Toys4RJill

A fix a flat is not permanent. It just gets you to your next destination. Same with a space saver or run flats. It is now a two step process vs the full size spare which allows you a lot of freedom and flexibility as well as peace of mind .

Toys4RJill

What a pain in the ***. If you had a full size spare, you could of just kept on driving until your next oil change/service and then get the tire done at that time.

patgilm

It’s a give and take scenario. I use my trunk way more than the small chance that I need a spare tire. When I saw how much trunk space the spare tire took up in the new 3 series, I knew there was no way I was going to get one and I don’t think it was a full size spare.

Toys4RJill

Absolutely. I am not really against space savers or run flats in the city. But I think the option should be available for those who might want it for long, long drives.

mmarshall

Well, First, you are preaching to the choir.......what have I been saying in my reviews for years? Second, a full-size (temporary) spare, like my Verano had, which has the same outside rolling diameter as a real spare, is, at least, much better than a small donut spare, no spare at all, run-flats, or a can of Fix-a-Flat....all of which, IMO, are useless or next to useless in a number of situations.

It also begs the question of how much more the average vehicle would cost if they all came with full-size spares. Some vehicles already offer it as an extra-cost option, but it can sometimes be a good chunk of cash. The last sedan to offer one that I sampled (the Australian-built Holden/Chevy SS) offered one as part of a package that ran over $900. Contrast that with a couple of hundred, at most, on a car like a Verano, to replace an 18" all-season tire with mounting/balancing/shop-fees. And, of course, when a vehicle is new, at the dealership, before it is delivered, the Buisness Manager, in writing up the official sale, often offers a Road Hazard warranty for the tires, along with the other usual stuff. I passed it up on my car....my brother, on his Kia, didn't, since he commutes a fair distance entry day in many different driving conditions. He's already used the warranty once....though his Sportage was out of commission for a couple of days because they didn't have the exact tire in stock, and had to order it. He got a free loaner as a result....and, fortunately, the other tires hadn't worn to the point where adding just one or two brand-new ones wouldn't screw up the center-differential from the continual difference in tire-rolling diameters, which can be a problem on full-time AWD vehicles,

Toys4RJill

So out if interest and curiosity. Outside of North America, in Australia, a full size option is available on certain trims of the Camry and new Toyota Corolla hatch. A full size wheel spare is standard on all trims of the outgoing Corolla design like mine. On the new Rav4, a full size spare is an option for 17" wheels.

geko29

During my failed 3 or 4 year experiment running 19" wheels on my E90, I bent/broke rims several times, which in a few cases resulted in leaks. In these cases, I temporarily swapped on one of my winters during the repair. I've since switched to 18s, and only had one incident with a sidewall pinhole, but was able to get enough air in it to get home.

But aside from that, I haven't used a spare tire since 2001, and I wouldn't have even needed it that time if I had a compressor/inflator with me. First thing I did after buying my 335d (which did not offer a spare, even as an option) was ditch the crappy run-flats. I now run standard Pilot SuperSports in the summer, and Blizzaks (on dedicated wheels) in the winter. My wife's Q7 doesn't have a spare either. I have no regrets.

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

Udel that was quite a tale of broken toe and twisted ankle related to flat tires incidents!

Be careful!

corradoMR2

Never in 25 years of driving though I did help a couple of folks along the way.

byadg

I doubt that I’ve ever been more than 100 miles from a satisfactory location. My only issue would be a flat at 1am, especially on a weekend. AAA has saved me twice with a bad alternator and twice with a blown tire in 40 years.

Johnhav430

I used to run 235/40-18's on my Maxima, that came with 215/55-16 (ruh roh I just want to be specific, this is +2 and the rubber got smaller while the rim 2" larger, overall diameter about the same). Started dating my wife, and she passed the clutch test. Kinda like "A Bronx Tale" where he had a door test. Any potential female in my life a) needed to be able to drive a stick [this ruled out more women than one would imagine and led to many from Europe etc.] b) I would observe their feet at stop lights [if the clutch were depressed last date]

So upon engagement this became my wife's car. She had the uncanny ability to find potholes and bent rims across 3 sets of 18x8 rims, so I went back to the OE 16". But the only time I have ever had to use a spare tire was a time she got 2 flats on the Schuylkill westbound. There was only a compact spare so I had to bring another to her. PENN DOT pulled her off of the expressway--you're not allowed to change your own tires there (I hear anywhere? I-295 and NJ Tpk per my coworker), so if you are there too long, many vultures from S Phila will suddenly appear to tow you...not good.

edit just thought of this, I saw an old episode of Dragnet within the last year. Tow truck scams existed back then too, and when was that, the 1950's? Pretty old scam to find distressed motorists, then take them back to your shop and clean them out. In the Dragnet episode it was more complicated because no credit cards so victims signed work orders for thousands upon thousands. Wait a sec, that's the AAA business model, alive and kickin' today!

tex2670

I currently have run-flats, and this is my first car with them. Me, personally, I will not buy a car that doesn't either have a spare or run-flats; I won't go with just an inflation kit. I understand the AAA argument, but if I have the entire family in the car, we can't all fit in the cab of the tow truck; I guess I can hail an Uber at that point....but I'm not going to.

I understand the "how long" discussion--but all it takes is one time.

tex2670

What do you mean "now"? My 1978 Malibu had a temporary spare. While full-sized spares were a more common option back then, they haven't been the norm for quite a long time.

And a full sized spare doesn't really eliminate the 2-step process, unless you just intend to drive around w/o a functioning spare after you replace the flat with the full-sized spare. You really would want to replace the flat with the spare and then get the flat replaced with a new tire--still 2 steps.

arentz07

I had a tire bubble last week, lol. My spare was at 30 PSI instead of the recommended 60, so I had to call a friend over with his air compressor.

Wasn't my favorite day, but oh well. Side note, driving with a spare up front sucks. Steering effort = nil, and super-noisy.

Johnhav430

I once had a loaner 430i. I like to go into all the menus, and all the tires were between 53 and 57 psi. My wife was like bring it back before they blame you for something happening. My theory is there are people who look at the sidewall, and if it says max cold 49 psi, that's what they go with, allowing for the vehicle being driven, so maybe 53-55. It's lucky that a diesel nozzle won't fit into a gasoline tank, imagine the poor loaners if that could happen.

Another loaner story I like is a brand new X3 with < 800 miles, the rear wiper broken off and placed in the rear seat. Then there was a pair of Converse All Stars in the back with those jeans where the legs are like 18" long and the butt rides ride low. I showed the svc. mgr. and he was really upset.