Do you buy tire insurance? - Fuel Economy, Hypermiling, EcoModding News and Forum

RobertSmalls · 10-12-2009, 10:01 PM

Lots of tire sellers offer a "road hazard protection plan" or similar. In my case, it costs $2.50 per tire, on $70 tires. They'll repair or replace your tire if you damage it driving over sharp objects or what have you.

Obviously, the tire seller usually makes money on it. But do hypermilers (and hyperinflaters) suffer more tire failures than normal drivers? Do 4% of your tires fail before they run out of tread? I plan to run 37psi tires at 50psi, on wheels that have been in a crash, so I'm tempted.

Johnny Mullet · 10-12-2009, 10:12 PM

I have never bought that plan, but it is worth it if you blow out a $70.00 tire a year from now and that $10.00 insurance covers it. Read the fine print and make sure it's not a pro-rated deal and you would have to pay some of the cost of the tire.

wikityler · 10-13-2009, 03:45 AM

All the tire service chains here in town offer free puncture repair and rotation every 10Mm with their tires. The repairs are usually limited to patching only. I personally don't agree with over-inflation, and If a tire was patched and over-inflated I think you'd be pushing your luck a bit too far. You'll likely be voiding the protection plan, as well as any tread life guarantee, by using the tires out of spec.

Christ · 10-13-2009, 04:06 AM

I'm not sure where a patch affects tire safety, honestly. The rubber in the tire isn't the tire's strength factor. It's what holds the air in. Cabling/cordage in the tire are what determine how strong the carcass is, so unless the puncture displaced/broke a cord/cable, and even if it did, the patch itself doesn't affect anything.

By overinflating, you're voiding the Road Hazard Protection Plan. Don't tell them you've overinflated the tires. You can run them at Max Sidewall if you happen to need to go in for service/repair.

If you go to Sears, they use a patch/plug combination. It's a plug you pull through and cut off, that is attached to a patch that goes inside the tire. This combination WILL NOT come free, you have to drill them back out (not that you'd need to) to remove them.

I like the Road Hazard agreement. The $10 is worth the peace of mind, honestly. Usually, they'll honor 100% as long as the tire isn't obviously neglected and has more than 2/32 tread on it.

The Road Hazard Protection Plan is often just a retailer's extension on the OEM Tire Warranty, if it exists, to cover damage not covered by the OEM's warranty.

rgathright · 10-13-2009, 10:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RobertSmalls

Lots of tire sellers offer a "road hazard protection plan" or similar. In my case, it costs $2.50 per tire, on $70 tires. They'll repair or replace your tire if you damage it driving over sharp objects or what have you...

Yeah but do the warranties actually pay out?

I have been reading horror stories about the Extended Warranties that being offered on cars right now. Could those stories apply here?

Old Tele man · 10-13-2009, 10:57 AM

...if it's an expensive long-life 70K or 80K mile tire, yes.

...if it's a cheap short-life < 50K mile tire, no.

...the longer the life, the greater the odds of encountering a "road hazard" and the more expensive the cost of replacement...just 'hedging' my rubber-bets!

srortega · 10-13-2009, 12:37 PM

You also need to concider where you live. If you live in an area that has a lot of construction, then your chances of picking up a sharp object are greater. I used to live in the Scottsdale area and have had this happen a few times. I was sure glad I had the road hazard coverage on my tires when it did.

bestclimb · 10-14-2009, 05:35 PM

Meh I tend to not deal with insurance unless I am required to or I am covering a large expense, home/airplane/life/health is about it. Sure it's only a couple bucks but the vast majority of tire issues I have had were easily fixable with those gummy worm patches and a portable pump.