Why don't new cars come with spare wheels?

demixed

Who thought it would be a good idea??
Or even odd sized wheels?


(Posted from the side of the road, guess why!)

bazz26

It's all part of reducing costs and weight for lower Co2 emissions.

biko

Aye, it's a pain alright. Big tear or could you fix it with tyre gunk?

ednwireland

its cheaper to put a can of gunk in the boot, tbh i would walk out of a garage if they didnt give me a spare wheel (full size if the car had room)

having just had a chunk of glass go through my tyre last weekend !

not that buying a new car will happen !

R.O.R

But not much use to the customer of ours, at 17.25, who called from near Inch beach, with a knackered wheel & tyre.

3 kids in baby seats, miles from the nearest car hire location (Tralee probably) and not a hope in getting another 7 seater at that time of the evening, anywhere in that area.

Just glad it wasn't my issue, but has caused some cars to be removed from some customer lists. If it can't be ordered with a spare, it's removed from a choice list.

colm_mcm

It does make the boot a bit bigger.
On the other hand I will get caught out eventually.

The_Honeybadger

There is no way I'd drive around without a spare, you will eventually get badly caught out. If my next car doesn't have one ill be getting one myself and keeping it in a wheel bag in the boot, can live with a smaller boot but not with being stuck on the side of the road with kids screaming in the back. I don't buy the reduced co2 emissions argument, the savings must be negligible and practicality should always come first.

demixed

biko wrote: »

Aye, it's a pain alright. Big tear or could you fix it with tyre gunk?

Big enough tear, no amount of tyre goo was going to cure that, then couldn't get a spare to fit it in either the local tyre place, or in a local breakers (somehow happened in the middle the two of them)

The boot still has space for a full sized rim, just none there. Gonna have to try and pick one up, horrible way to get stuck and have to get recovered!

MuppetCheck

Most cars will have a space saver kit available. I got one on mine instead of the compressor. A lot more preferable than standing on the M7 some night in the rain with a can of gunk hoping for the best.

dgt

Some cars come with runflats

Donnelly117

I have no room in the boot, and no room underneath due to a centre exit exhaust. So I'm using run flats...and I die a little inside every time I hit one of our many potholes :rolleyes:

Zcott

Worth investing in one of those spacesaver tyres.

Conmaicne Mara

Having no spare is madness.

Wheelnut

I have a BMW with no spare and no wheel well in the boot for one. The car is on runflat tyres. I hate being without a spare. I thought about a space-saver but it would take up most of the boot and I would need to carry a jack and wheel-brace too.

I have taken off and refitted the wheels at home and it was a struggle (225/45/17) so I have to concede that BMW may have a reason for not providing a spare. Most people would find it near impossible to do a wheel change on the roadside with those big heavy wheels.

visual

Wheelnut wrote: »

I have a BMW with no spare and no wheel well in the boot for one. The car is on runflat tyres. I hate being without a spare. I thought about a space-saver but it would take up most of the boot and I would need to carry a jack and wheel-brace too.

I have taken off and refitted the wheels at home and it was a struggle (225/45/17) so I have to concede that BMW may have a reason for not providing a spare. Most people would find it near impossible to do a wheel change on the roadside with those big heavy wheels.

I have a jeep with 245/65r17 and heavy alloys and rotate all 5 tyres every 6k not a job for a wee lass. The spare is full size alloy thankfully

MadsL

Conmaicne Mara wrote: »

Having no spare is madness.

Drove the Smart for years without one.

Having no breakdown service is madness.

No need for spare.

Anan1

Just to provide a bit of balance, I've been carrying around a full size spare for the past five years and 80k kms and it's never once left the boot.

MadsL

Anan1 wrote: »

Just to provide a bit of balance, I've been carrying around a full size spare for the past five years and 80k kms and it's never once left the boot.

You might want to gt that checked if you have to carry a wheel to provide a bit of balance...:D:pac:

monkeysnapper

Anan1 wrote: »

Just to provide a bit of balance, I've been carrying around a full size spare for the past five years and 80k kms and it's never once left the boot.

