Spare Tire Delete & The Death Of Common Sense

[Archguy]

If you have staggered fitment a spare is useless unless you carry two lol.

My last car with staggered wheels/tires had a compact spare which was supposed to work okay for the limited time it would be needed, up to 50mph etc. I wholeheartedly agree with the OP that this issue is a disgrace, and it's definitely not limited to US mfrs. My new [Euro] car has no spare, no runflats, not even an air pump. Stupid me, I didn't think to check when buying

 

[NH-MAN]

Lots of people would rather have the weight in cool do-dads now a days than a tire they dont know how to change anyways.

 

[savatage1973]

Yeah--I hear all the arguments complaining about the lack of a spare tire just being "deception" and purely cost-cutting, but the weight and space savings are very real considerations, as well. In a lot of cases, equipping a "modern" vehicle with a temporary "donut" spare is pretty pointless. Even a lot of "econoboxes" are sporting some huge diameter rims with pretty wide low-profile tires.

So you do pull the flat and mount-up the temporary spare--now what do you do with the rim and defective tire? At over $1K per tire/rim, you aren't going to just leave it on the side of the road til later? Unless you are driving a large sedan, SUV, van or truck--you have no place to put it. It sure as hell isn't going back into the "divot" in the trunk that the donut came out of.

Those temporary spares are just that--temporary--good enough to get you to the next exit ramp to buy a new tire anyways. And if you don't look in the trunk, but once every 5 or ten years (if ever), the temporary spare may be of no use (ie, not inflated). Just call for roadside assistance and be done with it. You don't carry a spare battery, fuel pump and timing belt with you at all times?

 

[savatage1973]

Lots of people would rather have the weight in cool do-dads now a days than a tire they dont know how to change anyways.

Emphasis Added--because it is sooooo true.

Just ran across this not too long ago--young guy (probably early 20's) in a shopping center parking lot struggling with a starter pack and arguing with someone on his phone. His battery was low, but his father (who he was on the phone with) had supplied him with a starter pack and one of those 12V compressors in the car, so he would be safe going to and from school--just never showed him how to use either. 30 seconds later, I had the starter pack hooked up and the car started. I'd hate to see what he would do with a flat tire.

 

[skippy_ps]

Emphasis Added--because it is sooooo true.

Just ran across this not too long ago--young guy (probably early 20's) in a shopping center parking lot struggling with a starter pack and arguing with someone on his phone. His battery was low, but his father (who he was on the phone with) had supplied him with a starter pack and one of those 12V compressors in the car, so he would be safe going to and from school--just never showed him how to use either. 30 seconds later, I had the starter pack hooked up and the car started. I'd hate to see what he would do with a flat tire.

Here ya go...

This wheel is actually on backwards. It's not easy to do and notice that the studs seem to be a little short.

 

[enginedr]

Emphasis Added--because it is sooooo true.

Just ran across this not too long ago--young guy (probably early 20's) in a shopping center parking lot struggling with a starter pack and arguing with someone on his phone. His battery was low, but his father (who he was on the phone with) had supplied him with a starter pack and one of those 12V compressors in the car, so he would be safe going to and from school--just never showed him how to use either. 30 seconds later, I had the starter pack hooked up and the car started. I'd hate to see what he would do with a flat tire.

Just because the majority of the population is not able to change a tire . That is still no reason not to equip a vehicle with one .

 

[NH-MAN]

Just because the majority of the population is not able to change a tire . That is still no reason not to equip a vehicle with one .

True

 

[Hyperion]

This. Went to HF and got a 1/2" drive, 2' breaker bar then got a 17mm socket and a short extension out of my tool box. Keep it in the trunk. Much easier to use than those short wrenches that come with cars.

$20 and that soft handle is nice.

This is exactly what I do - after getting caught out once with a 'flat' and being unable to loosen the wheel nuts on my car which had been 'air gunned' to oblivion they were so tight. Since then I carry a breaker bar similar to the one in your picture (or 'knuckle bar' as I call it) which gives the nice feeling that I could undo any wheel nut no matter how tightly done up it was.

Seeing that picture of the 'lug nuts on backwards' reminded me that I recently had to use the slimline 'spare' on my wife's (2010 Ford) car, and was surprised to find that the stock wheel nuts just aren't right for this wheel at all - they will tighten, but don't look right.
Upon checking it turns out you need a special set of wheel nuts for the temporary slimline spare which are supposed to be supplied with the (new) car but never are ! WTF.

 

[hjames]

when I got my first new car, my dad gave me a substantial 4 way lug wrench so I could be able to change tires if I got a flat and not be stuck on the road.
And once we figured which end fit the lugs on that car (Honda civic), we sprayed that socket with rattle can paint to mark it for later.
He used to do things like that to take care of us. Still got that wrench many years later!
And yes, I can change tires myself, tho its not a favorite task. Last time a tire failed at speed on 95N below Fredericksburg at night.
I pulled over to the shoulder but Traffic was blowing by us on the shoulder at 80+ - so I wasn't gonna change it there!
I had 2 cans of fixaflat (not sure why?) and loaded that in the tire and slowly drove about a mile to the ramp and an Exxon station to change the tire.
And that was all that tire had left - we needed a new tire to continue!
But, it was a Honda CRV with a full spare on the rear door.
But a real nice soldier came over and wouldn't let me change the tire ...
He was travelling with his wife and a kid and was a perfect gentleman.

No spare? No sale!

 

[kirk57]

Thinking back on it, only once in 45 years of driving did I ever use the spare in my car. Maybe my experience is not so atypical and somebody figured this out.

