MellonC00

I ditched it for a small fix a flat like this one.
the whole thing including the jack and and some tools must weigh about 50 lbs. I think the spare wheel is actually heavier than the 19 inch stock wheels.... I feel lighter and freer... sort of..........

there is that big chunk of space where the spare tire used to go. that is now empty. and I can't help but think that all the rubber in there would have protected me in a serious crash.... Are spare wheels a part of collision protection system? Should I fill it with some rubber or something?

Droid13

The inflator wouldn't help much if a tire is badly damaged in the process of going flat. Might need to include a road side assistance plan with that inflator.

Thinking some more about your ponderings about how much protection the spare tire adds, I'm not really sure, but it occurs to me your hybrid battery is directly in front of the spare tire area. I'm trying to think if having the tire there is more likely or less likely to allow an incursion to the battery in the event of a rear end collision. Hmmmm...

F250

I can see the interest in eliminating the spare and gaining the additional storage space (just like the older RAV4's before they moved it's spare into the rear cargo space). Also, more and more new cars are coming from the factory with no spare tires. For me, though, the decision to "eliminate" would depend on driving habits (locations, remoteness or not, emergency lane availability, hours of day of travel, ability to defend yourself for any potentially extended wait for towing, etc.). In other words, I won;t remove it for my wife or daughter, but I might be willing to go without on my own. Then again, my spare in my F250 is mounted underneath the truck bed and I actually benefit from having that little bit of extra weight in the rear. I also need the larger portable compressors with higher pressure ratings and direct-connecting battery clamps.

Incientally, you can get one of those higher rated MasterFlow MF-1050 compressors for $53, and they come with a 3-year warranty and excellent ratings from a lot of off-roaders.

MellonC00

100% agree with your comment. Here is the thing, though. I did get a flat at my work garage (they were doing some remodeling work and ran over a construction nail) some years ago. So, I took out the spare and jacked up the car and started to unscrew the lug nuts. It had to be some sort of a joke. those things were so tight that I could not for the life of me get them loose. You needed a breaker bar or something. (I'm a pretty big dude) I did get them off about 45 minutes later but the lug nuts and the tools were all stripped. It was a giant ***** show.

One other time, Mrs. MellonC had a blowout in the middle of the highway (she keep driving over dirty patches of the road where there are debris). It could have been a simple puncture but she kept driving it oblivious to what is going on under the car. Anyways, for the incident, she had to call roadside assistance because she didn't know where the spare was By the way, the roadside assistance was me!!! I ended up calling a real towing company, however. I guess the point is - even when you want to use the spare the situation doesn't always cooperate.

kitlz

MellonC00, I hope you didn't jinx yourself by removing the spare. I used it once on the '10. Three nails/screws in less than a year. Only one caused loss of tire pressure and set off TPMS. I sat there with the air compressor on while waiting for Lexus Roadside Assistance to come change it.

Keep an eye on dem tires. Rain usually drags debris onto the road. And it looks like you'll be getting plenty this weekend.

11bravo

Spares can be tricky, with so much dependent upon the tools being where they should be, and the spare actually being available and in good condition. Before I retired, I drove my cars/trucks 50,000 plus miles per year, for 25 years. I had one blowout, and that was in 1980. I started carrying a can of "fix-a-flat", a bottle of "slime", a tire plug kit, and a small 12V compressor. I have used one or more of those tools 4 times to repair/rejuvenate a puncture or leak while on the road. For me, knowing how to use a plug kit, and having the little compressor, is gold. Carrying a spare PLUS tire repair tools is a good idea, I believe.

tus

The topic of having a spare tire with you or getting rid of the thing for a patch kit comes up all the time in the various forums I am a part of. For the Miata guys it is always about having more space, while most others times I've seen it come up is with replacing factory run flat tires with a less expensive option and asking how to add one ,or if a patch kit is good enough. Personally, I generally prefer to have a spare if possible, but when it comes to discussing why I'll just let everyone else beat each other up on the up and down sides of the issue

To the OPs question about saftey, the spare tire has no part in the collision energy management system designed into the car, a removable spare really cannot be. Only thing they might model in to the design is to ensure it does not rip off and fly around on a very hard impact but I doubt there is much time spent on it..

vlad_a

This article says it best:
http://www.roadandtrack.com/car-cult...and-dangerous/
Please put your spare back. You never know when you will need one. I, for one, highly value Toyota for still giving us that option, never mind the fact it saves us all money by not having to invest into expensive and hard to find (especially in a pinch!) run-flat tires.

MellonC00

update: I will put them back in for longer trips during which I may be stuck without a civilization nearby. For daily commutes I am driving without a spare. BTW. I was a bit afraid of the empty space left behind by the spare. so I got these.
Now I have the whole space filled with 3 bags of polyurathane.

ColAngus

I'd consider eliminating it if I was putting a custom subwoofer or some other usable storage addition, in there, but that's it.
Cell phone, can of air with sealant, small compressor, worm patches - close enough.

mandyfig

The best defense for a flat tire (other than purely accidental) is to pay attention on the roads being traveled. I have removed my spare tire on my 330 and yes it was a 50 lbs weight savings! I now carry a flat tire repair and as a due diligence I check tire pressures at least once a week to see if there is an abnormal pressure loss (normally you lose 1-2 psi every 2 weeks) and just put in air to bring it up to rated psi.


My SC430 (I dumped the Run Flat tires, they were horrible), a donut spare is an option and is quite pricy. I carry a Lexus emergency tire repair kit and hope that I do not get to use it. I have the TPMS deactivated, I got tired of replacing the sensors. Again due diligence in checking your tire condition helps.

My IS has a donut as a spare and once a month I check the air pressure. It also has TPMS so I am alerted with low pressures.