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Thread: Don't get a flat tire!!!!

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    Don't get a flat tire!!!!

    I was driving home today and my tire air pressure light comes on. But since I was about 2 miles from home I went ahead and drove home, and the car was not pulling to one side. So, I get home and kill the motor only to hear the tale tale hiss of a major air leak in a tire.

    So I pulled off the stock rim/tire and put the spare tire on, which was pretty easy(I LOVE small, lightweight tires!!). I then went to a Pep Boys to have the tire patched (around here they are a good place, which can't be said for all of them). So the service rep then comes to me and tells me that there are 2 holes right next to each other, and when that happens, it can't be safely patched.

    Then I ask them if they carry the tire in stock so I'll just put a new one on. Nope. Not only do they not carry that size, but they can't even order it!!

    I leave there and drive down the street to National Tire and Battery (NTB). Same story there. They don't have the tire in stock and don't even show any way that they could order a new one.

    On to Discount Tire down the street. Same story yet again. They don't show that size in the system and can not order it.

    My next stop was the Mitsubishi dealer where I bought my car. They too do not carry that size in stock, but they can order it!! Hurray!!! But the tire costs $110 each and it would take at least 2 business days to get here. Seeing how it is already past noon, it would probably come in on Monday or Tuesday. WHAT?????



    Since this size tire is so hard to get, I don't want to have a blow out on a road trip and not be able to get a replacement so I am looking at a more common tire size and just replace all 4. Something like either a 175/65/14 (I can get those for $42 each at my local WalMart), or I can go with a 175/70/14 from Pep Boys for $60 each.



    Hmmmmm........... So what to do?????


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    Senior Member Kiwi's Avatar
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    Tirerack carries the Enasave for $89.00 ea. if you want to switch sizes and go with a differnt tire keep in mine the clearance and odometer tolerances... Go to 1010 tires (they have a tire size calculator). You will also lose fuel economy with tires that have less rolling resistance.

    I am going with larger 16" tires next summer, and making te 14" rims my winter rims

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        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2014 Mirage ES 1.2 automatic: 44.3 mpg (US) ... 18.8 km/L ... 5.3 L/100 km ... 53.2 mpg (Imp)


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    Daox (09-11-2014)

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    Administrator Daox's Avatar
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    They are a non-popular size. I'm not sure why they couldn't just go with something more readily available... Like Kiwi said though, there definitely are places to get them, so it isn't the end of the world.
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    Senior Member Ares's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by 91cavgt View Post
    Since this size tire is so hard to get, I don't want to have a blow out on a road trip and not be able to get a replacement so I am looking at a more common tire size and just replace all 4. Something like either a 175/65/14 (I can get those for $42 each at my local WalMart), or I can go with a 175/70/14 from Pep Boys for $60 each.
    You need to do your research when buying tires especially when you're changing from stock specs.

    For example:
    175-65-14 Compared to stock, a tire with this specs will have a difference of 40.84mm in cercumference and 13mm in Overall Diameter. This means that it will probably go about 2.23% faster than stock, which means if you were going 62.14mph on a stock tire, you would actually be going 63.55mph.

    For a 175-70-14, it's even worse. When going 62.14mph on a stock tire, you'd be going 65.46mph, or about 5.35% more!

    No matter how I slice it, it seems that 195-50-15 (I have a spare 15" set) is closest to the diameter of the stock tires; even closer than a 185-60-14. These two tire sizes differ only about 1.03% and 1.32%, respectively.

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    The only problem with ordering tires online is what happens if you are out of town and have a blow out? No local shop will have this tire, so that means you would have to limp home on your spare.


    I have been researching larger tires for a couple of months. You can look at my post a while back in this section on lifting a Mirage to see my thoughts on it.


    I am in fact looking at a 175/70/14. They are only slightly wider than stock, but taller. A majority of my driving is doing 50 mph or less so it shouldn't be that big of a hit on fuel economy. Plus, it will give the car about 2/3" more ground clearance which would be nice to help stop the car from dragging when pulling out of my driveway. On top of that, if I am out of town with the car and have a blow out, 175/70/14 is a very common tire size that you can find just about anywhere without having to order it and wait for it to come in.
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    Senior Member Ares's Avatar
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    I want to know what local town you're at that they wouldn't have a tire size the same as yours. The brand and model of tire may be different t, but if the shoe fits, then put it on. I generally replace two tires if one blows up.

    Your odometer reading will also be off if you put bigger tires on. I wonder if there are speedohealers for cars... I know motorcycles have them...

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    Senior Member Cani Lupine's Avatar
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    I dropped down to 175/70/13. About the same diameter, and far more options.

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        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2014 Mirage DE 1.2 manual: 49.2 mpg (US) ... 20.9 km/L ... 4.8 L/100 km ... 59.1 mpg (Imp)


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    In Europe, the 165/65/14 is a common size, just about any tyre place has it.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Ares View Post
    I want to know what local town you're at that they wouldn't have a tire size the same as yours. The brand and model of tire may be different t, but if the shoe fits, then put it on. I generally replace two tires if one blows up.

    Your odometer reading will also be off if you put bigger tires on. I wonder if there are speedohealers for cars... I know motorcycles have them...
    I'm a little north of you in Waco, but all the places I checked are national chain tire stores. It's not that they didn't have the same brand and model of a tire available, they didn't have ANY tires in that size in their system at all. I invite you to check out some local stores and see for yourself.
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    Quote Originally Posted by foama View Post
    In Europe, the 165/65/14 is a common size, just about any tyre place has it.

    In the U.S.A., it is a VERY rare size that I think only one other vehicle here uses. Y'all get all the good cars over there while our government requires all kinds of mandatory safety and environment items that clamp down on the fun cars.


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