I dare you to take it out then

MadsL

monkeysnapper wrote: »

I dare you to take it out then

What is the worse that would happen if he has breakdown cover?

Anan1

monkeysnapper wrote: »

I dare you to take it out then

Fair point. Although I think if I ever needed to take it out to free up space then I'd be slow to put it back.

MadsL wrote: »

What is the worse that would happen if he has breakdown cover?

Given a destroyed tyre, or worse, wheel, I could be quite badly inconvenienced. Unlikely, though.

_Kaiser_

So far every car I've owned has had a full-size spare. don't think I'd buy one without it to be honest.

MadsL

OSI wrote: »

So if I blew a tyre, I could either pull in, pull out the spare and be on my way in 10 minutes and replace the blown tyre at my own leisure. Or wait an hour for a recovery truck to arrive. Hope there's a tyre store open for him to drive me to, buy a new tyre there and then and wait to have it fitted all before I can get on with my day.


I wonder which option I'd prefer.

Prefer, by all means.

Necessary, no.

_Kaiser_

OSI wrote: »

So if I blew a tyre, I could either pull in, pull out the spare and be on my way in 10 minutes and replace the blown tyre at my own leisure. Or wait an hour for a recovery truck to arrive. Hope there's a tyre store open for him to drive me to, buy a new tyre there and then

.. Plus you better have the €100+ to spare that it'd likely cost you for a new tyre if it's over 17".

No thanks.. having a full-size spare is the same reason I have a fuel card. Means I'll never be caught out/left stranded on the side of the road on a Sunday night. Plus with the fuel card, one bill per month is a lot better to manage and track than €20 here, €40 there etc...

Anan1

OSI wrote: »

So if I blew a tyre, I could either pull in, pull out the spare and be on my way in 10 minutes and replace the blown tyre at my own leisure. Or wait an hour for a recovery truck to arrive. Hope there's a tyre store open for him to drive me to, buy a new tyre there and then and wait to have it fitted all before I can get on with my day.


I wonder which option I'd prefer.

That's only one side of the equation - you also need to factor in the odds of this happening. What other critical spares do you carry around with you?

Anan1

OSI wrote: »

2 tyres in 4 years is enough for me.

And do you carry one spare or two?

Anan1

OSI wrote: »

If we're going to fall into the realm of pedantry, these discussions are always pointless. You might as well ask me do I tow a spare car. I carry what I can to help mitigate any likely scenario that would put a halt to a car journey, regencies or something that will cost me time and money.

I carry a spare wheel because a blown tyre is a common enough scenario and is something I can reasonably cater for. For the same reason I carry spare bulbs, water, coolant, oil, jump leads, tow rope, torch, glass hammer/seat belt knife, first aid kit, chocolate and bungee cords. Maybe I shouldn't carry any of those with the abundance of breakdown trucks, ambulances and fire brigades.

Don't be so defensive, I'm not telling you what to do or not to do. My point is that this isn't as simple as carry a spare and be safe from all ills or don't and run the risk. What's right for any driver depends on the amount and kind of driving they do, the location, time of day, and their own appetite for risk. For example, you carry one spare and yet you might get two punctures and still be stuck. Conversely, the torch might save you from being knocked down and killed following a breakdown. What works for you isn't the right or the only way, it's what works for you. Same goes for the rest of us.

Timfy

http://jalopnik.com/youll-never-guess-where-they-put-the-spare-wheel-459114079

biko

I've only ever had a flat once, which was recently. It turned out the valve had gone faulty on one of the tyres.
I had a spare and put that on but could just have used the tyre gunk I also carry.

You can't lend someone else your spare tyre but you can give them your can of gunk.
Carry both.

Anan1

The gunk is great - it won't fix every puncture, but it will fix most, and it can be a lot safer, quicker and cleaner than changing a wheel.

