Remember if you are on a trip on the highway and you have just enough room for your donut and a bit of lugaage. That's OK but as Dan said (I think it was Dan), where do you put the tire and wheel that you just took off to replace with the donut? Strap it to the roof or on your lap? I think that we are going to have to rely on the plug kit! or maybe get a roof rack!!! HaHa!

 

Does the SLK come with a spare? If so, you could buy one and it will work perfectly. Then again, I'm betting that any Mercedes spare will work and fit fine.

 

The SLK tire is about an inch smaller in diameter than our rear tires. I don't think it would be good on the differential to run different diameter tires from one side to the other. If you got a spare to match the diameter of the rear tires, it might cause some clearance issues on the front.

 

Earlier on this thread someone was discussing roadside assistance for the Crossfire. Please be advised that the Emergency Roadside Service DOES NOT INCLUDE ANY roadside assistance for a flat tire on a Crossfire, in spite of what some people and salesmen say. It is spelled out in the contract in 2 locations. Also, phone the contract administrator and they will confirm this. I don't know what a previous poster meant when he said to buy an Extended Warranty; this just extends the 3 year warranty from 3 years to 7 years but doesn't change roadside assistance. There are 4 Chrysler "Convenience Packages" that you can PURCHASE EXTRA, some of which include Towing and Roadside Assistance, but the Crossfire is specifically excluded because it uses Synthetic Oil. AAA is apparently the only answer that I have found for Crossfire owners!
By the way, on my test drive in a 2005 Crossfire Roadster, the left rear tire apparently rolled over a bent GM key and rapidly deflated. The salesman and I left the car where it was and walked back to the dealership; he had no cell phone!

 

that hit it right on the head

 

I think that was me. I called Chrysler roadside assistance and was told they don't do tire repairs, or any other repairs for that matter. They just get you towed to the nearest dealership. Not much help when you're far from home. I was fortunate to get an independent garage to send out a truck to plug my tire late on a Sunday night.

 

Rob, do they plug the tire right there on the road? Did they use the XF jack, or their own method? I wonder how smart it would be to have a plug kit in the car for someone that comes out to help and doesn't have one with them? What if they screw up the tire worse?

Hope I never get a flat. I just got stressed out enough here, now. LOL!

 

yes, they can plug it without removing the wheel. the guy that fixed mine left the wheel on. however, the repair is easier to do with the wheel off. pretty much any roadside repair company should carry tire plugs. it can't hurt to carry a repair kit and needlenose pliers in your car even though you would not attempt the repair yourself (i.e. a friend, family member, or another motorist is willing to help). even though the procedure is simple enough it can take a lot of work to get the tools and plug to work through the rubber and steel belts. it can also be difficult to remove road hazards such as screws from the tire. i've repaired tires for both our other cars recently with my repair kit and you really have to push hard to get the cleaning tool and then the plug tool through the tire.

since the tire is already flat, attempting to plug it won't cause any immediate additional damage. you can always take the car in later to have the tire inspected and patched from the inside. i suppose there can be some implications to the tire warranty, but original equipment tires don't usually come with any warranty. but it's still a far superior method of repair to using the tirefit sealant. WARNING: if used properly the tirefit system may ruin the tire valve and pressure sensor. if the hole isn't too big the plug will work just fine for any holes in the tread. the repair kit manufacturers and some technicians suggest that a tire plug is not a permanent fix. however, i've had numerous tires plugged and none have ever failed. one thing that can happen, according to the pros, is that moisture could get into the hole that was plugged and cause corrosion of the steel belts resulting in tread separation.

 

Nice to know. I think I will go for the plug kit, just in case!
Thanks Rob.