Cars with no Spare wheel??

bbam

What is the general feeling about cars with no spare wheel supplied.. We are hoping to replace our Zafira and are considering a diesel VW Touran but from what I've read they have no spare at all supplied..

I must say the thoughts of no spare is putting me off.... or am I just old fashioned??

Richard571

We bought a touran about a year ago and it was a concern too. However it comes with a inflator powered through cigarette lighter and a bottle of stuff (glue??) that you insert into the wheel - this allows you to drive c,40 miles on the damaged tire (assuming its not a catastophic blow out!!).

I have used it once and it worked fine to take us to local garage. If going abroad / long journeys with car would get breakdown cover just in case.....

manta356

Not much use if you get a great big cut in your tyre.:mad:

maidhc

My pet hate. What is wrong with having a car with a full sized spare, that you can put on, and then get the puncture repaired when convenient you YOU.

Why must a puncture which up to now took 20 mins to resolve be made into a life altering experience?

Del2005

maidhc wrote: »

My pet hate. What is wrong with having a car with a full sized spare, that you can put on, and then get the puncture repaired when convenient you YOU.

Why must a puncture which up to now took 20 mins to resolve be made into a life altering experience?

The good auld greens and their anti CO2 crusade have forced manufactures to remove as much weight as possible from cars. A spare wheel is a heavy lump and therefore drives up fuel consumption.

Tropheus

My wife's Audi A2 doesn't have a spare and has a bottle of goo and an air pump instead. It was a bit daunting to not have a spare wheel.

However, I've been driving for almost 30 years and I haven't once had a major blowout. Any puncture I've experienced have been nails or something similar that a bottle of goo and an air pump would sort in the short term.

For anthing else, there's always AA membership and the likes.

R.O.R

We did have a lady last year who suffered a catastrophic tyre failure in her Mazda 6, on a back road somwhere between Galway and Castlebar.

About 9 O'Clock on a wet and windy Friday night, and it took the breakdown service over 4 hours to get out to her becuase of her location and the conditions (and because they are a bit sh1t).

Overall outcome is that no cars without spare wheels are now allowed on that companies policy.

It's probably a fairly rare occurance for all of that bad luck to come together at once, but sh1t happens on a regular basis.

maidhc

can the wheel be repaired after this "goo"?

Anan1

maidhc wrote: »

My pet hate. What is wrong with having a car with a full sized spare, that you can put on, and then get the puncture repaired when convenient you YOU.

Why must a puncture which up to now took 20 mins to resolve be made into a life altering experience?

I suppose it comes down to the risk/benefit ratio the driver is happy with. Over 20 years of driving i've had two unrepairable punctures, the rest were TyreWeld jobs. I've had an untouched spare in the back of my current car for almost three years now. Those two blow-outs would have been a right PITA without a full-sized spare, but was it really worth carrying a wheel and tyre 3-400,000 miles for those two eventualities?

Anan1

maidhc wrote: »

can the wheel be repaired after this "goo"?

Yes, it sometimes upsets the tyre monkies but it does wash out.

MinnyMinor

Del2005 wrote: »

The good auld greens and their anti CO2 crusade have forced manufactures to remove as much weight as possible from cars. A spare wheel is a heavy lump and therefore drives up fuel consumption.

what would the difference in weight be between a spare wheel and the goo and compressor pump?

Anan1

MinnyMinor wrote: »

what would the difference in weight be between a spare wheel and the goo and compressor pump?

A good bit, the wheel & tyre will be maybe 10 times heavier.

langdang

Helped a fella one time to put a spare on a Q7 - a tiny poxy space saver that wasn't even inflated! It was like it was vacuum packed to save space, wtf is the point of that in a Q7? You'd swear it was a small car?

galwaytt

Anan1 wrote: »

A good bit, the wheel & tyre will be maybe 10 times heavier.

