Question about having no spare tire+jack (Now with a poll!)
 

I noticed that one thing that people do in order to save weight is getting rid of the spare tire and jack, just having a roadside assistance plan instead. There is one thing though, how can the road side assistance do their job unless you don't provide them a spare tire and jack to work with? Do they bring their own tire? Do you pay for that tire? How does this all work? I feel like people have overlooked this scenario and think they're set when they're really not.

They tow you to the nearest tire dealer.

What happens if it's in the middle of the night?

You wait... ;)

That doesn't make any sense.

I have yet to see proof that such a small weight removal will affect FE in anything other than an older Honda Civic, though I suppose it could work in other very light cars like a Metro. (The link in my sig meta thread about weight reduction is a good thread on it with a few reports supporting both sides of the theory.)

On one hand, I can see how it doesn't make sense to go to all that risk for no payoff. OTOH, if I thought there COULD be something significant to gain, I'd give it a try. I haven't had a flat tire in years. If once every 5 years I had to get towed, no big deal; and I rarely drive at night anymore. Also, for common punctures I can fix it myself roadside with a plug, it's really easy.

i'll take the political POV, seeing both sides...

accountability is an issue for me. just GIT R DONE! carry the spare and change a flat yourself; let AAA tow you out of a REAL unresolvable roadside break-down.

on the other hand...

i wouldn't recommend changing a tire on a highway. people don't care to slow down, or even notice in some cases objects on the side of the road. a friend of mine was killed changing a spare by, you guessed it, another driver not paying attention.

so...carry the spare just in case you get a flat, and change it if it is safe to do so. and also what HC said! :p

I work at a tire store. I see people come in all the time with flat tires and whatnot.

And after reading this thread, even I am considering removing my flat tire!!! (Maybe only include it for long trips?)

Sure would be nice to have some extra trunk space as well...

What doesn't make sense? If you're being towed to a tire shop, but they're closed, you have to wait until they open in the morning.

-Jay

What he's saying that doesn't make sense is that is a LOT of hassle to deal with, compared with just carrying your spare tire around.

The alternative I'm considering is to leave it all at home in the garage, and have the wife bring it to me if/when I ever do require a spare tire. That way, I don't have to wait until the tire store opens the next day, but just wait an hour for the wife to haul the stuff to the car and drive to meet me.

First off, no, it has absolutely no effect on FE.

Secondly, almost no one who has a spare tire in their trunk keeps it inflated. That spare is useless to you unless it has 60 psi of air pressure in it. When it's low, it looks exactly the same as when it's not. When's the last time you checked yours?

Thirdly, you're better off carrying a battery jumper / air compressor "rescue pack". If for no other reason that to help someone else out. It's better than jumper cables in that you don't damage your own vehicle in the process.

Comments on the above:

• I've never had a spare tire that was underinflated to the point of uselessness, regardless of never checking inflation.
• I've had a few portable jumper packs, and they don't replace jumper cables, at least not for a big V8...maybe they're ok for a smaller engine. When fully charged, they're good when the car's battery has almost enough juice to do the job but not quite. Worth carrying, yes; worth replacing jumper cables, no.
• A big problem with them is keeping them charged. If I'm too lazy to check the inflation of my spare, what makes you think I'll bring it into my house once a week and plug it in?
• I've never managed to damage anything with jumper cables, and I've used them a million times, on modern computer controlled vehicles as well as old iron.
• Having an inflator/compressor is really great, and beats changing a low tire on the side of the highway or in the snow. Hook it up and sit in the warm driver's seat listening to the radio, then check on it once every five minutes. You can just pump it up to drive to the service station, or pump it up after plugging it with the plug kit I mentioned earlier (which is still quicker and easier than changing the tire IMO).

yea never understood not having it, i thought id be years before i got a flat... low and behold last year i was driving and trying to get up a steep hill and had the pedal floored and was dropping speed, shut off the radio listening for any weird engine noises, then kept hearing this whump whump whump noise and was like oh crap flat tire. pulled over indeed it was (all the way flat) got out the jack and lowered the spare and behold had it changed in 5 minutes and was on my way again.

if i didnt have it id either have to call one of my parents to get outa work to go home and get the spare (unlikely to happen, they woulda just said tough luck and call tow truck that woulda taken 30 minutes to get there) so i woulda been waiting around forever.

HC,

maybe one of us should put a message under our name or in our signature similar to theClencher's that says "Just leave the spare where it is dang it!"

My sig is full. My sig meta thread has the bit about weight FWIW.

I agree with HC about never having a spare lose pressure to the point of uselessness. I remember using the donut spare on my Pontiac wagon when it was 13 years old (It was never used before, and I doubt my dad ever checked it because you had to tear apart the car to get to it). @ 13 years the spare was still usable. Dad did keep one of those portable air compressors in the car too, so I guess if it was low I could have topped it off.

