Elimination of the Spare Tire
09-14-12, 05:33 PM
#16
Lexus Fanatic
I have run flats on my car, and there is not even a day goes by that I don't think about replacing it with regular tires since they ride very very bad! But since I can't find a spare tire solution with my car, I am just debating either get stuck with the stupid tires, or just take my chance and truely enjoy the better ride/handling a regular tire can provide.
What kind of vehicle are you driving?
09-14-12, 05:50 PM
#17
Advanced
Thread Starter
What original jack? The vehicle doesn't come with a spare, so why would assume it comes with a jack? The C-Max is a two model vehicle, a standard hybrid and a plug-in hybrid, neither of which has a spare tire, therefore no need for a jack.
09-14-12, 05:52 PM
#18
Former Sponsor
lol. Way to much misinformation spread sometimes. Its sad. Good post.
09-14-12, 05:57 PM
#19
Lexus Fanatic
I am talking about the customer who bought a 2012 ES350 over a 2013 because of the spare tire.
09-14-12, 11:32 PM
#22
Lexus Test Driver
In regards to donuts vs. full-size spares or even no spare at all...
With the push for standard factory roadside assistance, AAA trucks all over SoCal, and advances in tire plugging, I rather ditch the spare, save weight and space 100% of the time, and let the repair guy do the dirty work for me the other .01% of the time. I have no doubt manufacturers looked at those same lop-sided percentage numbers and made a decision.
With the push for standard factory roadside assistance, AAA trucks all over SoCal, and advances in tire plugging, I rather ditch the spare, save weight and space 100% of the time, and let the repair guy do the dirty work for me the other .01% of the time. I have no doubt manufacturers looked at those same lop-sided percentage numbers and made a decision.
09-14-12, 11:44 PM
#23
Honestly, I never had a flat when I have cars/trucks/vans with spare tire. But 1 month after I got my 7, one morning my tire system showed I got a flat on my right front tire. But the run flat still looks good, so I made an appointment with the dealer the next day, drove the whole day and went to the dealership the next morning to have the tire replaced. After the tire change, they informed me I had zero pressure in the flat tire. Amazing how I can still drive 50+ miles under 50mph with the flat tire. So the convinent is there. 
just wish tire manufactures will develop a run flat that drives just as regular tire, and doesn't cost arm and leg.
just wish tire manufactures will develop a run flat that drives just as regular tire, and doesn't cost arm and leg.
09-15-12, 09:22 AM
#26
Lexus Fanatic
Yes...a manual prop-rod. But I liked the car's overall refinement so much that I was willing to overlook that issue. Wasn't much I could do about it, anyway. But body side-moldings (I absolutely don't do without them), if omitted at the factory or as a dealer-accessory, can be aftermarket-bought and attached....as I did myself in about 45 minutes. It's not difficult...just clean the surface, do a little measuring and aligining with masking-tape, measure the molding-lengths to be cut using a sharp blade, (leave a little space at the ends for the doors to open and close), peel off the cover of the super-sticky 3M adhesive, apply....and enjoy.
Aftermarket mouldings typically come packaged as a roll.
Aftermarket mouldings typically come packaged as a roll.
Last edited by mmarshall; 09-15-12 at 09:25 AM.
09-15-12, 09:43 AM
#27
Out of Warranty
I'm on the fence about spares. I either want a full sized spare or none at all, my experience with mini-spares being really poor. The problem nowadays is access to the spare and the jack the factory provides. If I have a blowout on a freeway or interstate, I'm going to slow down and drive to an exit before even getting out to see the damage. Every month we have people killed here on Houston's network of freeways while attempting to change a tire on the shoulder of the road. Hour or traffic condition doesn't seem to matter, a drunk sees a car at the side of the road and while staring at it, drives straight into it.
