Stranded Yaris

[andruboz]

Donuts go flat just waiting in the trunk. I do 1-10 tire changes a week for a road side service company and the only donuts with 50+psi left in them are usually 09's and 08's. a few 07's. They are designed to be inflated to 60psi. From 06 and older they usually have between 25-45 lbs in them. Not really enough especially when folks don't follow the 50mph limit on the sidewall. I imagine they lose pressure from heat cycling every day. in texas the interior temps can be well over 130 degrees in the summer. and maybe losses from the valvestem.

if folks were smart they'd keep a cigarette lighter powered air compressor in the car with the other tire change tools. they are maybe $19 at Walmart?

I run around with a 3 ton jack, wheel chocks, a long breaker bar and a set of sockets, a torque wrench, the little compressor, and a full size spare as well as the donut. but I'm getting paid to be prepared.

the other thing that folks screw up on: not having the key for locking lugs in the car. or if the fancy new wheels take one kind of lugnut and the spare needs a regular factory lugnut. best to keep a set of the plain lugs with the spare.