Spare Tires in New Cars: What You Need To Know


Spare Tires in New Cars: What You Need To Know
Decades ago, nearly every car came with a full-size spare tire for those misadventures on the road. But now, automakers have shifted toward temporary spares, run-flat tires or no spare at all.
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I spoke with Ford and the dealer and got conflicting answers about an option for a spare. Also it states in the owners manual to replace the valve stem and TPMS on the tire after using the mobility kit. To me this mobility kit is like adding salt to the wound. Give me a full size spare and jack and I'll deal with the fuel economy with my right foot.
Since that tire inflator kit specifically states a gooey substance that will seal the puncture, the owner will then have to face the reality of replacing or repairing the tire, the TPMS, and another to clean the mess that goo left on the wheel.
Or if the owner relied on roadside assistance, 9 times out of 10 those repair guys are expecting that they'll just swap the flat tire with the spare one and they're done. But if you give them the tire inflator kit, I highly doubt that they'll use that for you for fear of being complained about or worse, sued.
Bring back those spare tires please!
I will never be stuck without a spare intentionally again. This blowout cost me 121 dollars for the hotel room and another 121 to repair the tire at the dealership plus cab fare to the dealer. Not a good nor safe deal when purchasing a new car!
You list numbers and percentages of cars that no longer have spares, but you don't tell us *which ones* they are.
The spare tire is important because, if you can't repair the tire with the inflation kit (or would rather not total it with fluid when a simple repair would suffice), you're stuck without roadside assistance. And if you're out of cell phone range, you're stuck, period, without someone stopping to help out. If they'd convert Onstar to satellite phone service, maybe I'd consider it.
Hopefully GM will go the Mazda route, lower the compression ratio, which reduces NOx emissions by enough to make it realistic to remove the remaining NOx by re-burning the exhaust, lose the need for emissions fluid altogether and restore the spare tire to its rightful place.
A Mazda 6 diesel engine in a Cruze with a spare tire and no emissions fluid? Now that's a car I'd buy in an instant.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=T4pKsO7jx3A
Thanks to Hyundai. so no shifting of tire in the trunk,
Get the new tire for the original wheel from a tire services and choose your brand .OEM tires can be expensive.
I got the full size tire and wheel combination ( Hyundai Elantra ) with mounting for $206 , from Tirerack.
Your minivan tire and wheel combo should not cost more then $400.
It is a total ripoff that you paid $310+$60 + $1200 = $1570 !!
This is what the manufacturers want you to spend. If you had a spare. it would have cost you only the cost of a single tire.
The full size spare wheel and tire combo costs almost the same as the spare tire kit, so why not put the full size spare ?
My current car, a stick shift Corolla has a donut spare and again I have no problem beating the EPA city/highway numbers. I don't know if the tests are done full of test dummies representing a full complement of passengers however that's not a typical use of a car. Weight is weight. Are the dummies overweight or like the average American driver? A donut spare weights about 30 lbs.
The bottom line is the vanishing spare is adding to carmakers' bottom lines. It's all about the profits.
It’s all about the profits!
No spare what a joke!
I found out the hard way also.
Bought two tires so I could feel a little safer for a 3000 mile trip...
BMW and Mercedes KMA! I will never Purchase another one.