No spare tyre!!

[Slow]

I had to remove my spare from my car, it was the origonal 14" or something. Much smaller than current.
Was bald as well so didnt want to buy another tyre

[98elise]

Evoluzione said:

Riley Blue said:

I've been driving 40 years this year. In that time I've changed a wheel twice due to punctures but had around twenty breakdowns for other reasons - that includes driving cars up to 60 years old. Should I carry a heavy, little used spare wheel or fuses and radiator hoses; all of which I've needed four or five times each over the years.

^^This, coupled with the facts that:

When you get the spare out it's flat.
You can't get the wheel nuts off
You're a woman
You're too old
You're part of the massive group of motorists who have no idea how to change a wheel.

Agreed, the average motorist will have a flat tyre once in every 120,000 miles. Of those probably only a quarter would be able to change a tyre.

[okie592]

I'm glad all my cars have had spares. 4 cars and 6 ruined tires those spares have been a godsend!

I would rather not have the puncture thoyfh

[Adam_W]

I bought the spacesaver spare kit for my 530d after switching away from run flats.

My logic is, if I carry it I probably wont need it.

Iv broken down plenty of times but only ever needed to change a wheel at the roadside twice.

[ILoveMondeo]

Riley Blue said:

I've been driving 40 years this year. In that time I've changed a wheel twice due to punctures but had around twenty breakdowns for other reasons - that includes driving cars up to 60 years old. Should I carry a heavy, little used spare wheel or fuses and radiator hoses; all of which I've needed four or five times each over the years.

I've only been driving 18 years but if 12 months go by where I DONT have a puncture I start to worry!

Ok, slight exageration, but I've had one on pretty much every car I've owned, 90% of the time caused by some chunk of st that's fallen off some bds wagon.

I do drive a lot though, over the years anywhere from 20k to 50k per annum.

Was fine with the can of gunk in the TVR and S2000, there's no space anyway, would always want a space saver or full size spare in the daily drive as I could be a billion miles from home and tossing about trying to get a tyre replaced at the side of the M6 at 11pm doesnt sound like a lot of fun.

In fact, I've had my current car 8 months, decideded against the tyre insurance... (I've had my fair share of punctures....) and sure enough few weeks later hit a ratchet thingie off a load-strap from a truck that was lying at the side of the road... £200 of tyre.. bugger... thankfully full size spare... it's even an alloy!

[Herman Toothrot]

Never had a flat in 19 years driving so space savers if present get immediately removed for a can of gunk. I think some people must position their cars badly in the road, drive with a wheel in the verge if getting regular flats, as for hitting debris, can you just not drive round it?

[Fort Jefferson]

Westy Pre-Lit said:

So you get a space saver, where do you put the punctured one if you have a full load ?

911's are the worse for this. I was talking to a customer the other day who had to phone for a taxi to take his spare wheel home for him because he had his wife with him.

[blueg33]

In 30 years of driving, I had my first puncture last year on the way to a job interview! I didnt realise at first that I had a flat (low profile tyres on Audia A6) it was onlt because the noise on cats eyes was different. I was driving on dual carraigeways (don't flame my driving skills for not noticing it will distract the thread)

I was please to have a full size spare. It took me precisely 16 minutes to change the wheel and Audi had even provided plastic gloves in the tool kit. If I had waited for recovery I would have missed the interview.

The car still has a huge boot despite housing a full size 255/35 19 inch tyre and wheel.

[eldar]

It surprises me how many seem to use space saver spares as normal tyres and drive at 90mph+

[Fort Jefferson]

eldar said:

It surprises me how many seem to use space saver spares as normal tyres and drive at 90mph+

And it's surprising how many people don't realize they're for emergency use only, and you can't drive around on them, untill you can be bothered to get it fixed.

[HTP99]

In my 18 odd years driving I have had only one puncture, that was in 2003.

Spares are generally seen as a waste of money and a dead weight as they are so rarely used, hence why they are no longer standard.

[Riknos]

Fort Jefferson said:

eldar said:

It surprises me how many seem to use space saver spares as normal tyres and drive at 90mph+

And it's surprising how many people don't realize they're for emergency use only, and you can't drive around on them, untill you can be bothered to get it fixed.

I see this. And it's shocking how many performance cars do it! tiny little space saver wheels that are half the size of the rest - shocking!

I recently had a massive issue with having a puncture, no spare, and no can of tyre weld, or breakdown recovery... I was rather screwed! I've learnt how useful the former are, and am glad I have a spare in the S2000.

However, I may replace it for some tyre weld. I'm sure the weight savings in MPG will pay for the can over a couple of years?

[Tallbutbuxomly]

Ive been quite lucky. In near on 400k miles in the last 7 years I have only had two punctures that I can recall and having a normal spare was a godsend as if my car isnt moving I am losing money.

[havoc]

98elise said:

Agreed, the average motorist will have a flat tyre once in every 120,000 miles. Of those probably only a quarter would be able to change a tyre.

Really? Source please.

In the last 8 years (about 120k for me and 80-90k for the wife) I've had 5 punctures (2 repairable) and Becs has had 2 (neither repairable).

So either we're really unlucky, or your stat is wrong.

[heretheygo]

when I used to drive across europe in the bmw I had a full size rim and tyre in the boot, car was fully loaded but I always made space for it. having a puncture on the autoroute/bahn/strada and fitting the 'spacesaver' wasn't going to work when you have ferries to catch.

there was a case a couple of years ago of 2 american service folk in UK in a Z4 who had a damaged tyre, think they hit a pothole and the tyre deformed - they put the spacesaver on and had the full size on her lap in the car. No space in the boot. Outside it was freezing, inside the Z4 it was warm and the tyre exploded killing her and seriously injuring him.

[motorwaycruiser]

Twice in my first three years of owning a car I've had two punctures at once. Once was vandalism, the other was a particularly bad pothole on a dark night. So even if you have a spare it may not always be enough.

Both of my current cars have spares, but I always keep two cans of spray in the boot too just in case.

Edited by motorwaycruiser on Saturday 18th May 22:45

[surveyor]

Had a few flats, all with spares fortunately.

Had to call breakdown services out twice. Once when on the M5 with an offside blowout. No fking way was I going out there with no protection at all. Never seen a wheel changed so fast.

Other time was the same car after I'd caught the tyre on a broken curb and ripped the side-wall. Wheel brace snapped.

[M4cruiser]

I much prefer to have a spare - full size. The risk of a puncture may be low, but the consequences are big if you can't fix it.

Ever looked underneath the rear of the car with a spacesaver in the boot? On many cars a full size would easily fit if only they'd make the well a little deeper, and there is often the ground clearance to do it.

[Digitalize]

I have the problem that my spare no longer fits over the front brakes! So if I have a puncture on the front I have to swap a rear to the front then steel on the rear!

Still, think I'd rather have a spare than not, space saver or not.

[New POD]

Digitalize said:

I have the problem that my spare no longer fits over the front brakes! So if I have a puncture on the front I have to put the steel on the rear and then move the rear to the front !

Still, think I'd rather have a spare than not, space saver or not.

EFA. Impossible NOT to do it in that order.