What are people doing in case of a flat?

[Djinn]

We live almost 3 hours from the dealer. If we get a flat, do folks have suggestions as to what to do (after we put the gel stuff in.... yadda yadda)?

Is there a jack and lug wrench made for this car, or instructions somewhere to tell someone where its safe to lift it and not crack the bottom?

Do the lugnuts require some special smart tool, or will any mechanic be able to replace?

Tirerack sounds like its the source .... since the front and rear tires are different sizes, would it be best to buy just a front, and use it temporarily in the back?

Thanks. Not very mechanically minded, and smart was of no help (oh yeah, well tow it.......... 150 miles?????

Thanks!

Djinn

[smartlyle]

Great Question ??
Need to know.

[GHammerly]

No jack or lug wrench.
I will buy a better compressor and a plug kit. Find the puncture, plug it and fill up with air. No slime unless absolutly needed.
If beyond repair call AAA.
Most will simply call AAA or equivalent and wait.

[a2jack]

I have been trying to untangle this problem for weeks. Here's what I found.

If your tire has a nail, the goop may work, but it can/will ruin the valve on the TPS (tire pressure warning system). This will cost you an extra $100 + - or live with the warning light.

If you hit a pot hole, or crap on the road, and have a blow out, You will need a new tire and maybe a rim.

At present Smart has no tires nor rims stocked at their dealerships. They do not know when they will get them. I was quoted a price of over $300 just for the rim. AAA can not help you here other than moving your car off the road to the nearest tire store. They won't have a rim either.

See My post this thread on the spare I purchased from tire rack. BTW Tire rack is in South Bend In.

If you are 5'9 or under, a full size spare (is said) to fit in the well behind the drivers seat.

A2Jack

[Old smart]

I intend to carry a small jack (I know where I can get a small one), a lug bolt wrench (a 15mm? socket and a breaker bar), and a plugging kit. If it turns out that the smart compressor requires goo to be injected along with the air, I'll get another 12VDC compressor and forget the smart kit.

A properly installed rubber plug (not the rope-type) is often a permanent repair; goo never is. If for any reason the plug develops a slow leak, it can be re-done by dismounting the tire and replacing it with an internal "mushroom" plug, and that will be a permanent repair. A goo-d tire is hell to clean out to ultimately plug it, and the tire guy may decline to do the job.

Not all damage is pluggable or goo-able, but a plug will do anything goo can.

[Karl Roth]

Originally Posted by Old smart

I intend to carry a small jack (I know where I can get a small one), a lug bolt wrench (a 15mm? socket and a breaker bar), and a plugging kit. If it turns out that the smart compressor requires goo to be injected along with the air, I'll get another 12VDC compressor and forget the smart kit.

A properly installed rubber plug (not the rope-type) is often a permanent repair; goo never is. If for any reason the plug develops a slow leak, it can be re-done by dismounting the tire and replacing it with an internal "mushroom" plug, and that will be a permanent repair. A goo-d tire is hell to clean out to ultimately plug it, and the tire guy may decline to do the job.

Not all damage is pluggable or goo-able, but a plug will do anything goo can.

A challenge you will find is where to put the jack. The lifting points do not look like the ones we saw posted here. Something to make this a secure lift on the side of the road plus a wheel and tire is going to weigh a few pounds. The goop is intended as a temporary fix to get you to a shop where a permanent repair can be made. Reliance on others does not fit the cowboy image but it is reality. I will put my faith in the already on board gear and a cell phone. karl
1-800-smart usa roadside assistance program has anyone been turned down yet?

[Old smart]

Per Evil's site, the Gen I 450 has jack points under the sill, so perhaps the 451 does also. The forfour (454) came with a spare wheel and a jack (P/N A4545800118), but I don't know if it would fit a 451 sill.

Q. Does Penske smart-1 service include flat calls?

[Karl Roth]

Originally Posted by Old smart

Per Evil's site, the Gen I 450 has jack points under the sill, so perhaps the 451 does also. The forfour (454) came with a spare wheel and a jack (P/N A4545800118), but I don't know if it would fit a 451 sill.

Q. Does Penske smart-1 service include flat calls?

One Free Tire service
and no it won't as far as i know, sorry.
karl

[jwight]

I guess my question is: why is this a big issue? smarts are all over Europe, and now North America. Are all the owners out searching for spare tires, wheels, jacks, etc? Just my .02 [and from someone without a smart in the driveway] but this is not a really big issue. Of course, people see things differently, to each his own, etc. but if we ever do have a smart in the driveway it won't be getting a spare.

[Wizco]

A jack on the DeDion tube will lift the car. A jack with enough lift will lift the front wheel as well. I haven't had time and it's been too cold to go looking for a front jacking point yet. I have several jacks in my garage that will do the job. I can't think of any jack small emough to carry around in the car that I would be comfortable with trying to lift the front tire from the DeDion tube on the side of the road.

A 15mm socket will remove the wheel. I've had great luck with rubber plugs on other cars in the past, but it's pretty tough to do that with the tire still on the car unless you get really lucky. So in most cases you still have to get the car in the air, and remove the tire.

If I were 150 miles from a dealer, I'd pick up a wheel with tire from tire rack as a2jack did, keep it in my garage along with my jack. For as often as a flat occurs, I don't want to tie up the space in the car for a spare, but with a cell phone call, I can have someone run a spare tire and a jack out to me.

My Miata comes with a spare, but it takes up half the trunk. Unless I'm traveling way out of town, I use the can of fix a flat/cell phone/spares in the garage at home method for it as well. It's worked for the last 10 years. <knocking wood>