# You have a flat tire on a lonely road, and your cell's dead. How screwed are you? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 22, 2014, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-have-a-flat-tire-on-a-lonely-road-and-your-cells-dead-how-screwed-are-you/707954 "2014-12-22T21:23:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2014, 12:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-have-a-flat-tire-on-a-lonely-road-and-your-cells-dead-how-screwed-are-you/707954/81 "2014-12-23T12:43:22Z")
I haven’t read all the replies so this may have been said already. On more than one occasion when I have been in a similar situation (and I have yet to own a cell phone!) I have driven on a flat tire until it burned off the rim and the rim itself had to be replaced when I finally got to a place to get it fixed. There’s more than one way to skin a cat. Now, if I were also out of gas, I’d be up the basic creek and would be forced to walk to wherever. ---
**Author:** ![CheshireKat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheshirekat/32/1207_2.png) [@CheshireKat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CheshireKat)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2014, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-have-a-flat-tire-on-a-lonely-road-and-your-cells-dead-how-screwed-are-you/707954/82 "2014-12-23T13:33:54Z")
I’m pretty sure I’d be screwed. I know how to change a flat and changed many on my first car, since all I could afford were retreads and they never lasted very long. However, I now own my mother’s car and I have no idea where the spare is and whether or not there’s a jack in the car. I have a tricky back from an old injury, so while I’m pretty sure I could figure out where the spare is located, I’m not sure I’d want to risk lifting a tire or jerking on lug nuts. My guess is that I’d be enjoying a long walk. 😃 In my defense, I rarely drive on deserted roads, my phone is always charged and I have Triple A. ---
**Author:** ![Sigene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df788c/32.png) [@Sigene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigene)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2014, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-have-a-flat-tire-on-a-lonely-road-and-your-cells-dead-how-screwed-are-you/707954/83 "2014-12-23T13:59:35Z")
Last time this happened to me, I was back driving in about 7 minutes. not a problem; not screwed at all ---
**Author:** ![AnaMen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dfb087/32.png) [@AnaMen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AnaMen)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2014, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-have-a-flat-tire-on-a-lonely-road-and-your-cells-dead-how-screwed-are-you/707954/84 "2014-12-23T14:04:22Z")
I’d just do what I always do: get out the tools and spare like I’m going to change it, then step aside and let the kind stranger that pulls over to help take care of the rest! I have gotten so far as to try the lugs on a few occasions, and have bent the flimsy wrench without moving them a bit. Luckily these kind strangers tend to bring their own sturdy tools. The last time I had a tire problem was in someone else’s car and it turned out the spare was flat and there was no pump or anything. I started wresting with the lugs anyway and the fine fellow who stopped to help actually took the flat spare home, inflated it, brought it back and installed it for me. Nothing restores my faith in humanity like car trouble! And yes, I do stop and offer help to other motorists. ---
**Author:** ![Doctor\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctor_jackson/32/32_2.png) [@Doctor\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2014, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-have-a-flat-tire-on-a-lonely-road-and-your-cells-dead-how-screwed-are-you/707954/85 "2014-12-23T14:10:03Z")
I vote “Not screwed at all”. I make sure I have a spare, jack and lug wrench of some kind in all of my vehicles. I’ve changed so many tires in my life, both mine and for others, that I can generally get it done inside of 10 minutes even on the side of the road with a crappy scissor jack. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2014, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-have-a-flat-tire-on-a-lonely-road-and-your-cells-dead-how-screwed-are-you/707954/86 "2014-12-23T14:18:38Z")
:shrug: Change the tire and I’m on my way in 15 minutes. It amazes me some of the simple things people don’t think they can do (baring physical restrictions of course). Heck, if the car has a manual, and you can read, you should be able to figure it out. ---
**Author:** ![Doctor\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctor_jackson/32/32_2.png) [@Doctor\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2014, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-have-a-flat-tire-on-a-lonely-road-and-your-cells-dead-how-screwed-are-you/707954/87 "2014-12-23T14:32:05Z")
> [@Senegoid](#): > > Somebody remind me: Why am I supposed to loosen the lug nuts _before_ I jack up the car? > [@Projammer](#): > > Presuming this is a serious question. > > A many wheels will spin freely when off the ground so there’s nothing holding back when you’re trying to break the lug nut loose. The tire just spins and spins and spins. > > Some of us lazy types will use this to our advantage when putting the nuts back on. We spin the wheel counter clockwise and then just stab the wrench on the nut as the lug goes by and let it tighten itself. There’s that, but there is also the fact that the force required to break the lug nuts free is often greater than the force required to make the car topple off the jack. Some jacks, especially the small scissor type included with most cars today, are very unstable. This is also the reason, once the flat tire has been removed, I put it under the car until the new tire is mounted. That way, should something cause the jack to fall (or fail) the car lands on the tire instead of A) ruining the rotor on the concrete/rocks/etc and B) it leaves the car high enough that the jack can be reinserted and the car lifted again. ---
