First LC flat tire (on the street): lessons learned

[Mdog97]

Never had a flat tire on my 2008 LC, but had my first yesterday on the (new to me) 2018. I was driving at a leisurely 20-25 MPH down the middle of the main street in Nashua, NH yesterday afternoon when KA-CHUNK-WHOOSH and my left rear tire went completely flat. I had three kids with me in the LC, only two of whom were/are mine, so very glad this happened at such a low speed. Limped around the corner and pulled over - tire was completely deflated. So, got out the tool kit and bottle jack and got to work in the blazing sun.

BLUF (bottom line up front): I gave it a good college try, but trying to spin that bottle jack up using the OEM tool kit hook contraption was just too painful, particularly with the sun beating down and gravel embedded in my knees, so I "called" AAA (via web browser) and literally about 10 minutes after that I was back on the road. Thank goodness for full size spares, and for calling for AAA roadside service right from a central, busy location.

When it was finally removed, the injured tire (relatively young Michelin Latitude HP Tour in stock 285/60 R18 size) had a huge radial tear, starting just above the bead and running almost to the edge of the tread. My guess is there was something like a chunk of angle iron on the street that was positioned perfectly to get flipped up by the front tire so as to just catch the sidewall of the rear tire as it passed the same spot. I’ll be checking the dash cam footage tomorrow to see if I can figure out what happened and if anything was visible on the street surface.

The longer story, with some lessons learned and some questions for the group follows below.

Spare Wheel/Tire
I know that the spare mechanism can rust / seize, but my spare wheel dropped down just fine. However, the lug seating faces on the spare wheel were full of grit and sand and accumulated grime, so I spent a few minutes cleaning them out with hand sanitizer and napkins (all I had). Lesson 1 learned: bring along some Scotch Brite, paper towels and some sort of liquid general purpose cleaner. Question: has anyone thought of a clever way to plug the lug faces on the spare to keep this from happening? 22-24mm round rubber plugs, perhaps?

OEM Bottle Jack - Ground Support
The place I initially had picked to stop was softer asphalt, and it started immediately absorbing the base of the jack rather than lifting the vehicle…so I had to unwind everything and pull partially back onto the road to try again. Lesson 2 learned: pick a good spot, but also bring along the 12” x 12” x 3/4” plywood board that I have for the beach for use as a jacking base. Light, small and won’t take up much space.

OEM Bottle Jack - Lifting Mechanism
The hook contraption from the tool kit was binding repeatedly on the jack’s rotating closed loop, throwing the jack off kilter several times, which was super frustrating. This has sent me searching for jack alternatives, or at least a way to mechanize the process with the OEM bottle jack to eliminate the manual handle / hook contraption. I’ve read that some may have figured out a way to use an impact driver to spin the OEM jack up and down. (FWIW, the included scissor jacks on my previous Mercedes GLS’s use an exposed hex head nut and a reversible ratchet handle system to raise and lower that jack. The beauty of that system is that you can substitute a battery operated impact driver with a socket to turn the nut and move the jack up and down much faster.) Question for those who have gone down this road: can you just chuck the last part of the OEM hook contraption into your driver, or is there a more elegant / robust solution?

Tools
I was already going to order the jack adapter from Land Cruiser Products, but hadn’t gotten around to it yet…I’m sure it would have helped keep things running much more smoothly. I ordered it this morning. The AAA guy had an aluminum race jack in his truck, which made quick work of lifting the LC. Wish I could justify carrying one around, but I think it would just take up too much space. He did have a sweet 24” ratcheting breaker bar, though, which I hadn’t seen in the wild before. Bought a cheap one off eBay today, along with a super-long (non-impact) 22mm deep socket, so will give that a try. Will also throw an older pair of Mechanix gloves in the back by the bottle jack. A foam knee board would probably be a nice touch as well, so I’ll keep an eye out for one of those (gardening center, maybe?). Anything else I should think about carrying?

Tires & Wheels
The existing spare tire (a non-matching Dunlop, but with almost-new tread) is gray and dirty and the rubber looks dry, but it seems to be working fine so far. My guess it that it’s probably the original tire that came on the LC when it shipped from Japan in 2017. The destroyed Michelin was unmounted today, and I took a cut at degreasing and cleaning that wheel and removing the existing wheel weights. The back side / mating face of the removed wheel was surprisingly dirty / gritty, and the barrel was fairly dirty and gritty as well. I will be stepping up my wheel cleaning regimen going forward. The replacement Michelin is on order from Tire Rack, but hasn’t shipped yet. None of the area tire shops had any 285/60R18 tires in stock, much less the specific Michelin I needed. There are a bunch of them listed on eBay, ranging from “new” to 5/32” tread depth, and ranging from 114V to 120V - I think the “new” tire(s) may be take-offs, so I may buy one to replace the Dunlop after this is all over.

