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More and more cars are now being sold without any spare tire at all, nor even a space to put one. Among them are the Hyundai Elantra and Chevrolet Cruze. Some don't even have a jack, just a can of fix-a-flat. The doughnut spare was bad enough, and then came the run-flat tires.
When the Toyota Sienna came out with run-flat tires and no spare, I asked my dealer if he would drive that car to Alaska. He just laughed. He said cars nowadays are designed to be driven in the summertime to the hair salon and soccer practice.
The automakers say it is to keep the weight down, to meet fuel economy guidelines, but a spare tire weighs no more than a sack of groceries. If that made a difference, all they would have to do is have EPA test cars driven by jockeys. Mileage ratings are rounded off to the nearest mile, and it would take ten or twenty spares to raise the mileage by one mpg.
My answer would be it depends. I've had all three; full size, doughnut and a can of goop. I definitely prefer having a full size, especially on the car we take on long trips. Failing that I wouldn't personally take a car on a long road trip without at least a doughnut. A performance car or a car just driven locally for commuting, I can get away with a can of goop.
I bought a SRX without a spare a month ago. I had never heard of a truck coming without a spare. But the dealer said it was safe plus most new cars come with a few years of road side assistance. I've never had a flat in all my years of driving (17 years) and I don't even know how to take off my wheel locks, I'll take my chances with the roadside assistance.
It depends upon where you drive... I once found myself outside of cell range with a flat and was very happy to have a spare and jack. In over forty years of driving I've probably had less than five flats that required immediate action but it only takes being stranded once to make you very cautious.
No. They would either throw in a spare when I bought it, full size, or I'd walk out of the dealership. My Camry has a full size spare and my Jeep has a full size spare. And if they car doesn't have space for a spare, I'm not going to buy it. Problem solved!
First order of business is to toss the spare tire. That's what flat bed tow trucks are for. If my car gets a flat on the highway, I am calling a taxi first, a tow truck second. Problem solved.
But, I'm also very reluctant to even use F-a-F based on this information-
(from Allpar: miss understandings of tires) Misunderstanding #3: Using Fix-A-Flat
This is great stuff to use if you have an emergency, are not in a position to put your spare tire on, and absolutely have to get out of the road. It will save you at a moment when you most need it. They have done a great job of advertising this stuff, but they have not done any job at all of educating people of what happens AFTER you use this on your tire.
Think about what this product does - it is a liquid that shoots out under pressure in your tire, finds the hole, seals it, and holds air while you drive. If you are familiar with the proces at all, you must have an understanding that it is a liquid when it comes out of the can, but it seals a hole.
How does liquid seal a hole? Well, liquid does not seal a hole, solids seal a hole. When it is sealing the tire, it is not a liquid. The air pressure of the hole forces the liquid towards the hole. Then as it makes contact with the air, a chemical change occurs, and it starts to harden. As it hardens, it becomes dense enough to seal off the escaping air. It changes.
Now you have a chemical reaction going on inside your tire. It was one thing, now it becomes something else. You have now started a chemistry experiment inside your tire and it will not stop with the sealing of the hole. What happens next is the liquid, as it is being forced around the inside of the tire and starts to harden, will harden in whatever shape it takes as the air hits it. Which means, you have now changed the shape of the tire itself, which means you can forget about ever balancing that tire ever again.
This chemical will continue to react with any substance it is touching - your wheel, your valve stem, your tire. Leave it in there long enough to cure and you will need a new tire at a minimum, because it adheres to the rubber, then begins to soften and consume the rubber. Then it consumes the paint and finish on your wheel, which can mean you can forget about ever getting a tire to seat to the bead again because the diameter of the bead has changed, and you might also never be able to get a valve stem to seat properly and hold a seal ever again, because it will eat at the finish and change the diameter of the hole where your valve stem goes.
Fix-A-Flat and similar products will save you when you need it, but it is not a tourniquet to stop the bleeding - it is more like an amputation. Be ready to replace at least the tire, to pay for the tech to clean the crap off your wheel, and if it was in there long enough, to replace the wheel.
The Disadvantages of Tire Puncture Sealant
These sealants do not permanently repair the tire; the tire must still receive a traditional patch to be suitable for long term use. Many professionals dislike repairing tires that have been treated with a canned sealant for a number of reasons. These sealants may contain hazardous chemicals and removing it from the inside of the tire can be a time consuming process. More and more companies are using water soluble solutions for their sealants to aid in the removal of the product prior to performing a patch, so this is less of an issue than it was in the past. Tire Puncture Sealant Pros and Cons - CarsDirect
Jazzlover must have time and money on his hands or he only gets a flat in town. It could take a long time (hrs)and be very expensive to call a tow truck and a taxi when you have a flat.
A tow truck operator can change the tire for you and or give you a ride to the repair shop.
It would be much faster and cheaper to change the tire yourself.
I'll drive a vehicle locally with out a spare but I won't leave town with out one.
Ive used thay fix-a-flat stuff in a pinch and the only adverse effects it had was on the guy that had to bust the tire and install a new one as it is a sticky mess for them to deal with.
I don't have a spare. Just a can of goop. A full size spare would not fit in the spot you would put one and a smaller spare will not fit over my brakes.
fix-a-flat will fix most flats and get you where you need to go, but what if you have a blow out. I'd rather risk it with a doughnut and drive it to a tire shop, rather than call a tow truck bring it to a tire store.
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