**Author:** ![HoneyBadgerDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honeybadgerdc/32/1033_2.png) [@HoneyBadgerDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoneyBadgerDC)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2014, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-have-a-flat-tire-on-a-lonely-road-and-your-cells-dead-how-screwed-are-you/707954/88 "2014-12-23T15:06:44Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > That’s a good way to ruin the wheel, I think, if you’re going any distance. And it’s also likely to leave the tire entirely ruined when it might have been repairable. I will never repair a tire that has been run flat for any distance unless I have no choice, and then I will only drive it to the next place I can buy one. Once I loose confidence in something I will never relax again while using it. Sometimes I think ignorance is bliss. ---
**Author:** ![Count\_Blucher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Count\_Blucher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Count_Blucher)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2014, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-have-a-flat-tire-on-a-lonely-road-and-your-cells-dead-how-screwed-are-you/707954/89 "2014-12-23T15:23:50Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > Could you handle the situation with what you have in the car? I can change a tire. there is a spare & I know how to use all of the tools in the car. > [@eschereal](#): > > Have you considered carrying a little grease for the threads? If you grease them, you can get them as tight as you need to, they will stay tight, and you will not have to struggle as much to get them off. Works just as well as locktite, but is easier to unscrew. One small can of WD-40 in with your tool can help out a Lot. ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2014, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-have-a-flat-tire-on-a-lonely-road-and-your-cells-dead-how-screwed-are-you/707954/90 "2014-12-23T16:35:32Z")
Cars don’t have flats and spare tires anymore, they have run-flat tires. They are designed to be driven to the nail salon and soccer practice on smooth roads in fine weather by people who have a cell phone and roadside service. Anything besides that is considered to be “off-road” use, requiring stunt driving skills and special back-country equipment, like a spare tire bolted to the roof (there is no well) and a jack. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2014, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-have-a-flat-tire-on-a-lonely-road-and-your-cells-dead-how-screwed-are-you/707954/91 "2014-12-23T16:38:21Z")
> [@jtur88](#): > > Cars don’t have flats and spare tires anymore, they have run-flat tires. They are designed to be driven to the nail salon and soccer practice on smooth roads in fine weather by people who have a cell phone and roadside service. Anything besides that is considered to be “off-road” use, requiring stunt driving skills and special back-country equipment, like a spare tire bolted to the roof (there is no well) and a jack. Not all cars come with run flats. And what about the older cars on the road? ---
**Author:** ![MikeG](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mikeg/32/4329_2.png) [@MikeG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MikeG)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2014, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-have-a-flat-tire-on-a-lonely-road-and-your-cells-dead-how-screwed-are-you/707954/92 "2014-12-23T16:50:46Z")
Both of my cars have full size spares and the necessary tools to change a flat. I’ve stopped and changed numerous strangers’ tires so I’m pretty familiar with the process. If I’m going on a road trip I toss my 1/2" cordless impact in the trunk which I’ve used a few times. It turns a ten minute change into a 3 minute change. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2014, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-have-a-flat-tire-on-a-lonely-road-and-your-cells-dead-how-screwed-are-you/707954/93 "2014-12-23T16:58:06Z")
> [@jtur88](#): > > Cars don’t have flats and spare tires anymore, they have run-flat tires. They are designed to be driven to the nail salon and soccer practice on smooth roads in fine weather by people who have a cell phone and roadside service. Anything besides that is considered to be “off-road” use, requiring stunt driving skills and special back-country equipment, like a spare tire bolted to the roof (there is no well) and a jack. You must have a quota of dead-ass wrong things to post every day. ---
**Author:** ![Meatros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Meatros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meatros)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2014, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-have-a-flat-tire-on-a-lonely-road-and-your-cells-dead-how-screwed-are-you/707954/94 "2014-12-23T17:14:31Z")
I’ve changed many flats. So I’d be okay. In fact, my brother called me one time to change his car’s tires. I was astonished that he didn’t know how to do it himself. ---
**Author:** ![Kimballkid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b5a626/32.png) [@Kimballkid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimballkid)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2014, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-have-a-flat-tire-on-a-lonely-road-and-your-cells-dead-how-screwed-are-you/707954/95 "2014-12-23T17:53:02Z")
> [@FXMastermind](#): > > Sometimes you can just inflate and patch the tire with very little effort by using [a can of fix a flat](http://www.autozone.com/sealants-glues-adhesives-and-tape/fix-a-flat-and-tire-sealer). You can also pry out the nail/screw/whatever so it doesn’t make that horrible sound while driving afterwards. > > (I have no connection with any retailer or manufacturer of any fix a flat product) > > But yeah, I can and have changed a flat tire more than once. Fix a flat is way easier. Of course it doesn’t work if the tire blows out, instead of a puncture. > [@jz78817](#): > > that stuff is evil. I can’t remember how many times I got blasted in the face with that noxious shit when dismounting a tire to fix it. Of course the asshole customer didn’t mention he used Fix-a-flat until after I got a face full of it. I agree with **jz78817** , that crap needs to be banned. It is evil, vile, noxious crap. To answer the OP’s question, having worked in a service station and a truck stop, I would have no problem changing the tire and wouldn’t even think about using the phone. I’ve had many a flat tire before cell phones became the ‘necessity’ people think they are. ---
