Old Sparkie
Member
- Joined
- May 16, 2014
- Messages
- 10
I have just purchased a Ford Focus Electric and have had a Volt since December of 2013. This event and my solution are posted to provide an alternative solution to the factory's idea of a spare tire. I will be swapping out the OEM tires on the FFE as soon as I receive the car. This event happened this week, when the day was bright and sunny with no rain. I could not even begin to contemplate rain, snow, or icing conditions to perform a tire inflation, no less a jacking and tire change. Both my wife an I are closing in on seventy, and we work out with weights and run at least three times a week. I can tell you, I would be hard pressed to jack the car, pull the wheel, do the replacement, it's a messy job, and one I'd rather avoid. The Bridgestone Run Flats will be a direct replacement for the OEM tires that come on the FFE. They are a delight on my Volt and I do find that "truly shocking!"-----
While traveling with my wife and our dog Harry, I was unable to swerve to avoid a metal pipe in the road. It hit under the right front side. I said to my wife, I hope it didn't take the tire with it. So, I can report that the Volt's low tire pressure warning works well. The front tire emptied in seconds, the low indicator is well designed and it even tells you which is the offending tire on the screen. I was able to safely pull to the side of the road, on with the flashers and back to the hatch to get "our tire kit." Good luck with this guy and gals! The instructions are in picture grams on the pump. There are no tools, jack, or tow hook for the front bumper! I got back in the car and hit On Star. They were able to get a tow service to the car, however, they gave the wrong location to the tow service as we were on a service road. I guess the gps gives the nearest location or address. So remember, get the tow company name and phone number from the On Star rep, call the tow service yourself and confirm time of arrival and location. If I had not done that, we would still be sitting on the side of the road. The flatbed arrived in about one hour. I asked to be taken to my Chevy Dealer, which he did. All costs were approved by On Star. The dealer had to get a new tire from a supplier. It appears that our tires are a new issue and many tire outlets don't have them yet. 5 hours and $179.00 later, I was able to retrieve my Volt. If I had been taken to the tow station that On Star recommended, I would have been stranded with no replacement tire to be had. So, getting your car to a Chevy Dealer is a must.
Thus, I am ordering a set of Bridgestone Run Flats that are made for the Volt. About $688 for set of four not including installation. I hate to have to due this as this should have been original equipment on the car. But as my thread states, " I will never go through this again!" Remember, you have been for warned. I really don't want to see any of us to have to experience this.
Well, I just had the Bridgestone DriveGuard Run Flats installed on the Volt. I took the car on local and state highways, over smooth and broken road service. To all those that say it makes the car ride harsher, you have not experienced this tire. I had to really concentrate to feel any difference in ride quality. Maybe, maybe a slightly heavier feel of tire rebound over pot holes. But this tire is slightly heavier, and of course, the sidewall construction is different. On intact surfaces or highways, I could not discern any difference in ride quality from the OEM tires. The noise level is the same. I had to concentrate to try to see if there are any differences. I asked my wife when we went to the supermarket what she thought of the ride. She said "same as before." The one thing I do have now that I didn't have before is no flat tire anxiety, no flat beds, no OnStar towing waits, and my dog Harry doesn't have to ride shot gun in a tow truck!
While traveling with my wife and our dog Harry, I was unable to swerve to avoid a metal pipe in the road. It hit under the right front side. I said to my wife, I hope it didn't take the tire with it. So, I can report that the Volt's low tire pressure warning works well. The front tire emptied in seconds, the low indicator is well designed and it even tells you which is the offending tire on the screen. I was able to safely pull to the side of the road, on with the flashers and back to the hatch to get "our tire kit." Good luck with this guy and gals! The instructions are in picture grams on the pump. There are no tools, jack, or tow hook for the front bumper! I got back in the car and hit On Star. They were able to get a tow service to the car, however, they gave the wrong location to the tow service as we were on a service road. I guess the gps gives the nearest location or address. So remember, get the tow company name and phone number from the On Star rep, call the tow service yourself and confirm time of arrival and location. If I had not done that, we would still be sitting on the side of the road. The flatbed arrived in about one hour. I asked to be taken to my Chevy Dealer, which he did. All costs were approved by On Star. The dealer had to get a new tire from a supplier. It appears that our tires are a new issue and many tire outlets don't have them yet. 5 hours and $179.00 later, I was able to retrieve my Volt. If I had been taken to the tow station that On Star recommended, I would have been stranded with no replacement tire to be had. So, getting your car to a Chevy Dealer is a must.
Thus, I am ordering a set of Bridgestone Run Flats that are made for the Volt. About $688 for set of four not including installation. I hate to have to due this as this should have been original equipment on the car. But as my thread states, " I will never go through this again!" Remember, you have been for warned. I really don't want to see any of us to have to experience this.
Well, I just had the Bridgestone DriveGuard Run Flats installed on the Volt. I took the car on local and state highways, over smooth and broken road service. To all those that say it makes the car ride harsher, you have not experienced this tire. I had to really concentrate to feel any difference in ride quality. Maybe, maybe a slightly heavier feel of tire rebound over pot holes. But this tire is slightly heavier, and of course, the sidewall construction is different. On intact surfaces or highways, I could not discern any difference in ride quality from the OEM tires. The noise level is the same. I had to concentrate to try to see if there are any differences. I asked my wife when we went to the supermarket what she thought of the ride. She said "same as before." The one thing I do have now that I didn't have before is no flat tire anxiety, no flat beds, no OnStar towing waits, and my dog Harry doesn't have to ride shot gun in a tow truck!