Spare tyres

tones

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...or rather, the lack thereof. When out and about today, I dropped into the local Honda garage to see what they had. Not bad, especially the extraordinary little Jazz (how can a car that size have so much interior space?). The dealer proudly showed me the boot with the double floor level. Aha, I said, but where do you put the spare wheel? There isn't one, he said. My gast was completely flabbered - I've had hire cars with skinny space-saver spares (even had to use one once when I misjudged and whacked a kerb rather too hard), but never with none. He explained that the thing had some sort of pump and repair kit, and if that didn't work, a call would bring the local Honda folk a-running to the rescue. But I could see me stuck on a French autoroute in the middle of nowhere with an urgent appointment with a ferry and awaiting the attentions of Honda France. I don't feel right without a spare of some sort.

Now I haven't had a puncture since the aforementioned kerb whack (in Belfast about 6 years ago), so am I being an old-fashioned fuddy-duddy, and is the puncture business now so straightforward that spares are a waste of space?

 

luckysim0n

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quite a lot of cars come with that set up now I know my Picanto has it I try not to think about it

 

Samantha

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Very common Tones - partly due to saving weight, partly due to tyres being so good these days that punctures are a very rare occurrence.

Only occasions I have heard of in last decade or so have been when a serious pothole has been hit, or a kerb, or going onto unmaintained land on docks with lots of nails and broken glass.

 

chrisph

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tones - my missus bought a Jazz and she insisted on buying a skinny replacement wheel to go in the boot. Very glad we did because in the last three years it has been used twice.

 

Hornucopia

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tones

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You can get stuff to put inside existing tyres that seal up a puncture.http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_trksid=p2050601.m570.l1311.R10.TR10.TRC0.A0.XPuncture&_nkw=puncturesafe&_sacat=0&_from=R40

Wheels can be big and heavy so you're saving -over miles- on petrol by not carrying a spare, I guess. Certainly, in my Lexus LS days, I tried to leave the Spare in the garage.

Now; spare SET of tyres for Winter use, anyone?
Almost universal here - the Astra is wearing its winter boots at the moment. It's compulsory in winter in parts of Germany (e.g. Bavaria)

 

Hornucopia

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This is fragile U.K. where one snowfall sends us into paroxysms of fright, and snarls up everything!

Almost universal here - the Astra is wearing its winter boots at the moment. It's compulsory in winter in parts of Germany (e.g. Bavaria)
 

peterh

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I know of a an Audi A8 owner with fancy wheels (from Audi). Had a blowout. Wrecked the wheel. Replacement wheel had to be ordered from Germany. Car off the road for 3 weeks. Might be less of a problem with a Jazz (I have been looking at one as well) if the wheels are pretty easy to obtain.

I have never had a car without a spare. Does the gunk stuff that is put in after a puncture (and I take Sam's point) just wreck the wheel or is it easily cleaned off?

 

gintonic

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No spare here (Boxster S), just some Porsche gunk. It works for a puncture, and my local tyres place didn't complain about me using it - wheel was fine. But I do wonder how effective it would be if you kerbed the tyre and ended up with a larger puncture - i'd have to phone Porsche for a tow

 

tkimages

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The used Touareg that I bought didn't have a spare, just gunk and a compressor. When I told the salesman that it was of no use to me without a spare as the car would spend most of it's life towing a caravan, he said I could buy a 'collapsible' spare. When I asked the cost he said about £700!! Apparently if it had been ordered with the car when new, it's only about £200. Happy to say he offered to supply one for free as we walked away from the deal. Still need the compressor though!

 
H

Honeywell1945

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I would never drive a car without a spare tyre, not even a skinny pontefract cake type, full size all the time.

Last 2 new cars were bought with one supplied by the dealer free, I was threatening to walk away from the deal unless the car came with one.

Other 2nd hand cars were kitted out with a spare bought from eBay for peanuts.

 

tones

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But I do wonder how effective it would be if you kerbed the tyre and ended up with a larger puncture
Which is precisely what I did. Driving a hire car on what is now for me the wrong side of the road, I whacked a kerb and tore the sidewall. No way any amount of goo was going to repair that. The space saver got me home. I'd want at least that, esapecially as I get older and my already low driving skills decline even further :shock:

 

Hornucopia

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Nice Golf cart to get to the shops, Tony? (-:

Which is precisely what I did. Driving a hire car on what is now for me the wrong side of the road, I whacked a kerb and tore the sidewall. No way any amount of goo was going to repair that. The space saver got me home. I'd want at least that, esapecially as I get older and my already low driving skills decline even further :shock:
 

mj446

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Always made a trip to the breakers for a spare on the last couple of cars that came without one, last two punctures were ripped sidewalls that never could have been sorted by goo, thankfully the Honda and the Seat both have spacesavers although God only knows where I put the wheel off the Honda if there was anything else in the boot, no bloody way will the full size go in the hole the emergency wheel is stored.

 

brystonian

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You can get stuff to put inside existing tyres that seal up a puncture.http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_trksid=p2050601.m570.l1311.R10.TR10.TRC0.A0.XPuncture&_nkw=puncturesafe&_sacat=0&_from=R40

Wheels can be big and heavy so you're saving -over miles- on petrol by not carrying a spare, I guess. Certainly, in my Lexus LS days, I tried to leave the Spare in the garage.

Now; spare SET of tyres for Winter use, anyone?
I always keep a can of tyre weld in the car, as I physically can't change a wheel. But if the car comes with a spare I don't take it out! If the tyre de-laminates or gets shredded at least I can get the AA to put the spare on.

Winter tyres are a good idea if you've got a FR car, especially with no LSD. As they're pretty crap for traction in the winter, even in the UK.

 

Sir_Franc

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I think the trend for no spare of any kind is purely financially motivated by the manufacturers. There's no way I'd leave myself exposed by not carrying a spare wheel, be it a space saver type. At least I've got the opportunity to get home with that.

 

meninblack

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Looking at mine, the Sukuki has a full-size spare on a normal road wheel. The VW has a full-size spare but on a cheap steel wheel. The MX-5 has a can of goo and a compressor. The bike has nothing at all.

In the case of the Mazda it's down to space. Older versions had a spare, but it took up 50% of the boot space. The wheels on mine are so big that even if you squeezed in a skinny spare you would have to leave the punctured wheel at the side of the road if both seats were occupied. And I don't even have the biggest available wheels!

 

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