During the summer I carry a can of that inflat-a-tire repair stuff. but during winter I'll carry my (fully inflated;) ) spare tire and jack with me. I need the extra cargo space during the summer as I haul a bunch of stuff around.

lol that fix a flat crap is a pain, i know lots of tire places that the people working on them hate the crap. ive never had luck with it personally....

I was one of those tire monkeys that would complain about those fix-a-flat tires that would come in and need a new tire. But in a pinch, it works.

I like good fuel economy but don't want to take too much risk, so I carry the spare tire (fully inflated), the jack and the hand tools, and a pump in both of my cars. I feel good that some say that this bit of additional weight is not going to affect FE (significantly, I guess).
I believe that in many places, the law requires cars to have spare tires unless they have run flat tires.

I've never had a state inspector check my spare, I don't think I even have a spare in the Buick right now, because the spare dry rotted and I took it out.

Some of these tactic to save gas is just overboard. Losing your spare tire and jack is a no no. Never take your spare tire and jack out just to lose a few pounds to save gas. Those are some of the most important things you need in your car. I also don't understand those peoples that trun their engine off when stopping at a stop light or crusing down hill.

With the weight you'd save for the spare tire and jack, you'd be better off removing your passenger and (if applicable) rear seats. You're not in a bind if you get a flat and you get extra weight savings.

I have a spare tire and a pretty good portable air compressor along with a plug kit. There are some things I just won't do for gas mileage, and this is one that's definately not worth it to me.

For about a month I was turning off The Beast when stopped @ traffic lights. I got about a 10% gain in mileage, but it was a real PITA... Plus, I quit all of my "extreme" methods after I paid $1,000 for transmission service.

-Jay

Taking out the spare and jack is the same kind of short-sightedness that leads other people to mash the gas to the next stoplight and then mash the brakes...only opposite.

It may seem like the thing to do, but thinking it through to the end brings me to a whole 'nother end point. Being broke down on the side of the road and vulnerable isn't my cup of tea.

yea not to mention in the big scheme of things you aren't saving anyone gas because either A someone you know has to come brign you stuff or pick you up run home and get stuff then run back to your car or B you have to have a towtruck, etc come get you.

see this is what you do, you get married, then if you blow a flat you call your wife and tell her to bring the spare and jack to you. ;)

But then you're gonna hear for the next week how heavy and dirty the tire and jack were, and it got the back seat of her car all messed up, and then you have to spend an entire Sunday afternoon shampooing the carpets in her car...

Yeah, I'd never be able to convince my wife to bring me the jack and spare. A certain other type of jacking, maybe... :D

I was looking at a new Cadillac parked in front of Costco a couple weeks ago. According to the window sticker, in lieu of a spare tire and jack, they gave what amounted to a can of fix-a-flat. Left me scratching my head a bit...

:thumbdown: Lame [throw]rotten_tomato[/throw]

Yeah, that's getting pretty common. I think they got the idea from the success of cars with run-flat tires and no spare, like the Corvette (which started about 10 years ago IIRC). The new Camaro has the space for a spare but the spare itself is optional, else you just get the kit. The Toyota Sienna minivan has no spare and no space specifically for one either; you'd think that especially in a minivan the weight penalty is too small to be meaningful. Smart, Ford Focus, Honda Fit...everybody's getting in on the 'no spare tire' action.

No spare in a Focus? I'll have to double check my dad's next time I see it. He has a (relatively) new 08 Focus that's fully loaded except for leather seats and the "mood lighting" option.

-Jay

her car? oh well in that case i would tell her to walk.see i dont like that solution because what if you have a blowout. like the sidewall catches on fire and the tread is completely detached from the wheel.

the times ive had to use a spare, fix a flat would not have worked...

Could be optional like in the Camaro.

He meant that she'd complain about your spare tire dirtying her car when she brings it to you because you left it at home.

:thumbup: I have to use a spare after hitting a pothole or curb that breaks the sidewall or having a tire explode. If it's just a puncture I'll just plug it.

That reminds me, I haven't been carrying a full kit in the VW, just the stuff it came with. I'll have to remember to put everything in it when I start driving it again (soon, if this weather is any indication).

OK!

because none can predict what will be "plugable" or not, anyone that's not MacGyver-like, just carry the spare dang it!

PERIOD!

MacGuyver is a GOD! He can fix anything with chewing gum and a Swiss Army knife...

haha yea,

sigh new cars = teh fail... nearly becomming idiot proof/effort proof

soon we will have turn signals that will turn on by just looking at em!

heck we alreay have rain sensing wipers as if a knob/lever/switch is soooo hard to use! my god! i cant tell when i need the wipers on! EEK WHAT SHALL I DO!?!?!?

A quick note on MacGuyver...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-v9sCo7xZK0

Run-flat tires are HEAVY. In fact I bet they are so heavy, that the extra weight of those tires is the same as just running normal tires and carrying a spare...

-BC