Not a fun day for my wife or her Clarity

[Texas22Step]

Hi, I am a new member. Just got a 2018 Clarity Plug-in. I am also surprise that there is no spare tire equipped. However, I think my alternative to this is to install a run-flat tire when it is time to replace them. At the meantime, just pray...

Funny, because I just switched my wife's little SUV from run-flats to regular tires and gave her a $20 "fix-a-flat" kit purchased on Amazon, a AAA membership and thus saved several hundreds of dollars in tire replacement costs. Run flats are ridiculously expensive, and tires are engineered so well now anyway that the vast majority of any tire problems today (at least in urban areas) are mostly slow leaks due to road damage (screws, nails or teenager T-bone collisions with curbs).

 

[The Gadgeteer]

After I got my flat, inside side wall, I have heard of several flats on the Clarity. Between my own and the ones I have read about I count at least 7 flats. I bet there is an issue with these tires. There are not that many of these cars on the road to have this many flats in year 1.

 

[Texas22Step]

After I got my flat, inside side wall, I have heard of several flats on the Clarity. Between my own and the ones I have read about I count at least 7 flats. I bet there is an issue with these tires. There are not that many of these cars on the road to have this many flats in year 1.

This really doesn't have a lot to do with the OEM chosen tires on Clarity in isolation, but perhaps what the overall experience with this type and brand of tire has been on all vehicles on which it has been installed over the years. For example, my 2014 Accord was OEM equipped with these same tires, but I don't recall having a problem with those tires or hearing of others' issues then.

In any case, here's a link to a very interesting article about tire design and the compromises made by tire engineers when designing "low roll resistant" tires versus others, and about vehicle owners' own responsibilities with their vehicles' only actual contact with the roadway (tires). As with most things in life, there are no "silver bullets." https://www.hybridcars.com/low-rolling-resistance-tire-primer-50256

 

[The Gadgeteer]

I had my flat within days of getting the car new from the dealer and less than 150 miles. I don’t care what compromises are made without running over something and just normal driving a properly inflated tire shouldn’t rupture on the inner seem.
There are others who have similar stories including one person with a Clarity that has has 3 flats in a year along the same route he drives his Tesla but no flats on the Tesla.

 

[BobS]

I guess I've been lucky. I've only had one tire blowout in 42 years of driving, and that was an old bias belted tire back in the late 1970's. I do make it a point to inspect my tires and inflation levels regularly. I see no need to bother with a spare tire anymore.

 

[BobS]

My experience has been very similar to Mocowbell's. I have been driving for 50 years and only had one flat tire and that was a blowout on a 40 foot motorhome.

Hope this post does not change my luck!

 

[neal adkins]

So what Honda spare fits the Clarity?


Sent from my iPhone using Inside EVs

One thread suggested spare off a 2007 nissan infinity would fit. https://www.insideevsforum.com/community/index.php?threads/spare-tire-that-fits.2579/

 

[Dante]

Could longer "idle" time at dealers until the sale has something to do with tire degradation?

 

[MNSteve]

My experience has been very similar to Mocowbell's. I have been driving for 50 years and only had one flat tire and that was a blowout on a 40 foot motorhome.

Hope this post does not change my luck!

Both of us are taking our luck in our hands by posting ... but my experience is the same. My personal cost/benefit analysis on having a spare tire these days is the same as the Clarity's decision ... not worth the space/weight and the repair kit is a reasonable compromise. And frankly, I am not that interested in taking my life in my hands to change a tire on the side of the road; I read too many very sad stories about what happens in these cases to the tire-changers.

 

[The Gadgeteer]

Both of us are taking our luck in our hands by posting ... but my experience is the same. My personal cost/benefit analysis on having a spare tire these days is the same as the Clarity's decision ... not worth the space/weight and the repair kit is a reasonable compromise. And frankly, I am not that interested in taking my life in my hands to change a tire on the side of the road; I read too many very sad stories about what happens in these cases to the tire-changers.

