Last night, half-way home, the R8's low tire pressure warning light clicked on. Turns out the car's left rear Pirelli P-Zero had picked up a nail and had bled down to just 21 psi.
Back to the guys at Stokes Tire Pros in Santa Monica for a patch, total repair just $30.
You might be wondering why we didn't spring for a new tire. And the answer is simple: We're sick and tired of buying new rubber for this car. So far we've bought five (three fronts and two rears) in just 18,000 miles of driving (we got the car with 7,000 miles and fresh rubber on it).
And they ain't cheap. We've spent around $2,500 on tires for the R8, and we weren't about to buy another. Especially when the left rear P-Zero was replaced just 5,000 miles ago.
Scott Oldham, Inside Line Editor in Chief
tenfifteen says:
06:06 AM, 12/24/08
Well, I'll just assume the patch isn't anywhere near the sidewall and that you won't be driving it in anything resembling a spirited fashion until its replaced. Frankly, I wouldn't bat an eye on a tire replacement for such a world-class car like the R8 (particularly after a $300 oil change), but that's just me. Good luck.
06scooby says:
06:41 AM, 12/24/08
wait... if that thing is AWD are you allowed to just replace tires here and there? Isn't it best that they all be close to new at the same time?
bbechtel16 says:
07:51 AM, 12/24/08
"Well, I'll just assume the patch isn't anywhere near the sidewall and that you won't be driving it in anything resembling a spirited fashion until its replaced."
Riiight... There's nothing wrong with patches as a permanent solution. Semis have their entire tread glued on for God's sake!
s197gt says:
08:45 AM, 12/24/08
things really do cost more out west. here in indy i just had a tire patched at discount tire for.... free!
pengwin says:
09:24 AM, 12/24/08
i think edmunds drives through every construction site in so-cal.
MS3lvr92 says:
03:06 PM, 12/24/08
Why does the R8 pop so many tires? That's dissapointing. When you spend over 100 grand on a super car made by a reliable German manufacturer, you would expect that it's expensive Pirelli tires would hold up at least 20,000 miles. But, I guess not.
playdrv4me says:
04:13 PM, 12/24/08
I'm rolling my eyes at the first reply on this topic. There is someone with a "holier-than-thou" attitude for EVERY SINGLE possible situation you guys manage to get into.
"Well, I'll just assume the patch isn't anywhere near the sidewall and that you won't be driving it in anything resembling a spirited fashion until its replaced." is quite possibly the stupidest thing I've read on this blog in awhile, and there's one just about every day.
Depending on where the repair is made and how it is done, it will be every bit as strong if not better than it was in the first place. *KEY* words... *HOW* it is done. There is a RIGHT way and a half-assed way.
estreka says:
05:18 AM, 12/25/08
I wish the tires on my car lasted 18K miles.
tenfifteen says:
07:22 AM, 12/25/08
Sorry to offend, playdrv... geez, with the anger. Easy man, easy. It's just that in my experience, low profile tires aren't very tolerant of patches/plugs if you're near the sidewall.
As you say, "Depending on where the repair is made..." That's all I'm saying. There's a lot of stress/flex near the sidewall.
On a $120k car capable of the speeds/cornering the R8 is, I wouldn't be willing to risk a blowout, but I'll concede that patches aren't necessarily a bad thing.
anilpunjabi says:
11:52 AM, 12/29/08
how come u guys don't buy road hazard warranty? Saved me so many times esp when they prorate the tire?
stingray454 says:
10:58 AM, 12/30/08
I heard that a patched performance tire is no longer Z-rated in a patched state. Is this true? And if so, what would its new top speed rating be as a patched tire?