mmarshall

My long-standing advice is also to avoid construction areas as much as possible.....all kinds of junk often lies around.



Due to several factors, it's not as much of a space-compromise as a lot of people think.

SW17LS

Its an economy car, "it wouldn't cost much" doesn't equate. Its built to a strict cost requirement so it can be sold as cheaply as possible to a consumer.

You don't understand economies of scale. Doing that would be an ENORMOUS cost to the manufacturer. Lets say including a full sized spare vs a doughnut spare costs the manufacturer $150 per car, which is low, Multiply that by the vast number of these cars that are built and sold. Its a HUGE cost.

Its not diameter, its width. Cars are coming with wider and wider tires. Temporary spares are typically the same or very similar in diameter, what the space saver spare saves is width. What impacts space is width.

You don't actually understand the arguments at all or you would have understood that.

Totally wrong. AWD does nothing to improve braking or steering traction, which is the benefit of winter tires. Very dangerous thinking.

Then you should be a car engineer. Sounds like they desperately need you

mmarshall

By your own admission, though, you're talking hypotheticals, not necessarily actual costs.

No offense, but just because I don't always agree with you does not mean that I don't understand arguments.

You misunderstood me. I never said it did. The main advantage of AWD is to get started from rest or low speeds in slippery conditions and keep from getting stuck. RWD, FWD, and AWD are all (more or less) equal in other conditions.

If being a car engineer had the job security I had in my own career, I would have seriously considered it. I was weak in college math, though....an important pre-requisite to having an engineering degree. And I found I also had a natural talent for a number of aviation-related matters....which eventually became my career.

Fizzboy7

I would avoid keeping a full-size spare in your trunk. It will add extra weight, which will take a hit on your longterm mpg's. It will also not be secure, and can fly around in a sudden stop or car accident. And it will also smell up your trunk if it's a new tire and not below the donut storage area. A compact car is not really made to haul around a full-size spare.
You can definitely drive on the highway with a donut. Just don't do mega speeds.
Most people do not change their own flats. I wouldn't either if out on the road, as the dirty hands would get on the steering wheel, door handle, and anything else that's touched- not good for any car.
Michelins are consistently excellent tires. Cost a little more, but worth it.
Overall, I think you are better off with the temp spare and 4 regular tires and rims that always match. If you get a flat, just use the temp spare until your next day off when you can get the damaged one fixed or replaced.
BTW, every single flat tire I've ever gotten was due to a nail or screw. And every single one of them was pluggable, negating the need for a new tire. You just can't drive on the low or flat tire, or it will be destroyed.

RXSF

Oh yeah I can totally see your point and agree its one of those situations when you just wish you had a spare. This is my first car with run flats, but I wonder if you can really get a blowout anymore with them. How likely is the tire going to rip apart? Im not being facetious here, its a legitimate question

Good thing I never go rural... lol

mmarshall

Sounds like you're agreeing with me here, without admitting it.

It is indeed an issue. I had a flat with my Verano a couple of years ago, right in the middle of the big Fairfax Corner parking lot (you probably know where it is...a few miles southeast of Chantilly where you bought your Pacifica). I was just getting ready to park and go eat, when the low-pressure-emergency light came on for 10 PSI in the left rear tire...turns out I had picked up a BIG piece of jagged metal, which ruined the tire....too big a gash to be patched. So, even with the temperature near freezing with a wind, I quickly found a parking space, got out the jacking tools, put on the temporary full-size spare, and checked the required 60 PSI with the portable air-compressor I always carry with me. Yes, the car still had the Buick Roadside Assistance in effect (which is good for 4/50), but I didn't feel like waiting around for the service-truck (or getting towed), and it gave me a chance to bring back some of my old tire-changing skills. Then, being hungry, I went inside to eat. I made it home OK....and got a brand new tire the next morning.

SW17LS

mmarshall

OK then, I think we can agree on a couple of exceptions......the Smart-for-Two and the Corbin Sparrow:

bagwell

Make sure the hole in the flat tire is patched from the inside, not "plugged" from the outside of the tire. Plugs fail.

Johnhav430

I always remember that Sopranos where AJ says call the auto club, and Tony says in our family, we change our own tires.

I do believe knowing how to change one's own tires is a requisite to driving, however, it seems that it's no longer legal in many places. My colleague said he began to change his tire on the shoulder of the turnpike and a trooper told him to stop what he's doing and get back in his car. This is for his safety.

Anyhow I contemplated that spare tire in the trunk thing but quickly abandoned it, when I switched the 335i from the RE050A runflats, to Pilot Super Sport non runflats. Didnt Toyota once put runflats on the Sienna, no spare, then non runflats, no spare? And they stated the % of those who use a jack and spare today is non-existent.

I've paid notice, it seems like everybody and his mother uses the HFT 3 ton steel low pro jack (even those tire shops in W Phila). What a good business for HFT, I love mine. And I did get that Dewalt 20V XR impact wrench too...

mmarshall

That's what they are (now) saying, but I'm not convinced. I've had literally dozens of plugs, in a number of different kinds of tires and different tire-brands, driven hundreds of thousands of miles on them, and I have never had one fail. Of course, I've never had a patch or plug done on the part of the sidewall above the tread pattern...that is risky, and, yes, can fail....in that case, you need a new tire. Most shops won't patch the sidewall area (due to flex) and tires won't pass a state safety inspection that way. But I'm not convinced that patches are as necessary as often as they are now saying....it adds time and labor, and allows the shop to charge more for a simple tire repair. It can also mess up the balance/runout if the shop doesn't keep the balance machines calibrated correctly (not all of them do)....after a dismount and inside patch, the tires have to be re-balanced, and the tire-pressure sensors re-installed correctly, or the tire PSI indicators won't work. Given a choice, where feasible (and, of course, sometimes inside patches are actually needed), I'll take a simple plug any day.

Johnhav430

I've plugged many tires myself, including the runflats on my BMW. I have never been in a position where a tire gets a puncture, and a new tire must be purchased because a man says so, so I do it. I get that a shop must do that for liability reasons, and also not being able to verify that you did not drive on the tires without any air i.e. ZP.

I've even plugged tires in the no zone, not the sidewall but the edge of the tread. What I've found is this doesn't work on a front tire, it will leak. But it may be just fine on a rear. Also, even on the rear, it may need to be redone when it's close to the edge. That is zero help on vehicles with a staggered setup like my BMW. I will say I bet the indie got a laugh when they mounted my new Michelins on the BMW. They would have seen all the plugs when they tossed the tires.

I basically agree with what you are saying and plugs. To me, it's like transmission fluid. I never really had a car with an automatic transmission, so like many online, I found the ChrisFix to be the best source of info I could find on the do I change it, do I flush it, do I drain and fill, is it burnt, is it dirty, blah blah blah. There is no substitute than to touch something with your bare skin to be able to appreciate it. I feel the same way about plugging tires. Do you build your shed to withstand a category 3 hurricane in MD? Our friend did and the bro in law said it was really overkill. Is patching better? You bet. Do plugs routinely fail? Nope. If it's a road hazard warranty covering? You bet I want a patch. If I am DIY? You bet I use a plug. Right this instant, none of our cars have a plug. But over the last 20 years? They have had many. my .02

pman6

every brand has their good tires and chitty tires.

mmarshall

True, but one generally has to do some hunting to find sub-standard Michelins or Continentals. Most of what they make is quite good....among the best.

Toys4RJill