Rovi

Some cars aren't supplied with a spare because the wheelwell in the boot is used for the battery because there's so much engine up front that there's no room for a battery up there.

I carry a full size spare in the boot, and have been very glad of it on the side of the M7!

Zubeneschamali

I bought the S-Max in 2008, no spare, no room for a spare, no run-flats. Just a tub of tyre-fix goo. 5 years and 200,000 km later, I still haven't needed a spare.

Our other car is an 06 Mini: no spare, no run-flats. Mind you, my wife usually drives it, and wouldn't change a wheel anyhow.

Conmaicne Mara

MadsL wrote: »

Drove the Smart for years without one.

Having no breakdown service is madness.

No need for spare.

There are only two places I'd consider driving to without a spare. The shop (300 yards away :pac:) and a garage/tire centre.

Driving around without a spare is asking for trouble, there's a first time for everything.

I drive around with a spare and have gotten many punctures and one blow out. I was always glad to have it.

_Kaiser_

Timfy wrote: »

http://jalopnik.com/youll-never-guess-where-they-put-the-spare-wheel-459114079

I think that's cool for some reason! reminds me of these...



Could have a spare on each side

Wibbs

MadsL wrote: »

Having no breakdown service is madness.

No need for spare.

In 25 years driving I never had, nor needed the former, but needed the latter more than once. Plus a spare wheel is "free".

I carry the gunk stuff(as Biko said it can help someone else), but having had tyres let go where the sealant would be as much use as tits on a bull I feel better having a spare. Most car jacks are crap on the side of the road, so a 12volt job or small piston jack is a near must. Ditto the need for a decent wheelnut tool.

The main reason some cars don't come with a spare is purely economic. While they may dress it up as a "green" thing it's really the bean counters at work again.

OSI wrote: »

If we're going to fall into the realm of pedantry, these discussions are always pointless.

Pedantry? Never.

djimi

MadsL wrote: »

What is the worse that would happen if he has breakdown cover?

Maybe its one of them "man things" but Id feel like a right prat calling out breakdown assistance to help me with a flat tire...

_Kaiser_

djimi wrote: »

Maybe its one of them "man things" but Id feel like a right prat calling out breakdown assistance to help me with a flat tire...

Nah, not if it'd been "welded" on by the last bloke with a tyre gun, or if it was dark, wet/windy and I had my back to the driving lane of a motorway.

Much better to have a guy who can just take it off it minutes and a big recovery truck lit up like a Christmas tree to warn approaching drivers.

That's why you haver the cover, right?

Voodoomelon

I weighed my spare wheel before, it was in the region of 25kg. Still wouldn't be without it. Went 4 years without a puncture and got 2 in the last 12 months.

Wibbs

I've found a thin smear of copper grease on the mating surfaces of the wheel and hub is your only man for preventing seized on wheels and a powerbar in your boot will make short work of airgun tightened wheel nuts. If you're a scrawny bugger like me the addition of a length of tubing from say a vacuum cleaner hose system would crack bolts on the Titanic.

I can certainly see the level of pain in the arse that will increase with 4x4 etc wheels that may weigh a tonne, but for your average hatchback, that's hardly an issue surely? Then again I've never had specific breakdown assistance so...

Supergurrier

The fitting of a spare should really be part of the driving test.

Saying to call breakdown assist and not carry a spare is pure assbagology

Anan1

Supergurrier wrote: »

The fitting of a spare should really be part of the driving test.

I tend to agree.

Supergurrier wrote: »

Saying to call breakdown assist and not carry a spare is pure assbagology

Bollocks. Depending on when, where and what you drive it may well be a perfectly reasonable decision not to carry a spare.

Max Power1

Anan1 wrote: »

I tend to agree.

Bollocks. Depending on when, where and what you drive it may well be a perfectly reasonable decision not to carry a spare.

