So, when did they stop putting spare tires in cars?
- Thread starter the skipper
- Start date
BS - They need to fInd the weight difference SOMEWHERE ELSE!
When I bought my 1990 Civic SI, I made the sale contingent on a FULL SIZE TIRE and RIM.
I then had to make a new floor in the back with plywood and 2x4 scraps since the full size tire stood proud of the factory well designed for a space-saver.
The 2000 Civic SI had a space saver, which we have never had to use.
My 2004 CRV had a full size tire and rim outside on the back door, which was great when we blew out a tire on I-95 a mile or so below Fredericksburg.
The tire shredded, but somehow, we got a can of fix-a-flat goo in it to so we could limp a mile
to an Exxon station at well after midnight. And a veteran was there who would not let me struggle with the spare - HE swapped it out for us.
My 2012 Fit has a spaceSaver in the back.
Earlier this year I ws considering a 2017 Niro - I looked up the specs and it has no spare, just the "inflator kit".
Frankly, thats a deal breaker for me.
SA-708
Appalachian-American
We have an '05 Highlander we bought used two years ago, one owner & 48,000 miles. Two weekends ago my wife and daughter were rear ended late at night in a cold rain. After driving away, they found out the front right tire had been pushed into a curb and gone flat. They parked it and called for a ride; we went back the next day to deal with it. Found a fully-inflated full sized spare tire and a jack that had never been used.
FYI - I think '06 was the first year Toyota started installing TPMS in their cars. Is your TPMS light on solid or blinking? Solid = low pressure, blinking = some other fault.
I have a 06 Tundra. Recently the low pressure warning light started flashing. I checked pressure on all 4 tires and they were fine. Didn't check the spare yet, as it's mounted up under the bed and is a PITA to get to. But the spare was fine a couple of months ago, when I needed to use it.
But I believe the sensors are at the end of their battery life. A bit of research shows that the estimated battery life for TPMS sensors is 7 -10 years and I'm now at 11 years.
Now for the sticker shock. The batteries are supposedly not replaceable, so basically all 5 sensors need to be replaced. I'd hate to see what the Toyota dealer wants to replace 5 sensors. Costco will do it for somewhere around $250 - $300 for 5 sensors. Costco did have a scan tool and confirmed the sensors malfunctioning and probably had low batteries.
Note for the DIYer - Located a 'How To" battery replacement on one of the Tundra forums. The sensors are sealed and were never designed for battery replacement. So it's basically crack it open, solder in a battery, and epoxy it back together. I'm not sure this would be a reliable long term solution.
restorer-john
Addicted Member
TPMS. $250-$300 for the sensors? Wow.
Once every couple of months, I drag my air hose around the 2 cars at home with the inflator/gauge- takes all of 5 minutes to do them all. Spares tested every six months.
That said, we don't get freezing winters and snow etc like you guys do.
Once every couple of months, I drag my air hose around the 2 cars at home with the inflator/gauge- takes all of 5 minutes to do them all. Spares tested every six months.
That said, we don't get freezing winters and snow etc like you guys do.
mhardy6647
Lunatic Member
The spare was low as the earlier post noted (if slightly obliquely); the other four sensors are new, aftermarket sensors -- I bought a second set of (aftermarket) wheels for the summer tires, and consigned the original (somewhat rusty) steel wheels to wear the snow tires in perpetuity.
851 SP3
Active Member
Sorry, but I don't see the ~50 pounds that a jack, wheel wrench, and doughnut tire weighs making any appreciable difference in MPG.I think they are mostly just cheaping out. That, and how many idiot drivers today are actually willing to change a flat, or even know how?
That. All of that.
The argument is valid. Except, and it's a big except, that it is undone by all the extra crap installed in their place. There's the airbag race - who can stuff the largest # of them into a car is one example. I think the current record is eleven last I heard. And, how many will be deployed in a single crash? Less than half. The big-dumb wheel race is another. Zero real-world use of any alleged performance gains. The more speakers is always way better race (still sound like crap). The bodykit race (how big a wing can we put on AND can we make it 'active'?). For all the materials-technowizardry they've been spewing about over the last two to three decades, cars are heavier than ever while being smaller inside than ever.
In the end the deletion of spares/jacks is simply the bean counters finding another 'unnecessary' cost to recoup.
Shadowdog
Super Member
TPMS if I had them (my vehicles are too old) & when they died well they would be taken out for less wt. & better MPG! LOL!
Wouldn't go without a spare tire either as I have picked up those construction bolts every so often also!
I thinks it's the bean counters with the no spare issue as they are the same reason many new vehicles rust prematurely!
Wouldn't go without a spare tire either as I have picked up those construction bolts every so often also!
I thinks it's the bean counters with the no spare issue as they are the same reason many new vehicles rust prematurely!
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MannyE
Exterminate!
Well yeah, you're right but guess who doesn't give a shit about having a spare tire and wouldn't know how to change one even if they had it? Yep. The same people that pay attention to how many airbags, speakers and comfort zones the car has. I for one, am glad they are that way. This way when I give my kid the '06 LS430 no one will be competing with me for my new 1978 Lincoln Town Car. I can't wait. Two more years.
c.coyle
Fighting the Dunning-Kruger effect.
The tire service guy has a natural bias. Has anyone actually had to use an inflator by the side of a road?
MannyE
Exterminate!
