SW17LS

Another discussion made me think about this...when the last time I used my spare tire was. It has been a long time, 10-15 years. Looking back, even then I didn't HAVE to, I could have put air in the tire with a compressor and gotten to where I could get a patch.

With carmakers doing away with certainly full-sized spares and even spare tires in general (my Pacifica has NO spare and no runflats), really made me wonder how big a deal that really is.

So, think back...when is the last time you had a tire failure so bad that a can of fix a flat and an air compressor wouldn't help you? We're talking blowout, tread separation, massive hole etc...

bagwell

Had a puncture at about 85mph and lost all pressure immediately -luckily it was a run-flat

mmarshall

Couple of years ago, with my Buick Verano. I was driving in the middle of a large parking lot, getting ready to park, and the Tire-Monitoring system flashed a message, on the dash, saying that one of the rear tires had dropped to 10 PSI. Turns out I had picked up a large chunk of metal and the tire couldn't be saved. I parked, got out the jacking tools, and changed the tire myself, right there in the parking lot (it was pretty cold, in the wintertime, around 30 degrees or so). After airing the temporary spare tire up, with my portable air-compressor (my personal one, not one supplied by the factory) to close to the recommended 60 PSI, I went inside the restaurant I was headed to, ate lunch, and then limped home on the temporary spare at a lower-than-usual speed. The next day, I took it to the tire shop and got a new tire.......one which matched the OEMs.

IMO, it is a big deal.

byadg

LexBob2

I voted 6-10 years since I really don't remember when the last time was that I had a flat. Not saying it can't happen, but it's been a long time for me. Our current BMW came with a compact spare which was an option on the car when we bought it. Two others didn't have a spare, just the run flats. Come to think of it, I shouldn't be participating here-I might jinx myself.

Stroock639

the E55 got a crack in the back rim several months ago that was letting air slowly leak out, so i had to put the spare on while the rim got sent out for repair, if that counts as having to use spare lol

Toys4RJill

Had three flats on my Good Years in 5 years. Went through 3 new tires.

The issue with tires and a spade saver is that if it goes on a long trip, you are really out of luck. How far can one go on a space saver? All cars should have at least a full size spare, that way a long journey can continue, at full speed and full distance.

SW17LS

If you don't have a spare, and you have a catastrophic tire failure AAA can only tow you to someplace where they can replace the tire.

I would say that did not require the use of the spare to continue driving. You could have aired the tire up and kept driving. The idea is, how likely would you be to have a flat and say "damn, because I have no spare I am stranded"



But thats a really rare occurrence. Of course, if it happens to you the fact that its really unlikely doesn't mean much to you lol

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

My g90 got a flat a couple of months after i got it (i.e., less than a year ago) because i went over a nail. Changed the wheel out for the compact spare in a parking lot in about 90 degrees, then went to discount tire to get the original tire plugged and back on the road.

glad i had the spare.

SW17LS

If you had a compressor and a can of fix and flat though, I bet you'd have gotten to discount tire all the same...and you wouldnt have had to change the tire...

The more I think about this, the more I see why carmakers are doing away with spares, certainly full sized spares with the space and weight savings.

For instance, in my LS460L not having the full sized spare would give me at least a 5-6 inch deeper trunk floor

UDel

Last time I used a spare was when I was in college in my Mitsu Eclipse. I was on my way to the beach following my uncle on the highway when I heard a noise and the car started shaking, pulled over and had a bad flat. Put the spare on and just kept driving and made it back home.

Several years later I kept losing pressure in one tire in my GS430 and I would pump it up with fix a flat, did that like 3 times and finally decided I just needed to order a new set of tires. When my new tires came into the shop I was going to have them installed to, I went to drive there and my tire was completely flat again. Instead of pumping more fix a flat in it I remembered I had a full sized spare and just shook my head why I didn't just use the full sized spare instead so I decided to just put the spare on instead of using more fix a flat. Low and behold the Lexus metal lug key broke when I tried to take the lug off. I was furious, a guy at my apartment let my use his tire iron to try to get it off and it just broke more so know there was no way to even get my tires off until I got a new key. I went up to my apartment and was so mad I kicked the couch and broke my toe. I called the shop and told them my lug key broke and couldn't put the spare on or would be able to remove any of the tires, he said they would be closing in a hour or so and just try to get there with pumping it up with fix a flat again and they could probably work at it with their tools and get the tires off so that is what I did. It was a really scary drive because the tire was loud, ride was rough with all the fix a flat in there and I was dreading getting a flat on the way there and not being able to change the tire. I made it, throbbing toe and all and they got the tires off , I told them don't put the lug keys back on and I eventually just got another set on non key lugs. I later stopped by my friends to help him put up his flatscreen and told him the story, we laughed, I said I don't even want to look at my foot. The new tires felt so much smoother then what I had which put me in a better mood, car rode so much better. Got back to my apartment and looked at my foot, pretty scary site, toe swollen and pretty purple, looked up that unless the bone is sticking out there is nothing you really do about a broken toe or finger, you just wrap it, try to get the swelling down and let it heal, no real need to go to the doctor.

I had to patch a tire a pep boys 2 or 3 times after that from running over a nail, other places wanted to force me to replace all four tires which was ridiculous but pep boys would patch it. Last time I had the tire patched at pep boys I twisted my ankle jogging the night before and was afraid it could possibly be broken so I was sitting there is some pain that time too but luckily it wasn't broken.

Forgot to mention, just a couple months after getting my new set of Conti Extreme Contact DWS tires my car was rear ended and totaled. Total waste of money, should have just kept the old ones on for a few more months. I also just replaced the timing belt a few months prior, should have just waited a few more months for that too as that turned out to be a total waste of money which also did not add any value to what they gave me for the car.

I have not had too much luck with tires so far.

patgilm

Hit a pothole and popped a front tire in my IS in January this year. Of course it was midnight and 17 degrees outside. I called Lexus roadside assistance and since it was going to take a half hour to get someone to me I said F it, I’ll do it myself and I did it in 10 minutes freezing my butt off using the horrible knuckle scraping factory jack.

I just ordered a BMW with summer run flat tires and will replace them with all season non-run flat tires and just keep a fix a flat in my car. I could have ordered summer non-runflats and it would have come with a spare tire but it takes away too much trunk space so I will just roll the dice.

patgilm

Forgot to mention, nothing would have helped but a spare tire in this case, it had a 4” gash in the sidewall. Luckily I just bought new tires from tire rack six months prior so they covered a new tire 100%.

Toys4RJill

I agree that this very unlikely to happen, however the thought has crossed our minds as we have gone on this long, long road trip. I see run flats and space savers as a hassle as you will have to go and get a new tire/or fixed within 80-150 miles. Neither solve the problem of keeping you onto your destination. Your life is just so much better if there was just a full size tire. Your LS and my SUVs, we can go on a trip and we just know we can keep on going before the flat tire needs to get fixed, once at our destination, we can do that.

The outgoing ES has a full size spare as a paid option. There must of been a reason as to why. Even if the take rate was low, it was nice to see Lexus do it

Toys4RJill

The LS460 has like 18 cubic feet of trunk space. That is with a full size spare.