Why does my new KIA not have a spare wheel?

regi3457

The seller told me it was standard on new cars to have a puncture kit instead of a spare wheel. Is this really true?

There is a box in the back with some kind of device that I still haven't learned how to use but I don't see how this can really replace the need for a spare. Anyone else feel this way?

screamer

Very few new cars have one or even the space for one. You can always buy run flats but you'll flatten your wallet with the price of them.

biko

Yeah it's not uncommon now to not have a spare wheel in newer cars.

CJhaughey

Yep, saving space and weight is why they have stopped fitting spares.
My 08 Accord didn't come with one just a compressor and a bottle of white Goo.
Last puncture I had was a 2"split in a tyre, no goo will save you in that situation so I got a spare full size wheel and fitted it in the well.
Tyre gunk is fine if you have breakdown cover and live in a populated area, out in the country you may have no phone service or breakdown agent.

screamer

OP I hope your new car came with breakdown assistance cause it's true a big enough hole in one tyre and you're gonna need a tie truck or a mobile fitting service.

colm_mcm

Ive had my current car 4 years/80,000 km and haven't needed to use the compressor or goo. Yes, you will have a problem if you have a blowout, or a hole in the sidewall, but in reality these situations would be exceptional.

dogmatix

Car makers being cheap - all too common these days. At the very least a new car should have a "skinny" spare tyre. The new micra has a full size wheel in the boot I think - which is strange as the previous model had a skinny.

GustavoFring

It's all about weight saving. Personally if there's space for one I'd be getting a space saver in there and the tool kit. Even for a small puncture where the tyre could otherwise be repaired they'll try and flog you a new one instead of scraping out all the goo.

AMGer

Haven't had a spare wheel come with a new car since 2007

biko

With all the other crap I carry around in my boot, tools and camping gear and whatnot, a tyre wouldn't be much to bother about, and it'd save my having to clean out the tyre after injecting it with goo.

pajero12

colm_mcm wrote: »

Ive had my current car 4 years/80,000 km and haven't needed to use the compressor or goo. Yes, you will have a problem if you have a blowout, or a hole in the sidewall, but in reality these situations would be exceptional.

i wouldn't go as far as saying they're exceptional, very easy to rub the sidewall of a low profile tyre in a kerb or pothole.

grogi

OSI wrote: »

Manufacturer being cheap is pretty much the only explanation you need.

Not only. Weight reduction, which might give that additional 1g of CO2 less to qualify for better tax...

Del2005

colm_mcm wrote: »

Ive had my current car 4 years/80,000 km and haven't needed to use the compressor or goo. Yes, you will have a problem if you have a blowout, or a hole in the sidewall, but in reality these situations would be exceptional.

I got new tyres fitted to a car and the next day drove over something which managed to blow a 50mm strip from the tyre, no way to repair the tyre and painful having to replace a new tyre after only a few km. But if I'd a can of goo I'd of had to call a recovery wagon which wouldn't of been too bad as I was in suburban Dublin, would have been a nightmare if I was on a rural road where I might not know where I was.

kirving

111 – 120g/km €200
121 – 130g/km €270

Weight saving is a big one. If the manufacturer can manage to save 1g of CO2 and reach the 120g tax band they A) Sell more cars and save the customer money. While the majority of people on this motoring forum can change a wheel, most of the general population probably can't even get the nut off the wheel because it's too tight anyway, and a €70 saving per year is better value for money.

Isn't it the case that the emissions tests are done with a fuel tank half full, so the manufacturers just put in a smaller tank in some models?

9935452

colm_mcm wrote: »

Ive had my current car 4 years/80,000 km and haven't needed to use the compressor or goo. Yes, you will have a problem if you have a blowout, or a hole in the sidewall, but in reality these situations would be exceptional.

