Buy a Dodge Challenger. You can get 6 tire/wheel sets. 4 wide street tires and 2 narrow tires for the front when you go to the strip!
I work in sales yes, but not automotive sales.
Perhaps the idea doesn’t seem so foreign to me because I like B-segment cars. In a lot of them the question becomes “where are you gonna put a spare?” Then when you look at the optional spare, it takes up cargo space, and in my cars case it cost over $400. To reiterate, $400 for a spare tire is what four years of Triple A roadside assistance insurance costs. With tows being pricey I’d be buying the Triple A anyway.
Again though, I researched all this in the process of shopping. I car shopped for a year and a half before finally making the purchase.
This whole “cars have always come with them” argument just doesn’t float with me if somebody knows exactly what they’re buying. Who spends thousands of dollars without knowing exactly what they’re buying?
Buy a Dodge Challenger. You can get 6 tire/wheel sets. 4 wide street tires and 2 narrow tires for the front when you go to the strip!
. Most people don't do ANY research at all. They just want a good car to take them to work and not break down.
And it's not just the weight of the spare tire and jack--it's a nibble out of a bigger slice of pie. The more nibbles they can do on a particular model, the more they can get closer to eeking out a 1.00 MPG increase in mileage. And that is partly due to the MPG standards the government forces on the automakers. The move to small turbocharged likewise results in a weight savings. Again it might only be half a mile per gallon but, all of those weight savings add up. I think of it like scraping up $Sorry but you would be wrong. Compared to the cost of some of the current technologies to squeeze an additional .05 mpg out of a current production vehicle, eliminating the unneeded weight of a spare tire was a no brainer.
Did you measure the depth? I'm good with the mini spare, but I noticed in my old CR-V that while the space underneath the picnic table was quite deep, it was not quite deep enough to hold a full-sized spare. (The full-size spare was on the rear door, but they had an "Executive" model in Japan where they eliminated the rear door spare and used a mini spare in the "trunk".) It did hold my Bazooka sub nicely, though. My newer CR-Vs have the deep well with the foam--I should measure to see what really would fit in there.My new ride is a 2015 Honda Civic. It has a donut - I know because I inspected the entire car including the trunk before buying. Fortunately it has a spare wheel well deep enough to hold a full size spare - they filled up the space with a chunk of foam.
We also have to consider that many drivers out there are not us. They haven't changed a spare in their entire lives on the road--they'll call roadside assistance instead. The last three cars we've had, the mini spares had never been touched, and these were several years old. For auto manufacturers to do away with something that apparently many people do not use, it actually makes sense and it will be more commonplace as time goes on. I may not like not having an actual spare (due to past blowouts I've had) yet I can also adapt to it, and it definitely is not a deal breaker. I am also in future years not going to drive around a 30 or 40 year old POS just because of a frickin' spare tire issue. For me, reliability, safety and resale value trump the inclusion of a spare when I'm considering an automobile purchase. And since I limit the models I look at, I pretty much know anyway what the car has in terms of equipment.Enthusiasts aside a car is, in general, a big purchase for anybody. I’ve never understood why somebody wouldn’t do their own research, or how somebody out of the blue just decides to buy a car. I know it happens, but I sure as hell don’t get it. I don’t think irresponsible behavior on the part of the consumer should be pandered to and promoted. This represents the lowest common denominator of car buyers.
Do you really? With the Hellcat? That's so cool.
Well depending on what you are shopping/driving--what are you going to do with the dead/damaged tire/rim when you put on the temporary "donut" should you have one? Modern vehicles are using larger and larger diameter and much wider low-profile tires, and if you pull one off, where are you going to put it?
I just had a brilliant idea. FCA should come out with a no-holds-barred high performance variant of the Fiat 500 and call it the Hellgrammite.Do you really? With the Hellcat? That's so cool.
I just had a brilliant idea. FCA should come out with a no-holds-barred high performance variant of the Fiat 500 and call it the Hellgrammite.
You read it here first!
Did you measure the depth? I'm good with the mini spare, but I noticed in my old CR-V that while the space underneath the picnic table was quite deep, it was not quite deep enough to hold a full-sized spare. (The full-size spare was on the rear door, but they had an "Executive" model in Japan where they eliminated the rear door spare and used a mini spare in the "trunk".) It did hold my Bazooka sub nicely, though. My newer CR-Vs have the deep well with the foam--I should measure to see what really would fit in there.
I haven't actually, I'll do that. Maybe the manual will say something (yes, I read them). My old Mazda MX-6 had a donut and a full size wheel stuck up so there was a bump in the floor. Actually the wife's '02 Accord has the same problem. At first we put some inch-thick foam blocks around the outside of the wheel well so that thin carpet-covered Masonite cover had something to support it around the outside. Then we figured out the panel was flexible enough to bend down around the edges so now it's just a humpy floor.
I just feel a lot better with a real spare, since I drive on the highway a lot. That way I don't have to poke along at the recommended 55 mph max donut speed. If it takes a couple days to get the tire replaced, I can just keep driving it.
No I don't, and never did. I've taken one and two-year-old Korean cars in trade and always found that to be the case. This thread came as no surprise to me. I do find it funny on the Hyundai site they offer an "accessory" spare kit with jack and wheel available through the local dealerships for $202.00. The tire is not included!And again, you assume that all cars come with run flat tech and road service. Did you forget that I mentioned that before?
Factory approved, space‐saving Spare Tire Kit. Includes wheel, jack, lug wrench, hold‐down clamp and foam tool case. Fits in trunk. Spare tire not included.
Notes: Eco Model Only / Tire Sz T125/80D15 (Sold Separately)
Item#: F3F40 AU000
When it comes to a watch, amplifier or someone spending thousands of dollars will generally know exactly what they are buying.
When you're talking about cars, which are not luxury, status or recreational items (I'm talking about regular cars not exotics or sports or whatever might be considered an "enthusiast" car), many people walk onto a dealer with certain assumptions. Most people don't do ANY research at all. They just want a good car to take them to work and not break down.