How about having a spare so roadside assistance can assist by the roadside with changing the tire to a spare that actually exists?

 

[jeff10236]

Oldish thread, sorry. I'm having tire issues, and I wanted to see if anyone had replaced their energy saving tires with regular tires and I wanted to see what that did to their range. In that search, I saw this thread and figured it was worth re-opening.

I have had a slow leak in my right rear tire for about 6 months now. By slow leak I mean I have to refill it weekly (down about 5 or 6psi), or at least every 2 weeks (down about 10psi). If I go more than 2 weeks it is nearly totally flat (16-20psi). I've just been refilling my tire every week and waiting until I get to my dealer for something else anyway (I purchased a road hazard policy when I bought the car, otherwise I would have taken it to any neighborhood tire dealer a long time ago).

On Thursday I started hearing a tapping sound from my left front. The tire is holding air, but there is a huge bolt stuck in the tire. Now, there is always construction (road and otherwise) in the area so this is definitely not the first time I've had a bolt stuck in my tire (over the years, it seems I average about 1 new tire per year/per 20K miles, which is why I paid a bit over $750 for the tire and wheel protection). Oh, and this experience has me thinking about cancelling the road hazard insurance, I moved and my dealer is an hour away now, the closest Honda dealers won't honor Zurich plans (the company my dealer sold me), it is a hassle calling around finding a tire dealer who will, I doubt I'll ever need it for my wheels, and buying a similar plan at the tire dealer when you buy the tires only runs about $30 per set (need to repurchase each time you buy tires, but still a lot cheaper). On the plus side, at least I finally had the 4 recalls that I was sent in the mail about a month ago done when I brought it to the closest Honda dealer thinking I'd have my tires taken care of.

After I got my flat, inside side wall, I have heard of several flats on the Clarity. Between my own and the ones I have read about I count at least 7 flats.

Make that 9 now

 

[2002]

Oldish thread, sorry. I'm having tire issues, and I wanted to see if anyone had replaced their energy saving tires with regular tires and I wanted to see what that did to their range. In that search, I saw this thread and figured it was worth re-opening.

I have had a slow leak in my right rear tire for about 6 months now. By slow leak I mean I have to refill it weekly (down about 5 or 6psi), or at least every 2 weeks (down about 10psi). If I go more than 2 weeks it is nearly totally flat (16-20psi). I've just been refilling my tire every week and waiting until I get to my dealer for something else anyway (I purchased a road hazard policy when I bought the car, otherwise I would have taken it to any neighborhood tire dealer a long time ago).

On Thursday I started hearing a tapping sound from my left front. The tire is holding air, but there is a huge bolt stuck in the tire. Now, there is always construction (road and otherwise) in the area so this is definitely not the first time I've had a bolt stuck in my tire (over the years, it seems I average about 1 new tire per year/per 20K miles, which is why I paid a bit over $750 for the tire and wheel protection). Oh, and this experience has me thinking about cancelling the road hazard insurance, I moved and my dealer is an hour away now, the closest Honda dealers won't honor Zurich plans (the company my dealer sold me), it is a hassle calling around finding a tire dealer who will, I doubt I'll ever need it for my wheels, and buying a similar plan at the tire dealer when you buy the tires only runs about $30 per set (need to repurchase each time you buy tires, but still a lot cheaper). On the plus side, at least I finally had the 4 recalls that I was sent in the mail about a month ago done when I brought it to the closest Honda dealer thinking I'd have my tires taken care of.


Make that 9 now

I just read through the thread for the first time now that you have reposted it. I noticed that no one mentioned carrying a plug repair kit, the kind that comes with a hand auger type of tool to clean out the hole, then a tool to stuff the plug into the hole. I have never had to use mine yet but people swear by them, they say it fixes most punctures unlike the goop which is very hit and miss. And apparently goop can ruin some TPMS sensors which is an expensive item to replace, but that depends on the type of system, I don't know about Clarity. Some people say after plugging their tire with the kit they didn't even bother taking the tire in for repair as the plug lasted the rest of the tire's life. Not that I recommend doing that but it does indicate that the plugs work pretty well. If you get a plug kit you should practice with it on an old tire first rather than doing it for the first time on a real flat. Also along with the plug kit you will need a 12V inflator for the tire, which isn't a bad thing to carry in the car anyway.

