J.P.

Also if your in the middle of no where \ night \ scared, you can still drive on the rim at low speed, yeah you screw the rim up but your also not reported missing either

Lil4X

Very true. My stepmom's Olds Ciera had about 12K miles on it at six years of age. Her OEM tires were still on the vehicle, and one blew out about a block from home simply due to dry rot. When I pulled the temporary spare out, because it had been neglected for so long, having never been put on the ground, naturally it was flat. I put it in my car, hauled it down to the corner gas station where I filled it and put it in the water trough to check for leaks - it was fine.

I mounted it on the car just to drive to the tire store for a full set of road tires . . . and got about a block before that temporary spare blew out. Dry rot too.

If you are going to carry a spare, check it occasionally and replace it at least every five or six years, whether you've used it or not.

PhilipMSPT

iTrader: (5)

I prefer NOT having a spare.

The spare (and all its tools) are too heavy, takes up too much space, and is often simply neglected because of non use.

And it's a bit challenging to carry around a spare on the motorcycle.

Being in urban sprawl, it's easier for me to call AAA or have L.A.'s roaming Metro service assist. L.A. Metro would prefer to help you with a flat tire than to keep the freeways more congested with inoperable vehicles on the side of the road.

Joeb427

iTrader: (1)

I like having a spare.
When I had my 335i,I hate run flats and immediately changed to conventional tires and bought a BMW compact spare kit for $300.
Yes,it took some trunk room but it was fine.

jadu

iTrader: (42)

^^^ I agree.

In all my years of driving, I believe I'm averaging 1 spare tire change once per year. It's become less frequent now as I've learned to take care of cars better, but it has definitely come in handy.

It's funny to think that the first mod on my next new car would probably be a spare tire lol

GS3Tek

iTrader: (8)

I love the older lexus because they give you the full size spare

I totally agree. It takes at least 30 min for AAA to come out.
I would rather continue to drive/crawl slowly to somewhere safe and change it out myself.

how do you expect them to squat when they're wearing those nad-crushing stupid skinny jeans???
guys nowadays are too metrosexual, can barely work a screwdriver

Byprodrive

iTrader: (1)

Tires do not "blow out" from dry rot at 6 years of age. Tires usually blow out from insufficent air pressure to support the load on the tire. Rubber dryrot is accelerated by ultraviolent light especially direct sunlight which is why sparetires last much longer than other tires. I have driven on 20+ year old spare tires many times & have 1 in my garage now for that purpose.

kikcaffine

iTrader: (3)

I wouldnt feel safe driving my GS down the highway on a donut spare. Love the fact that if i get a flat with my fullsize, I can keep my trip going and not have to worry about finding a new tire immediately.

Also- yes its full of air (approx 38psi) and yes its got a DOT number that places it newer than 2005.

I8ABMR

who would want to even wait for them. I would just jump out and change the tire. It wouldnt take more than 15 minutes. I would just make sure that I wasnt stopped on the freeway. I would drive the car slowly and exit the freeway. changing a tire on the freeway is an easy way to get killed

Fizzboy7

I agree. I've never seen any aging on my spare tires. They are stored in the trunk compartment out of sunlight and wet contact. With the IS tires wearing out so quickly anyway, two to three years sitting in the trunk isn't much before the spare is put to use.

Kostamojen

"Boonies" would be more than an hour drive from a populated area. Around here, even the "in-between" towns have towing services, so you will never be too far from a truck.

But if I did a lot of traveling and cross-country driving, I'd want a full sized spare of course.
Is everything in your life so important that you cant ever wait for a tow truck???

Seriously, I'm surprised to hear that kind of comment.

Plus, unless your tire completely blew out, just have a bottle of the tire-seal stuff and a small air pump on hand to re-inflate the tire and you are good to go. I've personally never had a total blow out, just a nail here or there.

Unless of course as mentioned, you are in the middle of nowhere traveling across the country and not just on your daily commute...

Och

iTrader: (3)

What surprises me is that run flat tires didn't become as popular as they should be. They are pricy, but they eliminate the need for spare tire, but even more importantly they eliminate the hazards associated with blown out tires and trying to replace a blown tire on the shoulder of a highway.

Och

iTrader: (3)

Since we are talking about tires, I remember posting a thread a while ago... maybe as long as a year ago, that got no responses.

What is the proper way to check for tire pressure - is it with the wheel jacked up or with the car resting on the wheel? Does the weight of the car affect measured tire pressure?

97-SC300

iTrader: (17)

This is a bad idea.... nothing more than a bad idea.

Brian@Vossen

Have triple A, AMEX, Lexus Roadside and Michelins= lol at spare

http://www.michelinman.com/promise/