...indeed. In which case, dump the CD changer and the CD's, and buy an iPod and you can redress the balance

maidhc

Anan1 wrote: »

Those two blow-outs would have been a right PITA without a full-sized spare, but was it really worth carrying a wheel and tyre 3-400,000 miles for those two eventualities?

Absolutely!

The whole goo/space saver thing assumes you can get the wheel repaired within a reasonably distance. Which is fine once you only drive you car from 9am to 5pm Monday Friday, excluding bank holidays.

Anan1

galwaytt wrote: »

...indeed. In which case, dump the CD changer and the CD's, and buy an iPod and you can redress the balance

I think my full-size spare weighs a bit more than that! Your post got me thinking of when McLaren built the F1 - apparently they had Kenwood build a specially lightened stereo for it.

maidhc wrote: »

Absolutely!

The whole goo/space saver thing assumes you can get the wheel repaired within a reasonably distance. Which is fine once you only drive you car from 9am to 5pm Monday Friday, excluding bank holidays.

I suppose you could keep a spare at home rather than in the car? I just don't like the idea of dead weight in a car myself.

slave1

Have an Avensis and C-Max, week after getting both I replaced the space saver and 'blow-up' kit with full sized wheel/spares, peace of mind that if we get stuck somewhere and get a puncture we can be self-sufficient

bbam

Was wondering about getting that puncture proof stuff put in the tyres... It's supposed to be bullet proof but I've no experience of it... I have a little voice in the back of my head saying sending herself out in a car with two kids and no spare is just wrong...

Has anyone bothered to get that tyre protector stuff into their tyres... how much would it cost???

Anan1

bbam wrote: »

Was wondering about getting that puncture proof stuff put in the tyres... It's supposed to be bullet proof but I've no experience of it... I have a little voice in the back of my head saying sending herself out in a car with two kids and no spare is just wrong...

Has anyone bothered to get that tyre protector stuff into their tyres... how much would it cost???

TyreWeld works very well, but you do need to know what you're doing. I had one particularly fraught telephone conversation with my mother which resulted in the stuff going everywhere but into the tyre. Mind, the same is true of changing a wheel. My mother's been on run-flats for the past few years, and couldn't be happier - IMO they're hands-down the best solution for a woman with young kids in the car.

shaywest

Anan1 wrote: »

TyreWeld works very well, but you do need to know what you're doing. I had one particularly fraught telephone conversation with my mother which resulted in the stuff going everywhere but into the tyre. Mind, the same is true of changing a wheel. My mother's been on run-flats for the past few years, and couldn't be happier - IMO they're hands-down the best solution for a woman with young kids in the car.

I agree my wife drives on runflats and I couldn't be happier

bbam

Anan1 wrote: »

TyreWeld works very well, but you do need to know what you're doing. I had one particularly fraught telephone conversation with my mother which resulted in the stuff going everywhere but into the tyre. Mind, the same is true of changing a wheel. My mother's been on run-flats for the past few years, and couldn't be happier - IMO they're hands-down the best solution for a woman with young kids in the car.

No not tyre weld, that's for use when you have a puncture... I'd be thinking of some of these products that prevents punctures from happening in the first place...

Like this... http://www.punctures.ie/

theduke1

hi neeed to get my hands on a space saver wheel for a touran .size is a 15 any body know what wheel will fit thanks

Hector Mildew

bbam wrote: »

No not tyre weld, that's for use when you have a puncture... I'd be thinking of some of these products that prevents punctures from happening in the first place...

Like this... http://www.punctures.ie/

Have you tried this? Looks good but never heard of products like it before..

mickdw

Get a car with space for a spacesaver wheel at least. Even if they dont supply it, at least you can fit one yourself. A spacesaver will get you whereever you want to go anyway.

Runflats are not a bad idea for someone who struggles with punctures or for people who dont feel secure on the side of the road late at night etc. One issue with some women drivers and runflats is that they might ignore the flat wheel long term.

