.

 

I just use AAA. I've had to flatbed my car once when I had a rear tire blow out on me. I just told AAA that the car was lowered and AWD and they sent out this flatbed that bended at the end. (instead of the traditional flat angle entrance point)
I had to sign a waiver due because I was low. (just stated that if we scratch your lip, or body etc we are not liable)

I have 18's on but I still keep my spare just in case. (you never know)
I don't feel like carrying another 18in wheel in the trunk with me since it leaves room for nothing.

 

cool...maybe i'll just get a small 3 gallon compressed air tank and a plug kit.

I wonder if i could keep 100 psi inside of a little tank for an extended period of time?