OT: tires

I've worked out your problem, you're buying them from America. British cars work better with tyres.

Can't she change a tyre?! I think in some countries it's part of the driving test.

Allowed?! WTF? If it has a hole and they can stop the air coming out, they can plug it. Why would that be in any way illegal? The law cares that it has tread, and doesn't have a massive split in the side that could burst (which is not physically repairable anyway).

Er.... the guage is on the pump?!

Similar time I've found, it all depends if you're lazy, or want to do something else while waiting, or stay out of the pissing rain. Both are also equally unreliable.

I got a 12V "rapid" inflator from Halfords. It's far from rapid.

That's bullshit, I've put a spare on the wrong side and it drives perfectly fine, at well above the speed limit. The only difference could be the grip is shaped to expel water one way only, so in the wet one would be a little better, but it ain't noticeable. And if it's grip that's the difference, surely that would be every car, not just wide tyred ones.

I had a blowout on my front wheel on a front wheel drive s***ty car (Rover Maestro) at 90mph. No big deal. It went bang and suddenly pulled to one side. I immediately corrected this with the steering wheel and continued in a straight line, then stopped on the hard shoulder and changed the wheel. If you're worried about such things, you usually smell burning rubber for a few minutes before it happens.

Not a lot, unless you're in an old style mini or something that tiny.

Indeed, normal tyres are bad enough. I get mine on Ebay for half the price, and they last just as long as Michelins.

My Golf had that, but that's because the wanker that owned it previously had done some lowering etc. It was quite amusing to drive over speedbumps and make loud scraping noises to scare the s*it out of pedestrians, and hopefully make them think "maybe those criminally damaging lumps of tarmac aren't such a good idea after all?"

Whyever not?

So basically pointless. In fact don't you need to replace them even with a small puncture, which on a normal tyre you'd just get repaired?

The only very unlikely scenario they'd be good for is you're late for a flight or a meeting and the 5 minutes to change a wheel isn't available.

When it won't work, you kick it with your foot.

Have you got one of those USB toenail upgrades? I think you'll find that's 5V. Plugging a 12V device into that will f****ng hurt.

He probably thought he'd put his indicator on by mistake. BMW drivers would rather die than use an indicator. Except the permacators of course. They either want to never indicate or always indicate.

I went 50 on a motorway once, to experiment with fuel economy. Trucks were overtaking and hooting.

I had a blowout on my front wheel on a front wheel drive s***ty car (Rover Maestro) at 90mph. No big deal. It went bang and suddenly pulled to one side. I immediately corrected this with the steering wheel and continued in a straight line, then stopped on the hard shoulder and changed the wheel. If you're worried about such things, you usually smell burning rubber for a few minutes before it happens.

So you can't even tell if it's flat by looking and have to rely on the internal sensors?!

Sounds like my stupid Renault - it has a guage inside for the engine oil, but not the gearbox oil. I now have a slightly f***ed gearbox due to a leak. There is actually no way of checking the gearbox oil without taking the lid off the gearbox, which requires the car to be raised (on the level) on a hoist. My last car simply had two dipsticks, one for each oil.

I keep in my car one of those small portable car jump starter battery booster pack and power bank devices (approx half the size of a house brick) and I have used it twice - to start other peoples cars.

I also carry a telescopic handled wheel brace, various values of fuses,

Even the old plugs (banned in the UK years ago) could blow out of the hole. Why would anyone believe a bit of gunge would be any better?

and been compulsary in the states since 2007 proving merrycans are more stupid that us in 2012 ....you can blame crappy Firestone tires for that.......they can't even spell tyres ....

Oh dear ....

and they use 315 Mc/s ......we use 433 Mc/s .....

TPMS is just another stupid expensive resource wasting thing brought on by people who take no interest in what they are driving....

My limited experience with dealers is that you never get to talk to the technicians doing the day job. You just get to talk to the workshop receptionist or a salesman. Either may give an impression that they have some technical knowledge but often they are just repeating what others have written on the job sheet.

You do know he is a troll and will argue with you whatever you say? A bit like rod but dumber.

I don't think you can do that. not unless you have a very large table to cover all rim sizes that can be on a car. It affects the shape the tyre makes with a particular load so they will wear differently on different rim sizes at the same pressure.