Our EV6 FE had a sudden loss of pressure and flat tire this last weekend on Sunday night. And to make it worse, the vehicle was being used for traveling to work, 70 miles from our home. Careful inspection of the tire (passenger rear) revealed a sharp object in the middle of the tread.
In an act of preparedness, I had the tire mobility kit, the instructions AND I purchased a tire plug kit to use. Both were in the vehicle.
WHAT I LEARNED
First off, if you do not need the car and have a way home, you can have it towed to a repair shop. But Discount Tires (AKA America's Tires in some parts) does not have a drop off system. So you will still have to go back there to initiate service if the vehicle is locked. Your tire dealer may be this way too.
Secondly, the EV6 has no jack and it is a heavy vehicle. You can purchase a small hydraulic jack to lift the car, but then there may be no space to place a jack stand if you take the tire/wheel off the car. AND it is unwise to have any vehicle held by only a hydraulic jack due to the potential for hydraulic failure. Small scissor jacks are not rated for EV weight.
Third, many Kia's no longer have the original tires on the vehicle. In our case, our rubber is Michelin Crossclimate 2 which we love. This tire in 20 inch is seldom in stock so unless your tire can be repaired, you may have a delay in installation of a new tire. In this case, it may be wise to keep one or two of your old tires to use as an emergency mount until an exact replacement for your second set is ready to install if your flat tire cannot be repaired.
FORTH, is that tires are tough stuff. If you think you can remove a foreign object from the tread and insert a reaming tool and then a tire plug all while lying on the ground, think again. You don't have the leverage and the tire has to be inflated, otherwise you just push the rubber into the wheel. Plus, you may make the tire damage worse or prevent the repair shop from working on your tire further.
FIFTH, the Kia tire mobility kit specifically states not to remove the foreign object. ON THE OTHER HAND, products like SLIME, say to remove the foreign object.
Sixth is that the vehicle to load adapter can be very useful if you have a flat tire. You can purchase a small air compressor and hose (a 2 gallon or three gallon does a great job) which will run from the vehicle to load adapter and rapidly inflate your flat tire. I used this method. So this can be left in the car or if you can get help from home, it can be brought out to the site of the flat tire.
Seventh is that SLIME makes a variety of products that are game changers, especially for the Kia EV's. THE SLIME RESCUE product directly connects to the valve stem of the flat tire and then you connect your compressor (including the Kia mobility compressor) to the Slime Rescue. Turn on the compressor and the SLIME is carried with the air into the tire. Once inflated, drive the tire slowly to distribute the Slime. The leak should hopefully be plugged. You can then drive to your destination and contact your tire dealer.
SUMMARY: In the event of a flat tire, use of the SLIME RESCUE with a Kia mobility Kit IMO is superior to the unknown Kia cannister product and also works even if the object that pierced your tire is no longer sticking into your tire or was removed. And the Slime Rescue product can be easily restocked in your car from Walmart, online, auto parts stores etc. The tires store had no problem removing the Slime and patching our tire.
The use of a 2-3 gallon compressor and the vehicle to load adapter can allow rapid inflation of the tire for use of Slime products with and without the valve stem in place. This size compressor is also useful in case of only partial success in slowing a tire leak using Slime or the mobility cannister in that you can inflate your tire, watch the pressure on the instrument cluster as you drive and when the pressure drops to say 29-30 PSI, quickly re-inflate the tire and head out again. How far you can go this way depends on the rate of leak, but at least you know you can get off any side road or highway this way.
FINAL REPORT: We removed the screw from the tread. We installed Slime (not rescue version) into a flat tire with the valve stem removed. We screwed back in the valve stem and inflated the tire with use of the vehicle to load adapter and a 2 gallon compressor. This sealed our puncture and we drove home the 70 mile distance arriving at 1:15AM. The next day the tire store plugged and patched our tire and the Slime was removed. I think this is a viable option for a punctured tire instead of a spare tire of any size unless of course the mounted tire was destroyed.
In an act of preparedness, I had the tire mobility kit, the instructions AND I purchased a tire plug kit to use. Both were in the vehicle.
WHAT I LEARNED
First off, if you do not need the car and have a way home, you can have it towed to a repair shop. But Discount Tires (AKA America's Tires in some parts) does not have a drop off system. So you will still have to go back there to initiate service if the vehicle is locked. Your tire dealer may be this way too.
Secondly, the EV6 has no jack and it is a heavy vehicle. You can purchase a small hydraulic jack to lift the car, but then there may be no space to place a jack stand if you take the tire/wheel off the car. AND it is unwise to have any vehicle held by only a hydraulic jack due to the potential for hydraulic failure. Small scissor jacks are not rated for EV weight.
Third, many Kia's no longer have the original tires on the vehicle. In our case, our rubber is Michelin Crossclimate 2 which we love. This tire in 20 inch is seldom in stock so unless your tire can be repaired, you may have a delay in installation of a new tire. In this case, it may be wise to keep one or two of your old tires to use as an emergency mount until an exact replacement for your second set is ready to install if your flat tire cannot be repaired.
FORTH, is that tires are tough stuff. If you think you can remove a foreign object from the tread and insert a reaming tool and then a tire plug all while lying on the ground, think again. You don't have the leverage and the tire has to be inflated, otherwise you just push the rubber into the wheel. Plus, you may make the tire damage worse or prevent the repair shop from working on your tire further.
FIFTH, the Kia tire mobility kit specifically states not to remove the foreign object. ON THE OTHER HAND, products like SLIME, say to remove the foreign object.
Sixth is that the vehicle to load adapter can be very useful if you have a flat tire. You can purchase a small air compressor and hose (a 2 gallon or three gallon does a great job) which will run from the vehicle to load adapter and rapidly inflate your flat tire. I used this method. So this can be left in the car or if you can get help from home, it can be brought out to the site of the flat tire.
Seventh is that SLIME makes a variety of products that are game changers, especially for the Kia EV's. THE SLIME RESCUE product directly connects to the valve stem of the flat tire and then you connect your compressor (including the Kia mobility compressor) to the Slime Rescue. Turn on the compressor and the SLIME is carried with the air into the tire. Once inflated, drive the tire slowly to distribute the Slime. The leak should hopefully be plugged. You can then drive to your destination and contact your tire dealer.
SUMMARY: In the event of a flat tire, use of the SLIME RESCUE with a Kia mobility Kit IMO is superior to the unknown Kia cannister product and also works even if the object that pierced your tire is no longer sticking into your tire or was removed. And the Slime Rescue product can be easily restocked in your car from Walmart, online, auto parts stores etc. The tires store had no problem removing the Slime and patching our tire.
The use of a 2-3 gallon compressor and the vehicle to load adapter can allow rapid inflation of the tire for use of Slime products with and without the valve stem in place. This size compressor is also useful in case of only partial success in slowing a tire leak using Slime or the mobility cannister in that you can inflate your tire, watch the pressure on the instrument cluster as you drive and when the pressure drops to say 29-30 PSI, quickly re-inflate the tire and head out again. How far you can go this way depends on the rate of leak, but at least you know you can get off any side road or highway this way.
FINAL REPORT: We removed the screw from the tread. We installed Slime (not rescue version) into a flat tire with the valve stem removed. We screwed back in the valve stem and inflated the tire with use of the vehicle to load adapter and a 2 gallon compressor. This sealed our puncture and we drove home the 70 mile distance arriving at 1:15AM. The next day the tire store plugged and patched our tire and the Slime was removed. I think this is a viable option for a punctured tire instead of a spare tire of any size unless of course the mounted tire was destroyed.
Glad you were able to resolve everything.