These stock wheels are tough, but HEAVY. I will be stepping up my search for a set of the TRD Pro BBS forged wheels shortly as well.

Anyway, I thought I’d pass this experience along to the group, as it’s not something that (at least) some of us think about too much. I know I hadn’t given it much thought before yesterday - I just assumed everything would work fine/as advertised if and when the need arose. If anyone has any answers / advice on the questions I’ve posed above, I’d certainly appreciate the assist.

 

[Sandroad]

My ‘17 has a rubber plug thing that sits in the top of the spare to keep the lug nut area cleaner. Maybe yours is missing? Also, seeing where you live, consider using some anti-seize on the wheel where it mates with the hub (not the lug nuts or their mating surface). That will lessen the galvanic corrosion that welds the wheel to the hub.

 

[CharlieS]

All that to say you had a flat tire and had AAA put the spare on. Wow. Just wow. The range of technical content on this board is downright amazing sometimes. Keep that cell phone charged, your AAA card handy, and don’t stray off the beaten path.

Tips: you can spin up the factory jack with your fingers until it makes contact. I carry a base for a high lift jack in my cargo boxes. The Land Cruiser Phil adapter is awesome. The weight difference of the TRD/HE forged alloys isn’t really that big a deal for tire changes - the benefit of forged rims is strength and lower rotating mass.

Knee pad… hardware store. But really? Mechanix gloves might be handy, but Nitrile gloves might be a small, light alternative to keep brake dust off your cell phone and AAA card.

 

[bloc]

Don’t need an impact, a simple cordless drill will spin the jack shaft quickly to get it fully extended, then put it under the axle and attach the handle for the last bit of turning. Or do the same thing without the drill.. just attach the last section and use your fingers to spin it until it is most of the way there, conveniently sitting on your tailgate, then attach the rest of the handle, place it under the axle, and carry on.

The hook setup can be mildly annoying but has worked worldwide for toyota for a handful of decades by now.. Can’t quite see it being worth carrying anything else when you consider storage space and safety fail of another heavy lump of metal unrestrained in back. plus the hook handle makes placing the jack then pulling it without getting under the vehicle super easy.

 

[Mdog97]

Thanks @Sandroad - that's one of the things that I was hoping to learn from this post. Yes, I'm apparently missing the rubber plug thing you're describing. Not surprised, given all the other things that went wrong with this CPO purchase. I'll look it up and order one for sure. Good tip on the anti-seize, too, or maybe that plus spray oil / marine grease once the spare is up.

Thanks too @CharlieS for your response and your tips - sorry to waste your time with my inane story. Just trying to learn. Maybe after I've had 16 years on here, 4000 posts and a gold star I'll be able to keep the signal to noise ratio high enough.

Judging by the responses here, it sounds like the OEM bottle jacks that others have spin up and down much more freely than mine. I of course tried using my fingers to manually extend it prior to placement, but mine is binding, so much so that turning it with just fingers is grindingly slow, and it periodically just stops. I don't think I got it more than 4-5" extended, even using the hook, handle and standing on it with one foot away from the vehicle (before I gave up). Strange, given that the jack body and parts all look pristine, but maybe mine is defective / damaged / corroded? I'll take it out today and give it another try.

Is the "Land Cruiser Phil adapter" you mention another name for the Land Cruiser Products jack adapter I just ordered? If so, then I'm on the right track. Do you use your high-lift base with an actual high-lift, or with the OEM bottle jack? I hear you loud and clear on the weight savings not being much, but every bit of unsprung, rotating mass counts. I'm not particularly concerned about tire changes by the side of the road (although AAA won't come out to the ORV area when I go oversand at the beach), but more with the long-term energy costs of heavier wheels and the associated costs to spin them up to speed every time. I don't think I'll be rock crawling, but I do appreciate the added strength of forged over cast wheels. I've run forged wheels on every performance and race car I've ever had, so I'm inclined to do that here too.

Thanks too @bloc - I spent a few minutes looking to see if board members had a go-to jack alternative, but I didn't really see anything other than discussions about hi-lift pros and cons. So, I'll be staying with the OEM bottle jack, but maybe replacing mine as it may be defective. Agree that the hook mechanism is tested and proven, and that it probably doesn't make sense to try to second guess Toyota here. My thought on the impact driver was to just zip it up once the jack was in place. I have a spare Makita drill with an impact setting, which might be useful to keep in the box in the back for this and other potential uses. Reading between the lines, it sounds like you're saying just grab the loop portion of the jack in the jaws of the electric drill, rather than use some sort of tool to hook into the loop. I'll give it a try later today.

 

[CharlieS]

I just use the high lift base with the factory jack. A square of plywood or plate steel would do the same thing, it is just spreading the load over a larger surface are so it doesn’t sink. The factory jack works surprisingly well, and has a good extended length that you don’t get from many compact jacks. I’m not sure of the jack adapter you have is the same, member @LandCruiserPhil makes the one I have, and it works well. You could probably clean and lubricate the factory jack if it is not working smoothly. I don’t have a high lift jack because I’ve read horror stories, but I’m going to an advanced recovery course next weekend and (amongst other things) will learn how to safely use a high lift jack, and that may change my mind.

