Vehicle Diet: Lose The Spare Tire

[ToolGuy]

The spare tire's days may be numbered. The latest sign: The 06 Mazda MX-5 has no spare tire, even if the buyer declines the optional run-flat tires. A puncture repair kit is tucked onboard instead. Another tool is helping automakers gain space and lose weight in new vehicles by eliminating spares: the mobile phone. "Most people today are used to, frankly, using the cell phone to change a tire," says Jay Amestoy, VP of Public & govn affairs for Mazda NAO. They simply call roadside assistance, he says. American Honda Motor Co. is doing the same... Taken from Oct 3, Automotive News.

[ToolGuy]

No spare but now the general public needs to know how to fix their own tires, while on the side of the road with their puncture repair kit! What a joke!!!!

[millster]

Wow...I can't think I'm entirely comfortable with this trend. The puncture repair kit is great and all, but what does that do to help with a blowout? Relying on roadside assistance is a bit of a joke too. It might work well in some states (it was great when I lived in Ohio and my Saturn broke down every other week) but out here where you can be 100 miles or more from the nearest town of any size, it doesn't do much good if you need a tire changed.

[ToolGuy]

Right, I agree!And also, I used to work for the GM Roadside Assistance Center and yeah, someone does not want to relay on that for example! I could tell you stories!!!

[millster]

Quote, originally posted by MiVibe-ToolGuy »And also, I used to work for the GM Roadside Assistance Center and yeah, someone does not want to relay on that for example! I could tell you stories!!! Yeah, my brother works for AAA in Omaha, NE so I get to hear some of those stories. Wow. Interesting how we've come though. From no spare to full-size spare to temp-spare to nothing again.Now the run-flat tires I can agree with. That's the same as having a temp-spare on and you don't have to get out to change it. It's actually safer that way.

[northvibe]

wow, this better not become wide spread, i would rather do my own tire change than call some service and wait. repair kits...wow like im going to want to repair a flipping tire when i dont have a pump to fill it back up with! why dont all cars have that tire refill system like army hummers

[millster]

Quote, originally posted by northvibe »wow, this better not become wide spread, i would rather do my own tire change than call some service and wait. repair kits...wow like im going to want to repair a flipping tire when i dont have a pump to fill it back up with! why dont all cars have that tire refill system like army hummers That's what these repair kits are, going by the specs for the Solstice. They come with a patching kit of some sort and a 12V inflator.

[GMJAP]

Gotta agree with you guys- I wouldn't be comfortable without a spare. Imagine being on a road trip miles from anywhere with no cell phone coverage!Seems like they could come up with a better answer- Some kind of lighter, thinner spare to save space & weight.We have roadside assistance but if it's just a flat I prefer to put the spare on myself. Sometimes, even right in the city/suburbs, it can take those guys a while to get there.

[jake75]

Do those aerosol "flat fix in a can" products work?I see so many idiots driving around with those temp spares that it worries me. Do they not realize that they are only supposed to be used for 50 miles max and at low speeds? Are to be used just to get to a place to have the regular tire fixed or replaced. You can get a ticket for having an unsafe vehicle if you have a light out, but no one stops these idiots driving with those temp spares.

[Toolman]

Quote, originally posted by jake75 »Do those aerosol "flat fix in a can" products work?I see so many idiots driving around with those temp spares that it worries me. Do they not realize that they are only supposed to be used for 50 miles max and at low speeds? Are to be used just to get to a place to have the regular tire fixed or replaced. You can get a ticket for having an unsafe vehicle if you have a light out, but no one stops these idiots driving with those temp spares.Work great unless you would happen to have a blowout. I used to have a car with a big stereo, it deleted the spare. I carried a can of fix a flat, came out of work one day and my tire was so flat it broke the bead. I ended up calling someone to come and get me.

[northvibe]

Quote, originally posted by millster »That's what these repair kits are, going by the specs for the Solstice. They come with a patching kit of some sort and a 12V inflator.ah i c, lol what if your alternator breaks so you cant start your car AND ur tire goes flat..... well...ud still have to call a tow...but still im with everyone else that having a spare is the best idea. i hope they still offer the space to have it.

[ToolGuy]

Some garages will not touch a tire or charge a lot more if Fix A Flat has been put into the tire. That stuff can be dangerous! Or so I hear, I do not use those products...

[GMJAP]

Quote, originally posted by MiVibe-ToolGuy »Some garages will not touch a tire or charge a lot more if Fix A Flat has been put into the tire. That stuff can be dangerous! Or so I hear, I do not use those products...Yeah, I've heard they can mess up the tire too. Never use it either.Seems like if it's really flat or you got a good hole in it they won't fill it back up.

[scherry2]

Quote, originally posted by GMJAP » Imagine being on a road trip miles from anywhere with no cell phone coverage!or no cell phone at all? OOOOh thoughts of Deliverance

[jake75]

I hear the problem is that Fix-a-Flat aerosol products use a flammable gas so if the shop is taking it off the rim and there is a spark - well you can guess the rest. As for harming the tire - l think you are to use it only in an emergency and then get the tire fixed so the gas would not be in there long enough to harm the tire. Before taking the tire off you could get rid of the gas by deflating and reinflating with air a few times. That should get it to the point where it is safe to take off the rim. But if using fix-a-flat is the only option . . . and it works . . . .As for the run flat tires - I don't recall this being an option usually offered. Of all the safety features people seem willign to pay for, I think the auto companies are leaving money on the table here.

[GMJAP]

Quote, originally posted by jake75 »As for harming the tire - l think you are to use it only in an emergency and then get the tire fixed so the gas would not be in there long enough to harm the tire. Before taking the tire off you could get rid of the gas by deflating and reinflating with air a few times. That should get it to the point where it is safe to take off the rim.I don't think it's the gas but the sealant gunk that is sprayed in there with it to plug the leak....As you said, if it's the only option, then go for it. But IMO having a spare is a better option.

[jwalcik]

Quote, originally posted by millster »Relying on roadside assistance is a bit of a joke too. It might work well in some states (it was great when I lived in Ohio and my Saturn broke down every other week) but out here where you can be 100 miles or more from the nearest town of any size, it doesn't do much good if you need a tire changed.i agree. as someone who regularly makes late night trips through the middle of nowhere (there's a lot of that in texas), i don't want to be sitting around watching my cell phone battery die waiting for road side assistance that may or may not actually be able to help (they bring the wrong tire and then you just end up waiting all that much longer for a wrecker or a replacement). i would actually have paid a premium to get a full-size spare for my vibe. as it stands, finding an appropriately sized wheel and tire that's in decent shape seems futile, as there's not anywhere to put the thing.

[nortsr]

I was toild by a tire man several years ago that the aerosol tire repair can does shoot some sort of gunk into the tire which helps seal the whatever and of course fills the tire with air; however, he said that the "gunky" stuff can then cause your tire to really be 'out of balance". Don't know if this is fact or not, as I never had to use it (crossed fingers for future good luck)!