 

[dr*audio]

My 2015 Honda Fit has a donut spare. It would really piss me off if I bought an expensive car and it didn't have a spare. Usually I go to the junkyard and get a full size wheel and tire for a spare. Haven't done that for the Fit yet.

 

[savatage1973]

Thinking back on it, only once in 45 years of driving did I ever use the spare in my car. Maybe my experience is not so atypical and somebody figured this out.

With my personal (passenger) vehicles, I'm in the same boat as you. Never really had a "blow-out" or out-and-out "flat". I have had a few "slow leaks" due to a rim seal (early alloy wheels and road salt don't mix), bad valve stem, or minor debris in the tread, but all they needed was a little air in the morning after sitting overnight or a few days--nothing that would strand me.

My work vehicles are a different story, but I own a construction company, so you encounter more adverse conditions/debris--screws, nails, pieces of rebar, metal scraps, etc., but those are all full-sized trucks/vans (or larger), and have full-sized spares for "just that occasion"--and space to accommodate one.

 

[savatage1973]

It would really piss me off if I bought an expensive car and it didn't have a spare.

Most expensive cars--especially purchased new or "certified pre-owned" come with road-side assistance as part of the warranty. And in reality, I sincerely doubt that there are many folks driving $80-100+K vehicles that are really willing or interested in changing a tire on the side of the road--that's what cell-phones are for.

Usually I go to the junkyard and get a full size wheel and tire for a spare. Haven't done that for the Fit yet.

I used to do that, as well--hit up the junkyard and grab a full-size spare--preferably a matching wheel to whatever the car was equipped with, but that was when there was enough room in the vehicle to actually store a full-sized rim/tire.

Out of curiosity--have you even checked to see if a full-sized spare will fit in the space where the donut is stowed?

 

[RT Fan]

Hopefully that plastic "socket" for the hub-cap is in your spare-tire well. It should have come with the car.

So you felt comfortable driving on an 18-year-old spare tire? I understand, you do what you have to do, but often that's not even as safe as not having a spare at all! Modern BMWs all have run-flats, with the exception being the M-cars where the high-performance tires don't come in run-flats in those sizes or speed ratings. Those come with a "mobility kit" (sealant and inflation method). I just tell my customers to call BMW Roadside Assistance and get towed to the nearest dealer. BMW roadside is free for at least 4-years and also included for the duration of the CPO warranty on used cars. Beyond that, it's available for a charge.

Many new BMWs offer the option of a space-saver spare. For some that deletes the standard run-flat tires. In some it also impacts the trunk space . . . a lot!!. I don't order any that way.

BMWCCA, The spare was in mint condition, I had it checked last time I had the tires rotated. I ran it for 150 miles while waiting for Costco to get my replacement tire delivered. The new tire is on the car and the spare is in the wheel well were it belongs. I just waived in a new "socket" as the old one had started to strip. Thanks for the head's up regarding the age of the tire.

 

[mashaffer]

You don't carry a spare battery, fuel pump and timing belt with you at all times?

You did if you drove a British car.

 

[Chip Chester]

True dat.

Did some pre-emptive maintenance on my Sunbeam a while back. Put in a new cap, rotor, points, etc. 15 miles down the road, on the way to a car show with the kid, engine dies just like someone turned off the key. Knew before we stopped rolling is was the low voltage side of the ignition. 30 seconds later, I was holding the broken rotor in my hand. 30 minutes later, I was installing the old one (delivered by my lovely wife) that I had put back in the parts cabinet. Because as you know, you never throw away Sunbeam parts... (Except I did pitch the new, broken rotor.)

And as a data point, I'm currently running without a spare on the Suburban, even though it has space for a full-size one. Plus, I actually have it in the garage.

Not carried due to some ongoing maintenance in the area it's stored, plus the fact that the cable hoist assembly was rusted solid when I last lowered the tire, and it took 1.5 hours and a garage full of tools to free it without just cutting the cable. No way that was happening on the side of the road. (I see they now make new, better hoist assemblies.)

 

[gadget73]

as old as the spares are in all of my cars, I don't know there is anything of value there. The spare under the back of the truck is the one that was there when I bought it 18 years ago. Its probably the factory tire from 1996. The Towncar has a used full size I bought at least 10 years ago, the Continental and the Mark VII have their original 1984 and 1991 compact spares respectively.

 

[sfox52]

The only spare with any of our three vehicles is like gadgets- 19 years old under the bed of my Ranger. It's the wrong size anyway- the truck has 16 inch tires on it and the spare is a 15"! I do have a 16 on a rim in my shed, but it won't fit where the old spare is. Another caution we learned the hard way- make sure your car has a tow loop if it should. My daughter got stuck in the snow this past winter ( three hours from home) and when the tow operator went to winch the Hyundai onto the rollback- no tow loop! He improvised and made it work fortunately. The tow loops are pretty cheap on the auction site. That car is a '14 and has no donut spare either. We pay the insurance company for road side assistance, not a big difference and worth it.

 

[enginedr]

I have 3 forms of roadside assistance if needed . I have two good hands and don't like being at the mercy of others . For the auto manufacturer to take that option away from me is irresponsible

 

[Bynem]

I have been in one or two places where I had no cell service (one was west of Las Vegas in August 2006; I figure they've added some towers out there since then).
I always get roadside assistance from my insurance company. A flat tire out there at that point in time would have been less than fun, without even a undersized donut. It was 110 degrees in the shade for most of the seven days we were there.