 

[psnyman]

Maybe after I've had 16 years on here, 4000 posts and a gold star I'll be able to keep the signal to noise ratio high enough

touché

 

[Mdog97]

Thanks again @CharlieS - looks like we're talking about the same adapter, so I am on the right track. I already have the plywood board for the beach (required equipment, although I've never used it in 15+ years of going there), so I'll stick with that. Wife just drove off in the LC, though, so the jack evaluation will have to wait until later today.

To your point @psnyman - with hindsight that does sound a bit snarky - my apology CharlieS. I'm here to learn and to hopefully avoid reinventing the wheel. As the kids say, I have mad respect for the senior statesmen and those who have been there and done that, so I appreciate the help. As the FNG here, I am willing to take it in the shorts on a public forum like this if that's the price of knowledge.

 

[CharlieS]

Buying a star helps keep ‘Mud online. Silver, gold, whatever works for you, well worth the couple of bucks to get to hang out here and learn from the community. I don’t know what it costs to run a website these days, but I’m sure they appreciate it when we all help defray the costs.

 

[KLF]

I think about doing this twice a year when I'm swapping over my tires, and every time I do an oil change with a 5 tire rotation. So your post was very helpful, no apologies needed. I think the only thing that would be worse that doing this on a blistering hot day would be in the middle of a raging ice/snow storm, in the middle of the night. That's my biggest worry about this prospect.

I don't think there is a better option than the OEM jack, but obviously the base and extension are great improvements.

Probably not worthwhile here, but I did make a super fast "pit jack" for the Miata when we're autocrossing by buying a Corolla scissors jack from a local pick-n-pull ($5) and welding a nut over the eyelet. Slip it under pinch weld, a few ugga-duggas with the cordless impact gun, I can have the tire off the ground in about 10 seconds for easy suspension adjustments.

All the tools, bits, and bobs in my toolkit are pristine, never been used. I have a crank I made from an old mini truck toolkit so I can lower and raise the spare very easily, buy I don't carry that with me, it's too big.

 

[chemguys]

I don’t have a high lift jack because I’ve read horror stories, but I’m going to an advanced recovery course next weekend and (amongst other things) will learn how to safely use a high lift jack, and that may change my mind.View attachment 2709023

What, you're not an expert already?

 

[CharlieS]

What, you're not an expert already?

Not sure what you are asking. I sense snark, but on the off chance you are asking a serious and legitimate question: I am not at all experienced with technical recovery, and have never used a high lift jack.

 

[KLF]

I had one, got rid of it. I hope to never use one again.

 

[nwfl4runner]

How “relatively young” is your tire? Might want to check tread depth before you toss a new one on to ensure they’re not far apart.

 

[chemguys]

Not sure what you are asking. I sense snark, but on the off chance you are asking a serious and legitimate question: I am not at all experienced with technical recovery, and have never used a high lift jack.

Snark indeed, based on your reply to the OPs general info post

 

[CharlieS]

Snark indeed, based on your reply to the OPs general info post

Whatever. Calling a towing service is not even remotely 200 series tech. I’ve done my best to provide helpful information. Something you might try. Otherwise, feel free to add me to your ignore list.

 

[RET2]

Aww come guys it's Fathers Day not Mothers Day?

 

[Sandroad]

I had one, got rid of it. I hope to never use one again.

Same here and sane here. Tools as potentially dangerous as a Hi-Lift need to be used and practiced with regularly to be safe. My less than once a year need was just not enough——that was back when I had my 80.

 

[Mdog97]

Thanks @KLF - was wondering about the same kind of homemade contraption. Maybe keep the OEM bottle jack and weld a nut onto the end of the loop, or figure out some sort of socket or chuck-able hook that would turn the loop.

Good point @nwfl4runner - will get the depth gauge out on my way out in a few moments and check all 4 tires. I can probably still access the dead Michelin at my friend's shop until tomorrow, so I'll try to get a depth reading and photo of the damage as well.

Update: pulled the video from the dash cam - not angle iron, but some kind of 6-8" metal rod lying flat in the street. (Video still doesn't give full picture / perspective, as I was changing lanes from left to right.) Must have hit the jackpot running it over with the left front tire, flipping it up just right to gash the inside sidewall of the left rear tire.

 

[gaijin]

I know these don't get very much press on this site, but I am 100% sold on the ARB / Bushranger X-Jack:

Link on Amazon: X-Jack on Amazon

Inflates with either a hose hooked up to your exhaust or with a portable air pump - only takes a few psi to raise the whole side of a LC200.

Stows perfectly on my Kaon shelf:

Great on any kind of terrain.

HTH