Given that mindset, I know a blowout on the road is going to cost me a tire and maybe a rim. That's a given. If I'm able to get to a safe place to change the tire, my first task is getting to the spare. Today, most are located below the trunk floor, meaning I'm going to have to winch it down and ruin my clothes crawling under to retrieve it. Then I get to try to assemble and use the flimsy OEM jack and lug wrench to remove the flat and install the new tire, assuming the jack hasn't collapsed and injured me in the process.
So now I'm exhausted, filthy, and probably bloody. I've destroyed a tire, possibly a rim, a shirt and possibly a good pair of pants. Even though I always carry baby wipes for just such an occasion, my hands are dirty, if not slashed on some random bit of unfinished sheetmetal I happened to find while trying to get the wheel off the hoist and onto the hub. I'm late to my destination, mad at the auto club who told me they can be there in four hours, thus precipitating this whole mess, and look like I changed the oil and lubed the chassis while I was under there.
If you've ever seen a police chase on TV - one where the cops have spiked or shot the perp's tires and he's driving on rims for miles, you've probably arrived at the same conclusion I have . . . have a flat? Just keep going.
Given that mindset, I know a blowout on the road is going to cost me a tire and maybe a rim. That's a given. If I'm able to get to a safe place to change the tire, my first task is getting to the spare. Today, most are located below the trunk floor, meaning I'm going to have to winch it down and ruin my clothes crawling under to retrieve it. Then I get to try to assemble and use the flimsy OEM jack and lug wrench to remove the flat and install the new tire, assuming the jack hasn't collapsed and injured me in the process.
So now I'm exhausted, filthy, and probably bloody. I've destroyed a tire, possibly a rim, a shirt and possibly a good pair of pants. Even though I always carry baby wipes for just such an occasion, my hands are dirty, if not slashed on some random bit of unfinished sheetmetal I happened to find while trying to get the wheel off the hoist and onto the hub. I'm late to my destination, mad at the auto club who told me they can be there in four hours, thus precipitating this whole mess, and look like I changed the oil and lubed the chassis while I was under there.
If you've ever seen a police chase on TV - one where the cops have spiked or shot the perp's tires and he's driving on rims for miles, you've probably arrived at the same conclusion I have . . . have a flat? Just keep going.
09-15-12, 10:00 AM
#28
Lexus Fanatic
Much has been made of the fact that the modern Roadside-Assistance programs that automakers like to tout as selling-points have eliminated the need for do-it-yourself tire-changes....just dial 1-800-I'M-STUCK (I'm being facetious 
), and they send a tow truck at company-expense. That's fine...except that the truck tows you to the nearest dealer for that company (which may be a long way away), or, if unfeasible, to the nearest service/tire shop, which, in some rural areas, may also be quite a ways off. If you decide to do the tire-change yourself on the side of the road, that can sometimes be dangerous (I did it myself once, with a conventional spare, on a big full-size Chrysler Newport once, just outside of Pittsburgh on the PA Turnpike, but that was before traffic was as dense as it is today).....but at least you were putting a real tire on the car. Today's temp-spares and donuts are generally 50-MPH for 50 miles...no more.
With 4X4 and AWD vehicles and temp-spares, you sometimes also run into special equal tire-diameter requirements with worn tires, and/or disconnecting the AWD with a fuse-puller (as with Subaru), but that is a unique situation, and I won't get into it here. Details are given for each particular vehicle in the Owners' Manual.
), and they send a tow truck at company-expense. That's fine...except that the truck tows you to the nearest dealer for that company (which may be a long way away), or, if unfeasible, to the nearest service/tire shop, which, in some rural areas, may also be quite a ways off. If you decide to do the tire-change yourself on the side of the road, that can sometimes be dangerous (I did it myself once, with a conventional spare, on a big full-size Chrysler Newport once, just outside of Pittsburgh on the PA Turnpike, but that was before traffic was as dense as it is today).....but at least you were putting a real tire on the car. Today's temp-spares and donuts are generally 50-MPH for 50 miles...no more. With 4X4 and AWD vehicles and temp-spares, you sometimes also run into special equal tire-diameter requirements with worn tires, and/or disconnecting the AWD with a fuse-puller (as with Subaru), but that is a unique situation, and I won't get into it here. Details are given for each particular vehicle in the Owners' Manual.