As for the danger of changing a tire along the side of the road - yes definitely consider your surroundings and make a wise decision before starting whether it would be safer to call for a tow. My last flat was about fifteen years ago. I noticed it was completely flat when I came out of Costco, what luck as that is where I buy my tires! But what luck, they were out of stock on my size!. Took me just a few minutes to safely change to the donut, glad I had it.

Someone mentioned the mpg hit carrying a spare. The estimates are 1% for a 35 lb donut. I need to lose 35 lb anyway so maybe I will use that as a goal, lose the weight then I can get a donut spare!

On a long trip a donut spare will at least get you to the next nearby town where you can (hopefully) purchase a replacement or get the flat fixed. Just don't drive too far on a donut and drive carefully and as slow as you safely can, as they have an effect on handling and braking.

 

[4sallypat]

Hi, I am a new member. Just got a 2018 Clarity Plug-in. I am also surprise that there is no spare tire equipped. However, I think my alternative to this is to install a run-flat tire when it is time to replace them. At the meantime, just pray...

Not having a spare has been normal for me the past 15 years of having BMWs.
They use RFT so they don't supply a spare.

Hearing issues about the Michelin OEM tires failing, I am glad I bought the optional Honda Care that takes care of tire replacements.

When it comes time to replace the OEM tires, I will be getting a set of Bridgestone Drive Guard RFT and not worry after the OEM runs out of tread..

 

[Texas22Step]

Not having a spare has been normal for me the past 15 years of having BMWs.
They use RFT so they don't supply a spare.

Hearing issues about the Michelin OEM tires failing, I am glad I bought the optional Honda Care that takes care of tire replacements.

When it comes time to replace the OEM tires, I will be getting a set of Bridgestone Drive Guard RFT and not worry after the OEM runs out of tread..

Before making any decisions when it is time to get some new tires, please read the attachment to my posting #23 to this thread back in March. This is an article about the various compromises tire engineers make when designing "low roll resistant" tires vs. others. This is an important subject because the tires are the only direct contact your vehicle has with the roadway and often at high speeds.

Interestingly, when my wife's (non-Honda) car needed new tires recently, I replaced her RFT with "regular" tires because the price difference between a "regular" (but excellent) tire and RFT was huge and not worth the feature to be able to drive a car with a flat tire for maybe 100 miles -- once. I decided to save the money on the set of modern tires, give my wife a AAA membership and a "goo" kit like the Clarity's. She has needed neither for several thousand of driving miles since.

 

[2002]

This is an article about the various compromises tire engineers make when designing "low roll resistant" tires vs. others.

The Clarity is my third hybrid and I don't even look at LRR for replacement after the OEM tires complete their typically brief life. I go for the best riding, quietest, and best value tire instead of trying to eke a few more mpg out of what is already a highly efficient vehicle. The article you referenced mentions potential safety compromise with LRR tires longer stopping distance. On that note I no longer overinflate my tires for better mpg, even though that practice is de rigueur in the world of hybrid enthusiasts. There are studies showing a definitely negative impact on stopping distance by overinflating even just a few pounds so I now just stick with the vehicle placard.

When it comes time to replace the OEM tires, I will be getting a set of Bridgestone Drive Guard RFT and not worry after the OEM runs out of tread.

I had been thinking about Michelin Premier A/S when the time comes as I had those on my previous car and liked them. Costco sells them for $804 for four 235/45R18. I looked and they have Bridgestone Driveguard for $880. I may consider the Driveguard at replacement time as that is certainly worth the small difference in price, assuming they ride and handle okay and are not too noisy. Also those are Costco's regular prices, they alternate between Michelin and Bridgestone with their $70-$130 discount price and by keeping an eye on tire wear I can always time it to purchase when the brand that I want is on sale.

