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Location: San Ramon, Seattle, Anchorage, Reykjavik
2,254 posts, read 2,738,154 times
Reputation: 3203
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BostonMike7
You are absolutely right that if you got a flat you'd have to get towed to a tire shop. Not fun to do at 11pm when they are all closed. At least with a spare wheel handy, you can get around until you get to a tire shop.
Lots of cars are foregoing the spare. Carry some fix a flat for an emergency, if you really need to get on the road but keep in mind it tends to mean you now need an entire tire vs a simple patch if it's just a nail in tire.
Check eBay for spare tires. Dealer prices tend to be massively inflated
Most people will not have a flat in the lifetime of their car if they replace tires at the right time. So why carry the weight? Why pay for an additional tire and wheel? For those that do pick up a nail or other debris, a typical AAA response or tow truck driver will simply patch and refill the tire.
Believe it or not there are people that either don't know how to change a tire or are simply unable to change a tire. So it doesn't matter if there is a spare or not.
I think it would be best to some kind of spare, even if it is one of those little temporary spares. If someone doesn't know how to change a tire, or is physically unable to, it would be best to have a roadside assistance plan that could respond to change the tire.
Every now and then, I see an abandoned car at the side of the road jacked up, with one wheel missing. I figure someone got a flat, and didn't have a spare, and got someone to take them and the tire to a repair station. Since service stations with service bays are all but extinct, you're pretty much out of luck getting a tire repaired if it is after 6 PM around here, so what would you do if it is after hours and there is no spare?
Most people will not have a flat in the lifetime of their car if they replace tires at the right time. So why carry the weight? Why pay for an additional tire and wheel? For those that do pick up a nail or other debris, a typical AAA response or tow truck driver will simply patch and refill the tire.
Good grief. I've picked up lots of nails and screws over the years. The inconvenience of having to call for assistance for all of these would be ridiculous.
I guess if one never ventures out of a metro area it's ok. But I certainly wouldn't want to be stranded in the desert because of one nail.
believe it or not there are people that either don't know how to change a tire or are simply unable to change a tire. So it doesn't matter if there is a spare or not.
Believe it or not there are people that either don't know how to change a tire or are simply unable to change a tire. So it doesn't matter if there is a spare or not.
Probably mostly Millennials or younger, who grew up playing video games and didn't learn much about the real world. Most back-country people always carry two or more spare wheels with inflated tires.
Most people will not have a flat in the lifetime of their car if they replace tires at the right time. So why carry the weight? Why pay for an additional tire and wheel? For those that do pick up a nail or other debris, a typical AAA response or tow truck driver will simply patch and refill the tire.
Not true in our area for AAA. They would do nothing for us since we did not have a spare. I probably could have asked for a tow, but the car was in my driveway. So I refilled the tire and got to our mechanic for the fix.
Most people will not have a flat in the lifetime of their car if they replace tires at the right time. So why carry the weight? Why pay for an additional tire and wheel? For those that do pick up a nail or other debris, a typical AAA response or tow truck driver will simply patch and refill the tire.
Unless the nail is in the sidewall and can't be patched. I've been driving with a nail in my tire for 18 months without a problem. Now if I was planning a trip I would get two new tires even though the car has about 12K miles on it.
I haven't seen a real spare tire in a vehicle in years. My 1993 Mirage had a donut and my last 3 cars had a repair kit of some kind. I have roadside assistance and have no idea how to change a tire but since I don't do any traveling beyond my county I don't worry about it. When I asked why no spare tire, I was also told it was a weight issue and that the manufacturers were trying to give us better gas mileage but I'm sure they figured out a way to increase their profits while claiming to have our best interests at heart.
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