If Im on the side of a motorway Ill be calling my breakdown service every time tbh

Anan1

Max Power1 wrote: »

If Im on the side of a motorway Ill be calling my breakdown service every time tbh

+1, I get cold shivers just watching people changing flats on motorway laybys.

keithclancy

Anan1 wrote: »

+1, I get cold shivers just watching people changing flats on motorway laybys.

Aye ..

Have seen an English reg on the Autobahn and a guy next to the driving lane pulling off a tyre with cars pushing 200km/h passing by a meter or two away from his head.

unkel

Always an interesting discussion and more acutely for me since I bought a car with no spare wheel and nearly perfect run flat tyres tonight. Except the tyres on it are not run flat tyres

I have comprehensive insurance. Which includes tow home / to a garage service for free. I also carry a can of gunk. Taking some of above well thought out opinions into account added to my own grasp of statistics, I'll pass on fitting run flats to my car. Wish me luck

MadsL

*adjusts monocle*

Doesn't the vast vast majority of insurance come with breakdown? Why pay someone for the service and then do the work yourself.

I say my good man, hurry up with that wheel!

Zubeneschamali

OSI wrote: »

Why wait for an hour+ for someone to show up to do something I can do myself in less than 10 minutes?

I tried rotating the wheels on the Mini once. On my flat, level driveway, in daylight, dry weather, wearing old clothes I didn't care about.

It took me more than 30 minutes to get the first wheel off as it had been gunned on too tight and then seized. It also cost me the skin off a few knuckles, I had to use tools which I don't carry in the car, and I ended up filthy.

There is no way I could have changed that wheel at the side of the road with the tools in the car. But I could have wasted a lot of time and made sh!t of my clothes trying.

R.O.R

OSI wrote: »

Why wait for an hour+ for someone to show up to do something I can do myself in less than 10 minutes?

Plus, if you have no spare, the tyre is banjaxed, and it's 8 o'clock in the evening, what do you do there?

The one I mentioned earlier in the thread is now in a rental car for 3 days. Had to get the vehicle recovered to a main dealer, the driver in a rental car, and a new wheel (and tyre) ordered.

If there was even a space saver, she would have been back on the road in 10 mins if she could change it herself, or an hour (or so) if she had to wait for breakdown assist. Not only is there a large time impact having no spare, there's also a fairly large cost involved in 3 days car hire.

It's not an isolated incident either, and we've had spare's fitted to at least 6 cars that I can remember, that don't come with spares from factory, so this sort of situation doesn't arise.

unkel

MadsL wrote: »

Doesn't the vast vast majority of insurance come with breakdown?

No, only some. And then only if you have fully comprehensive insurance.

R.O.R wrote: »

if you have no spare, the tyre is banjaxed, and it's 8 o'clock in the evening, what do you do there?

Recovery is 24/7

Recover the car to a local tyre place and take a taxi home

R.O.R

unkel wrote: »

Recovery is 24/7

Recover the car to a local tyre place and take a taxi home

That's all well and good if the local tyre place is near where you live (won't go there that evening, will go next morning), and all it needs is the tyre. Not much use if the wheel is f****d, you need to order one as a part from a main dealer, and you are on holiday in the bung hole of nowhere. Or, on your way home to Dublin, from a late afternoon meeting out whest, and you wreck the tyre on a back road, in Galway, on a wet, windy, Wednesday night.

BigEejit

Most breakdown/recovery companies have a limit on how far they will bring you and your car. If you have wrecked your wheel far from home/garage you will end up seriously inconvenienced.
I work as a service engineer and have called out the AA twice in the last 5 years, once at 2am and the second time at about 10pm.

I have a full size spare and in the 7 years we have had the car I have had 2 punctures, neither wrecked the tyre/wheel but it was handy being back on the road in 15 minutes.


As an aside, one of the lads at work didnt want to go out working on Christmas day some years ago (he was on shift) so he told duty manager that a vandal had slashed two tyres on his car... manager asked for pictures so he had to let the air out of two tyres and took a picture with a crappy phone camera. Thats when he found out that the piston pump he had to blow air into the tyres again didnt work :P :P