 

[insightman]

And apparently goop can ruin some TPMS sensors which is an expensive item to replace, but that depends on the type of system, I don't know about Clarity.

The Clarity compares the rotational speed of the wheels to detect tire pressure anomalies. There are no TPMS sensors in the wheels. However, the OEM wheels include noise-reducing resonators which must be a pain to clean so they'll work again after being coated with tire-repair goop.

 

[Robert_Alabama]

I prefer a spare tire, just to not have to worry about it. I normally carry a full size spare in both my Volt and my Clarity. It's just nice to be back on the road as good as new after a flat and to not have to worry about speed and handling with the compact spare. But, I also have a compact spare for both in case I were to need the luggage space for a trip. Bought all off of Ebay, so cost was pretty negligible. Haven't used a spare for the Clarity yet, but I've had three flats in 6 years where the spare was really needed for the Volt. The compact spares take up little storage room, so I don't really mind keeping them in the garage until I might need them for extra cargo room. To the extent carrying the full size spares hit the mileage/range, it hasn't been enough to be noticeable in either car. I also agree with @4sallypat that the Bridgestone DriveGuards are a good option, just a little pricey for my cheap self. By the way, I also keep a plug kit in any car I drive, just in case it is an easy plug and go type flat. I hate the sealant goo stuff even though the tire inflators in my cars have it as an option. If the tire can't be plugged, I'd rather change it than use this sticky stuff and make a mess with the resonators inside the wheels.

 

[Mowcowbell]

I carry a tire plug repair kit in my lower trunk for the rare event I pickup a nail and want to patch the tire. I'll never put that tire goo in my tire.

 

[Texas22Step]

I had been thinking about Michelin Premier A/S when the time comes as I had those on my previous car and liked them. Costco sells them for $804 for four 235/45R18. I looked and they have Bridgestone Driveguard for $880. I may consider the Driveguard at replacement time as that is certainly worth the small difference in price, assuming they ride and handle okay and are not too noisy. Also those are Costco's regular prices, they alternate between Michelin and Bridgestone with their $70-$130 discount price and by keeping an eye on tire wear I can always time it to purchase when the brand that I want is on sale.

As I indicated before, my wife's German car had RFTs (Michelin), but after considerable research I replaced them with 4 new Yokohoma Advan Sport A/S SL "regular" tires that cost $646 for a set of 4 from (online) Tire Rack (including a 2 year road hazard warranty). These new tires are well-rated, much quieter than her old RFTs and (hopefully) will yield more miles than the old tires. That said, only time will tell.

 

[4sallypat]

..........
I had been thinking about Michelin Premier A/S when the time comes as I had those on my previous car and liked them. Costco sells them for $804 for four 235/45R18. I looked and they have Bridgestone Driveguard for $880. I may consider the Driveguard at replacement time as that is certainly worth the small difference in price, assuming they ride and handle okay and are not too noisy. Also those are Costco's regular prices, they alternate between Michelin and Bridgestone with their $70-$130 discount price and by keeping an eye on tire wear I can always time it to purchase when the brand that I want is on sale.

After driving 3 generations of RFT over the past 15 years I have to say that the Bridgestone DriveGuards are the best!

I remember how painful the first 2 generation RFT were - noisy, bumpy, stiff, wears unevenly and not compliant to potholes.
This 3rd gen RFT are a night and day difference - very quiet, compliant, and wears very well just like conventional tires.

Currently driving on a set of Bridgestone DriveGuards on my BMW 5 series sedan for over 30,000 miles and love that they have worn evenly and will go another 20,000 miles due to rotations every 8,000 miles.

I am going RFT when it comes time to replace the Clarity tires because my wife is now the primary driver of the Clarity and I don't want her to figure out how to use a mobility kit on the side of a road....

For her safety, I'd rather her continue to drive on no pressure RFT to the nearest tire shop for repair or replacement.