I had to go out of town this afternoon to do some banking and pay a bill. On the way back we stopped and ate dinner. All good. Then we stopped at a grocery store. While I was sitting there waiting of Cheri, I heard this "piffff" sound. Hmm. Wonder what that was. Backing out of the parking space, there was the distinct noise of a flat tire. That explained the "pifff" sound.
Changing the tire on that thing was a challenge in itself. The lug nuts were on so tight it took all I had to get them loose. Never mind getting off that cheap hubcap. The next challenge was finding a place under the car to put my hydraulic jack, that wouldn't tear up something underneath. Finally found a spot. Got the car in the air. Now, dig out the spare, buried under a bunch of blankets and tool boxes. Then pull up the 2 panels that hid the spare. Took off the old tire and replaced it with what they call a "donut". Tighten the nuts and let it down. OK, the donut was up but almost flat. I have a portable air pump that I hooked up and put about 20 more pounds in. Now, load everything back in the car and head the 16 or 18 miles home. After having changed hundreds of tires in my time, this was the first time I'd ever put on a "donut".
I looked over the old tire and the tread had split from the sidewall on the inside where I couldn't see it.
Of course, I have to play tomorrow, thankfully right here in town. Then there's Sunday. Then Monday is Memorial day. I won't be getting a new tire until Tuesday. John