Does using a can of that green goop stuff count? It worked, but we didn't drive off in time (really need to read those directions next time) and the goop didn't distribute evenly around the tire causing the 5 mile drive to take forever due to the seriously out of balance tire!
RamblinE
(╯°□°)╯彡┻━┻
My '95 Miata had wheel locks, and once properly torqued the dinky little wrench they fit in the trunk never had enough leverage to pop them loose. No place to keep a full-size iron either. Got that car in '10 and AAA has been my spare tire ever since. A spare tire was a $400 option on my Fiat, or, four years of AAA.
I could not find a list of vehicles with full-sized spares. All I could find is a statement that most pickup trucks and large SUVs have full-sized spares. My 2014 Toyota Tacoma has a full-sized spare. Because it is under the bed, it gets exposed to dirt and salt, and is a hassle to drop down in order to check the pressure.
The 60 psi mini spares need to be checked frequently for tire pressure. They lose air faster than regular tires.
The 60 psi mini spares need to be checked frequently for tire pressure. They lose air faster than regular tires.
analoge4ever
Active Member
My 2nd Gen Volt has no spare and no inflator. However, my smart phone has an app to request a tow and report an accident, which I used last month. My policy includes free towing, I think up to 2 times a year, but I'm not certain if there is a limitation on towing, anyway you guys might want to check your policies, you may be paying for features you are not aware of.
The car sits so low and you have to be so careful jacking it up that I doubt a spare would do much good anyway. Even changing a tire is getting beyond the average do-it-yourselfer.
The Jeep I traded had a lug wrench made of soft metal which would bend instead of loosen the lugs, about as useful as a full size spare without any air in it!
The car sits so low and you have to be so careful jacking it up that I doubt a spare would do much good anyway. Even changing a tire is getting beyond the average do-it-yourselfer.
The Jeep I traded had a lug wrench made of soft metal which would bend instead of loosen the lugs, about as useful as a full size spare without any air in it!
dondoucette
Too Many Projects
And dip sticks, and key locks, and a gas pedal that is attached to a carb or throttle body, and and and... The bastards have been deleting good shit for years, now Ford will stop your vehicle is there is something in the way, what if my safety takes precedence and I need to run over a bad guy... Wtf?
I bought two new 2017 Hyundai accents as delivery cars for my company recently. So following Murphy's Law, one got a flat tire, in fact side wall damage from what I was told.
So I sent a text to the sales person asking him if he felt a moral duty to have told me these cars did not have spares. No one test drove the car, price was fixed through Costco program and though I went to the dealership to sign the papers, thee was no formal handover like one gets normally with new cars.
Well, got text(s) from the sales guy that I should have known this, basically buyer be aware. The one text that got to me was "I didn't ask so he was not obligated to tell me. I once again told him that he knew these were delivery cars, in fact the drivers picked them up from the dealership. I then wrote an email to the finance manager (the only card I had on hand) who forwarded my email to the manager of the dealership who sent me a polite say nothing email.
I went ahead and bought rims on eBay and two tires from Walmart, only ones to carry the Kumho brand. The car was laid up since it took close to two weeks for the tires to get to us.
The dealership is Stevens Creek Hyundai in San Jose and to say that I was pissed off would be an understatement. I did insist that the dealership had a responsibility to notify customers that the cars came without a spare and that had I known it, I would have bought spare wheels.
So I sent a text to the sales person asking him if he felt a moral duty to have told me these cars did not have spares. No one test drove the car, price was fixed through Costco program and though I went to the dealership to sign the papers, thee was no formal handover like one gets normally with new cars.
Well, got text(s) from the sales guy that I should have known this, basically buyer be aware. The one text that got to me was "I didn't ask so he was not obligated to tell me. I once again told him that he knew these were delivery cars, in fact the drivers picked them up from the dealership. I then wrote an email to the finance manager (the only card I had on hand) who forwarded my email to the manager of the dealership who sent me a polite say nothing email.
I went ahead and bought rims on eBay and two tires from Walmart, only ones to carry the Kumho brand. The car was laid up since it took close to two weeks for the tires to get to us.
The dealership is Stevens Creek Hyundai in San Jose and to say that I was pissed off would be an understatement. I did insist that the dealership had a responsibility to notify customers that the cars came without a spare and that had I known it, I would have bought spare wheels.
the skipper
Professional Curmudgeon
It's somewhat comforting to know that I'm not the only one surprised by this and not at all happy about it. IMNSHO, taking away something that has,up to now, been a given without mentioning it is pretty low. Apparantly, some manufacturers seem to be aware of the discontent because I do see OEM spare tire kits available for Hyundai Accents and Kia Optimas so I assume the necessary under trunk space has been allocated for them
But, they their absence should be mentioned at the time of sale and an option to order them with the car .I just got lucky and found it mentioned on the net. If not, I'd be driving with no spare.
Now, I have to wonder what other goodies we take for a given have been removed, (for either cost, weight, or both) because we don't see them every day?.
...at least I could see when they phased out vent windows.
But, they their absence should be mentioned at the time of sale and an option to order them with the car .I just got lucky and found it mentioned on the net. If not, I'd be driving with no spare.
Now, I have to wonder what other goodies we take for a given have been removed, (for either cost, weight, or both) because we don't see them every day?.
...at least I could see when they phased out vent windows.