Last edited by mmarshall; 09-15-12 at 10:26 AM.
09-15-12, 10:25 AM
#29
Much has been made of the fact that the modern Roadside-Assistance problems that automakers like to tout as selling-points have eliminated the need for do-it-yourself tire-changes....just dial 1-800-I'M-STUCK (I'm being facetious ), and they send a tow truck at company-expense. That's fine...except that the truck tows you to the nearest dealer for that company (which may be a long way away), or, if unfeasible, to the nearest service/tire shop, which, in some rural areas, may also be quite a ways off. If you decide to do the tire-change yourself on the side of the road, that can sometimes be dangerous (I did it myself once, with a conventional spare, on a big full-size Chrysler Newport once, just outside of Pittsburgh on the PA Turnpike, but that was before traffic was as dense as it is today).....but at least you were putting a real tire on the car. Today's temp-spares and donuts are generally 50-MPH for 50 miles...no more.
With 4X4 and AWD vehicles and temp-spares, you sometimes also run into special equal tire-diameter requirements with worn tires, and/or disconnecting the AWD with a fuse-puller (as with Subaru), but that is a unique situation, and I won't get into it here. Details are given for each particular vehicle in the Owners' Manual.
), and they send a tow truck at company-expense. That's fine...except that the truck tows you to the nearest dealer for that company (which may be a long way away), or, if unfeasible, to the nearest service/tire shop, which, in some rural areas, may also be quite a ways off. If you decide to do the tire-change yourself on the side of the road, that can sometimes be dangerous (I did it myself once, with a conventional spare, on a big full-size Chrysler Newport once, just outside of Pittsburgh on the PA Turnpike, but that was before traffic was as dense as it is today).....but at least you were putting a real tire on the car. Today's temp-spares and donuts are generally 50-MPH for 50 miles...no more. With 4X4 and AWD vehicles and temp-spares, you sometimes also run into special equal tire-diameter requirements with worn tires, and/or disconnecting the AWD with a fuse-puller (as with Subaru), but that is a unique situation, and I won't get into it here. Details are given for each particular vehicle in the Owners' Manual.
I want a spare.Prefer a conventional tire but at least a compact spare.In my vehicles I have flares,rubber gloves,rain poncho,blanket to sit or kneel on,Gorilla wrench,light,connect to battery air pump if needed etc.I'm prepared.
09-15-12, 10:41 AM
#30
Lexus Champion
In regards to donuts vs. full-size spares or even no spare at all...
With the push for standard factory roadside assistance, AAA trucks all over SoCal, and advances in tire plugging, I rather ditch the spare, save weight and space 100% of the time, and let the repair guy do the dirty work for me the other .01% of the time. I have no doubt manufacturers looked at those same lop-sided percentage numbers and made a decision.
With the push for standard factory roadside assistance, AAA trucks all over SoCal, and advances in tire plugging, I rather ditch the spare, save weight and space 100% of the time, and let the repair guy do the dirty work for me the other .01% of the time. I have no doubt manufacturers looked at those same lop-sided percentage numbers and made a decision.
Your flat tire doesn't always happen at a time that's convenient for roadside assistance. Yeah, they may come pick up your car, and take it to the dealer; then maybe they'll even give you a ride home. Then you have to get someone to give you ride BACK to get a loaner; and maybe you don't want to replace your tire from the dealer, etc. I'd rather take 20 minutes, get the spare on myself, and deal with fixing/replacing the tire the next day, or in two days--when ever it's convenient for me.
[EDIT] Except... [see next post]
Last edited by tex2670; 09-15-12 at 10:47 AM.