David09

My friend is about to buy a new subaru impreza 2.0d but it is supplied without a spare.
After the test drive, we took a look around the car and lifted the boot mat. It was funny how the salesman stuttered and stammered as he tried to justify the lack of a spare wheel.
My friend is insisting that as part of the deal that the dealer supply one. He won't buy the car without it.

Daegerty

langdang wrote: »

Helped a fella one time to put a spare on a Q7 - a tiny poxy space saver that wasn't even inflated! It was like it was vacuum packed to save space, wtf is the point of that in a Q7? You'd swear it was a small car?

At least the people who designed that car knew their target market.

They are for urbanites who want to show off not somebody who regularly ventures into the Icelandic backarse for weeks at a time

BostonB

slave1 wrote: »

Have an Avensis and C-Max, week after getting both I replaced the space saver and 'blow-up' kit with full sized wheel/spares, peace of mind that if we get stuck somewhere and get a puncture we can be self-sufficient

Where did get it?

BostonB

bbam wrote: »

What is the general feeling about cars with no spare wheel supplied.. We are hoping to replace our Zafira and are considering a diesel VW Touran but from what I've read they have no spare at all supplied..

I must say the thoughts of no spare is putting me off.... or am I just old fashioned??

AFAIK the 5 seater had a spare the 7 doesn't.

Same with many MPV's.

DonJose

The missus has a 08 Ford Galaxy without a spare wheel, she/we have driven nearly 90,000km and haven't had a puncture yet. The car comes with a jar of goo and a pump in the event of a puncture, we haven't had to use this yet. Since the 2 year warranty is up we've had AA cover, so if we ever do get a puncture we'll phone AA.

Daegerty

I know someone who for some reason used to carry a second spare around with them.

One frosty morning they decided to go to the airport but skid and crashed into a shed quite near where I live.

and managed to puncture two tyres at the same time

manta356

theduke1 wrote: »

hi neeed to get my hands on a space saver wheel for a touran .size is a 15 any body know what wheel will fit thanks

A 5 Stud Passat should fit,or New Golf V,VW Sharan,Seat Alhambra,Any 5 Stud Audi.

Check out Wheel Fitment Chart here

http://www.carlsalter.com/wheel_fitments.html

CreepingDeath

Isn't it part of the NCT to check the condition of the spare tyre ?

johnayo

No spare is a no brainer. If you were to clip the side wall against a kerb and damage same, then the goo supplied will not repair it. Time for the recovery truck unfortunately.

Tropheus

My 2003 Audi Allroad has a space saver spare. The one time I needed it, it let me down. It was sods law. I was on my way to Temple Street hospital about 6 years ago with my son who wasn't well and got a puncture on the M1. I took out all the bits and tried to inflate the space saver. No go, the rim of the tyre wouldn't seat properly so it wouldn't seal and hold the air.

My Dad came to the rescue and took my son into hospital. He also took the spare and stopped at a garage afterwards. With much manoevering with the high pressure of the garage air line, he managed to get it inflated.

The car was out of warranty at that stage so I had no come back with Audi although it was the first and only time I needed the spare.

I've now taken it out of the car to save weight and have a bottle of sealant in there instead. I'll probably put it back in for long journey's, but not worth it for driving around Dublin especially when it doesn't really work.

shedweller

In my opinion the weight saving won't result in any fuel saving. I have experimented with it and it doesn't work.
I like the security of having a spare wheel in the boot, although i get the point about some women not being able to change a wheel. They do require a bit of brute force to open the studs.
Tell me, for those cars that have the goo and pump, is there space for a spare wheel or have the manufacurers left that out too? If the option was there then it wouldn't be the end of the world, just get a spare that fits and install it.

keithclancy

If you drive long distances, having a mickey mouse space saver in the boot doesnt fill me with confidence. imagine having a 100 km drive ahead of you with a top speed of 80km/h and sh*tty handling

joolsveer

shedweller wrote: »

In my opinion the weight saving won't result in any fuel saving. I have experimented with it and it doesn't work.
I like the security of having a spare wheel in the boot, although i get the point about some women not being able to change a wheel. They do require a bit of brute force to open the studs.
Tell me, for those cars that have the goo and pump, is there space for a spare wheel or have the manufacurers left that out too? If the option was there then it wouldn't be the end of the world, just get a spare that fits and install it.