An aweful lot of that depends on the driver i reckon. You are probably a good driver , rarely kerbing a tyre or hitting potholes , also probably keeping fairly good tyres on the car.
I had a golf for over 9 years and never kerbed the car and only hit a handful of potholes with her. The alloys were near perfect on her.

delly

My 141 Kia Cee'd has a spare, so it's not across the range.

bazz26

Two main reasons for omitting it:

1. Cost savings,
2. Reduction in the car's weight which has an impact on the car's emissions.

Roadtoad

Last week, on its first use (9 year old car) the compressor and shaving foam stuff failed to inflate the tyre. I'm not a fan.

colm_mcm

Is these a use by date on that gunk I wonder?

regi3457

OSI wrote: »

Manufacturer being cheap is pretty much the only explanation you need.

But don't other manufacturers also come without a spare wheel as well?

regi3457

bazz26 wrote: »

Two main reasons for omitting it:

1. Cost savings,
2. Reduction in the car's weight which has an impact on the car's emissions.

ok I guess I like number two but I am a bit annoyed about number 1 because I hate when companies try and reduce costs like that. Does anybody think that purchasing a spare wheel would be a wise decision or unnecessary and not worth it?

grogi

regi3457 wrote: »

ok I guess I like number two but I am a bit annoyed about number 1 because I hate when companies try and reduce costs like that. Does anybody think that purchasing a spare wheel would be a wise decision or unnecessary and not worth it?

If you have a place in the boot prepared for the wheel to be stored, it might save you a few hours of troubles some day and I would get one. Don't forget you'd need a jack and a wrench as well...

If not - it would be a constant annoyance and I would skip it.

unkel

Kevin Irving wrote: »

111 – 120g/km €200
121 – 130g/km €270

€70 per year in tax saving and don't forget a full percentage point in VRT, making a €40k car the guts of €500 cheaper to buy!

CelticRambler

I doubt there are many manufacturers providing (or not providing) a spare wheel as standard because of Ireland's road tax policy! :rolleyes:

I wouldn't be a typical "Motors" forum member, but I've probably had about half a dozen punctures over twenty-five years of driving, almost all of them at very inconvenient times and/or places. That's a frequent enough rate for me to never want to leave home without a proper tyre in the boot.

PukkaStukka

bazz26 wrote: »

Two main reasons for omitting it:

1. Cost savings,
2. Reduction in the car's weight which has an impact on the car's emissions.

With the amount of residual crap some people tend to carry in their boot, I wouldn't be surprised if these cars were emitting twice what they are certified as being.

CJhaughey

colm_mcm wrote: »

Is these a use by date on that gunk I wonder?

Honda's IMS stuff has a use by of 5 years I think.
I have room for that bottle of gunk and the compressor and the tools in the spare wheel well inside the full size spare.

9935452

CJhaughey wrote: »

Honda's IMS stuff has a use by of 5 years I think.
I have room for that bottle of gunk and the compressor and the tools in the spare wheel well inside the full size spare.

The battery is inside the spare wheel on my car. lol
I do carry a small compresser , tow rope , jump leads, high viz jacket, first aid kit and fire extinguisher. Hidden in a storage pouch in the car boot
Compresser is used most often but mostly for friends in trouble.
most of what i see is slow punctures , pump the wheel and head to a tyre place. The other thing used a lot is jump leads again mostly for others

ofcork

Is it the case some makers are better at reducing emissions than others,i have a 12 avensis diesel with a spare and in the 200pa tax bracket.

CJhaughey

ofcork wrote: »

Is it the case some makers are better at reducing emissions than others,i have a 12 avensis diesel with a spare and in the 200pa tax bracket.

I sincerely doubt its down to emissions, mostly cost saving by companies and the added selling point of a large storage area where the tyre used to be.
carmakers are well able to fiddle make their cars emissions friendly these days, just ask VW how they do it!

JohnBoy26

OSI wrote: »

ManufacturerS being cheap is pretty much the only explanation you need.

Fyp. It's pretty much across the board with most/if not all manufacturers.

Del2005

CelticRambler wrote: »

I doubt there are many manufacturers providing (or not providing) a spare wheel as standard because of Ireland's road tax policy! :rolleyes:

EU and US regulators want to reduce the CO2 emissions from vehicles. It's easier for a manufacturer to remove several kg and increase fuel efficiency than tweak the engine, a tiny saving across millions of vehicles looks impressive.

colm_mcm

Also, brands try to get their collective emissions down too. A missing spare wheel in a Polo can help out an Audi R8.