**Author:** ![Enright3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/enright3/32/2897_2.png) [@Enright3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enright3)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2014, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-have-a-flat-tire-on-a-lonely-road-and-your-cells-dead-how-screwed-are-you/707954/96 "2014-12-23T18:19:54Z")
Kimballkid, I too worked through high school (1980s) at a full service gas station & truck stop. While I don’t ever recall being blasted in the face with Fix-A-Flat like jz78817 did, I sure hated trying to clean that crap out of the tire before fixing the hole. I’m in the group of people who wouldn’t be screwed at all. I’ve changed all sorts of flats in my day. Including but not limited to a semi tire with no inner tube when we didn’t have the proper equipment. I used a sledge and wedge to break the tire down, fixed the hole, and use starting fluid and a match to get the tire to seal back to the rim. Let me know if you want more details. It’s pretty cool, but dangerous as hell. Something you don’t think about when your 17/18. Speaking of being 17/18 my best friend and I once rotated the tires on his car using a jack, his spare and a 4-way. I guess we did it “because we could” because we both worked at the same gas station and could have used the lift and any number of pneumatic tools. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2014, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-have-a-flat-tire-on-a-lonely-road-and-your-cells-dead-how-screwed-are-you/707954/97 "2014-12-23T18:20:27Z")
> [@Projammer](#): > > Presuming this is a serious question. > > A many wheels will spin freely when off the ground so there’s nothing holding back when you’re trying to break the lug nut loose. The tire just spins and spins and spins. The other reason is that if you forget to set the parking brake, and you are dealing with the front wheel of a front-wheel-drive car (or the rear wheel of a RWD car), then wrenching the lug nuts with that wheel in the air will cause the wheel on the other side of the car to turn, courtesy of the [differential.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Differential_drive#Application_to_vehicles) Under the right circumstances, and with enough torque on the wrench, it may be possible to roll the car off of the jack, which is bad juju. > [@Skald the Rhymer](#): > > That’s a good way to ruin the wheel, I think, if you’re going any distance. And it’s also likely to leave the tire entirely ruined when it might have been repairable. Not only that, but if the flat tire happens to be on the drive axle, then it’s likely to wreck the [limited slip differential.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Limited_slip_differential) The limited-slip mechanism is designed to tolerate minor, short-term differences between left and right wheel speed. Driving with one tire flat creates a large, sustained speed differential between the two wheels, dumping a lot of energy into that mechanism. > [@Dr. Strangelove](#): > > Since then I’ve applied anti-seize to the mounting plate and furthermore know what to do in case it happens again. I realize it’s a pain in the ass when the rim sticks to the hub, but coating the interface with any kind of lubricant is a bad idea. The studs are not designed to take side loads due to the car’s weight, braking, or acceleration. They are supposed to hold the rim tightly to the hub so that friction between rim and hub can take those forces. By lubricating that interface, you’ve reduced its ability to tolerate those forces without slipping; if any slippage does occur, then the studs make up the difference by bearing a sideways load. If it’s cyclic (every time you brake/accelerate hard, or every time the wheel goes around, or every time you hit a bump), then you may be setting yourself up for a fatigue failure of the studs. Or maybe you’re not. Point being that you’ve reduced the margin of safety by a completely unknown amount, which is generally ill-advised. For the OP: I’ve changed half a dozen flat tires by the side of the road, so no problemo. I swap summer/snow tires every spring/fall, so my rims are generally not too badly stuck to the hubs, and my lug nuts (tightened with a torque wrench) are reasonably easy to loosen. When I do the tire swaps, I have to top off whichever tires are being installed, which is a perfect time to also top off the spare in the trunk. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2014, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-have-a-flat-tire-on-a-lonely-road-and-your-cells-dead-how-screwed-are-you/707954/98 "2014-12-23T18:26:14Z")
I’d like to say that I’m really pleased with the responses in this thread. I’m learning a lot. Many thanks! ---
**Author:** ![FXMastermind](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fxmastermind/32/7289_2.png) [@FXMastermind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FXMastermind)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2014, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-have-a-flat-tire-on-a-lonely-road-and-your-cells-dead-how-screwed-are-you/707954/99 "2014-12-23T19:08:21Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > If you’re being asked to repair a tire, and the tire is holding air pressure when it’s presented to you, doesn’t that provide a clue that SOMETHING was used to restore its ability to do that? Yeah, but to the person who is going to actually plug the puncture, fix a flat is evil. To the person with a flat tire, in the rain, at night, on a dangerous road, fix a flat is a miracle. ---
**Author:** ![Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapioca_Dextrin)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2014, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-have-a-flat-tire-on-a-lonely-road-and-your-cells-dead-how-screwed-are-you/707954/100 "2014-12-23T19:21:48Z")
> [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](#): > > Assuming I was driving a regular car, no problem. Takes me around twenty minutes if it’s freezing and snowing and it’s Christmas Eve Eve 😛 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-have-a-flat-tire-on-a-lonely-road-and-your-cells-dead-how-screwed-are-you/707954.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-have-a-flat-tire-on-a-lonely-road-and-your-cells-dead-how-screwed-are-you/707954.md?page=6)