I have an Impreza with the goo and the pump. There is no space for a spare wheel in the boot which is pretty small because of the awd.

Max Power1

keithclancy wrote: »

If you drive long distances, having a mickey mouse space saver in the boot doesnt fill me with confidence. imagine having a 100 km drive ahead of you with a top speed of 80km/h and sh*tty handling

better than a 100 km drive with just glue between you and a blowout!

BostonB

We've no spare. In two years we've not needed it. We got a puncture recently, compressor managed to put enough air in tyre, to get it to a garage where they fixed the puncture. TBH our car is rarely out of Dublin, and its covered by breakdown. However if I was doing much travelling I'd get a spare wheel and kit, and stick it in a roof box.

TBH having the compressor is handy as you can pump you tyres without going to a garage where the air probably isn't working anyway.

Ddad

Del2005 wrote: »

The good auld greens and their anti CO2 crusade have forced manufactures to remove as much weight as possible from cars. A spare wheel is a heavy lump and therefore drives up fuel consumption.

Rubbish, it's a design issue. The size of the Irish market doesn't drive car design. Many cars like the s-max and Touran it's design led to get more passenger space in.

BTW I've an S-max with a spare wheel, a jack and a powerbar in the boot. With the potholes we have in Cork low profile tyres arren't lasting jig time. I've had two with the side walls torn asunder. The glue bottle is not worth a toss.

BostonB

Maybe you need different tyres.

I think theres a few reasons for not having a spare. Lets not fall out over the quibbles.

Ddad

Even top notch tyres don't stand a chance against some of the pot holes around here. It's a company car so no expense spared on the tyres.

I'll try and be less grumpy on my rebuffs;)

Voodoomelon

Can't beat the old saloons, 25kg of spare wheel.

rebel10

shedweller wrote: »

Tell me, for those cars that have the goo and pump, is there space for a spare wheel or have the manufacurers left that out too? If the option was there then it wouldn't be the end of the world, just get a spare that fits and install it.

I have a car with no spare wheel and there is no way in the world a spare would fit anywhere in the car, its a Fiat 500:D. The latex (or goo as ye like to call it) ran out when my friend was playing with the canister and sprayed the bloody thing all over the interior! The dealership have said they would order me in some, that was last year and they still can't get their hands on some.:rolleyes: Lets just hope in the meantime I don't fall to prey to any of the craters we have down here!

BostonB

I saw a fiat 500 disappear into one of the potholes in the phoenix park.

So be careful...

keithclancy

rebel10 wrote: »

I have a car with no spare wheel and there is no way in the world a spare would fit anywhere in the car, its a Fiat 500:D. The latex (or goo as ye like to call it) ran out when my friend was playing with the canister and sprayed the bloody thing all over the interior! The dealership have said they would order me in some, that was last year and they still can't get their hands on some.:rolleyes: Lets just hope in the meantime I don't fall to prey to any of the craters we have down here!

Is it some sort of specially shaped can for your Fiat ?

http://www.halfords.ie/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_storeId_11101_catalogId_15551_productId_164880_langId_-1_categoryId_212497

rebel10

keithclancy wrote: »

Is it some sort of specially shaped can for your Fiat ?

http://www.halfords.ie/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_storeId_11101_catalogId_15551_productId_164880_langId_-1_categoryId_212497

This is the thing i got with the car. The latex canister is slotted into the space designed for it and then the whole contraption can be plugged into the cigarette lighter and you can pump the wheel from there. Now, I have never had to use it, (touching wood) but when my friend decided to mess with it that is what he did anyway.