Is it worth getting rid of the spare tyre?

[AnthonyH]

I'm thinking about not carrying my spare tyre with me anymore. A lot of new cars don't have them at all.

From what I can tell mine weighs about 18Kg, which is 1.5% of the cars overall weight. So i'd get a 1.5% reduction in the use of petrol?

The last time I had a flat tyre was around 2012, so I've been carrying a wheel for all those years without needing it. I'm in the RAC so they'd tow me to get a new tyre at a garage I guess. Or I could buy a repair kit?

Maybe i could find something useful to do with the spare wheel well. My wife is all for using it for a fridge....

If you dont have a spare wheel what do you use your well for?

 

[the green vanper]

My now 21 years old daily car neved had (even as an option) a spare wheel. It was equiped with a factory repair kit (a 12V lighter socket operated air compressor + a 0,5 l bottle of a glueing liquid). When I bought it 5 years ago both were gone. Instead of byuing a factory kit, I bought a Motul P3 pressurized bottle which has compressed air and some liquid inside. It's single use, but it glued and inflated my rear tire (175/50R15) to 1,9 bars when I got a puncture. It was in the middle of a long weekend, so I was driving 3 days on it and I had no extra pressure loss.

The workshop was not especially complaining about it, they repaired the puncture but said that they cannot check the tire correctly for the pressure and advised to check it from time to time. I had no problems since.

The white spot on the tire is the excess of the fluid that was pushed out by the pressure.

The only problem is those repait kits work on small punctures only (nails, screws, etc), won't work on a side damaged tire nor when the tire falls of the rim due to some side impact. The only thing you can do then is call the insurance company. And hope a tow truck is available

 

[AnthonyH]

You've got me convinced. That little can/bottle looks exactly like what I need to be carrying.

All I need now is something useful to put into the wheel well.

I've seen some wheel well bags that would keep any water off, but they look a bit steep in price.

 

[StevenRB45]

The thing to consider is, once you've blown goo into it that tyre is going into the bin it cannot be repaired.

So rather than 20 odd quid for a professional plug job you're looking at however much it costs for a new tyre every time you get a puncture.

For me the 1.5% theoretical fuel saving is not worth it.

Fill the tank half way only if it's that important.

I should say I have terrible luck with punctures...had 3 in the last 12 months at least.

 

[the green vanper]

The thing to consider is, once you've blown goo into it that tyre is going into the bin it cannot be repaired.

So rather than 20 odd quid for a professional plug job you're looking at however much it costs for a new tyre every time you get a puncture.

For me the 1.5% theoretical fuel saving is not worth it.

Fill the tank half way only if it's that important.

Says who?

I've heard lots of this kind of legendary crap from drivers all around. When I called my friend to tell him that I got a puncture and used the repair kit, he told me I should have waited for the insurance company to send a tow truck. He's driving the same car as I am and carries a spare behind his seat...

On the first working day after the weekend I've asked 2 workshops if such 'sprayed' tire can be repaired. They confirmed. I've asked them if they are charging more than for the 'cleaning'. They said no... And that repair kits are very common nowadays. As I wrote in the first post, I had no problems since the repair.

 

[StevenRB45]

Says who?

I've heard lots of this kind of legendary crap from drivers all around. When I called my friend to tell him that I got a puncture and used the repair kit, he told me I should have waited for the insurance company to send a tow truck. He's driving the same car as I am and carries a spare behind his seat...

On the first working day after the weekend I've asked 2 workshops if such 'sprayed' tire can be repaired. They confirmed. I've asked them if they are charging more than for the 'cleaning'. They said no...

I see you're in Poland...perhaps things are different but it's usually the case here they won't do it (apparently I don't know as I've got a spare).

 

[the green vanper]

I see you're in Poland...perhaps things are different but it's usually the case here they won't do it (apparently I don't know as I've got a spare).

Really, everyone around was saying the same thing. Except the workshops..

So, just call 2 or 3 of them around you to ask for it.

 

[StevenRB45]

Really, everyone around was saying the same thing. Except the workshops..

So, just call 2 or 3 of them around you to ask for it.

I have no need to, but most of them have it on their website.

Only black circles seems to say you can but only after cleaning and inspection..which I'd imagine most tyre shops would probably say "yeah mate it's failed inspection you need a tyre".

Also here's something from Kwikfit..

 

[AnthonyH]

The thing to consider is, once you've blown goo into it that tyre is going into the bin it cannot be repaired.

I would buy a new tyre always if I had a known puncture, recently I wasn't sure if I had puncture or not, but after a few months I became convinced that was the case and changed the tyre.

For me the 1.5% theoretical fuel saving is not worth it.

It is a saving in petrol for certain, but whether its 1.5%, or more or less is uncertain.

But I'm looking at it like this- if i'd not carried that tyre for 10 years I'd have said 1.5% x 10 =15% of a whole years petrol, or thereabouts.

 

[StevenRB45]

Do you notice fuel savings or costs of passengers? The wheel weighs significantly less than an adult passenger.

If anything I'm just in awe of you managing 10+ years without a puncture...

In the last 12 months I've had a faulty valve...a nail and a particularly large Hawthorne spike through a side wall.

 

[the green vanper]

I have no need to

(apparently I don't know as I've got a spare).

That explains all

 

[StevenRB45]

That explains all

It does except the bit where national companies have put on their website saying they refuse to do it.

Op would apparently replace tyre anyway but given a very large chain will refuse to repair a temporary repair in the UK it's a very much something to consider..

 

[Twotone2]

My wife’s car had no spare wheel only a puncture kit and sure enough one of her tyres shredded on the motorway a couple of years ago she did manage to get off the motorway and parked up in a side road, I went to get her and take her to her work, the puncture repair kit was useless as the tyre was wrecked but I phoned an emergency tyre guy and he was out within about two hours and charged me £100 to replace the tyre which I thought was excellent service but that was a Monday morning around 9am when I phoned him. I’ve still got his number in my phone.

Personally I’d rather have a spare tyre and have bought one off of here for our Panda 4x4 as I think a puncture would be easier to get on a 4x4 simply because of the roads you can access sometimes.

I’ve had a few punctures over the years but I’ve never had a shredded tyre or had to use an emergency guy because of it.

 

[AnthonyH]

If anything I'm just in awe of you managing 10+ years without a puncture...

We went to RAF Cosford in 2012 and not far away went over the biggest pothole I've ever seen. Luckily we didn't crash, but the tyre went down quickly. Its a good museum, i've been meaning to go back for a good while now.

 

[FiatMatt94]

My Panda didn't have a spare wheel when it was new, but I got a full size one just for peace of mind in case I do ever get a puncture which has happened since owning the Panda & I can change it at the side of the road within a couple of minutes & be away again, I can't say I noticed any difference in fuel consumption though but even if it did make a small difference I'd rather just have it in there for when something does happen

 

[lunchbeers]

I've just had this with my BMW, no spare from factory, not even an option or spare wheel well.

Had tyres replaced with non-runflats on Saturday and found they had buggered the TPMS valve in the process, was stuck without a car whilst I could source a new specific valve and have it replaced... Never buying a car without a spare wheel again...

Some of the tyre sealants are water-based and will wash out as long as they're seen to quickly.

 

[the green vanper]

Do you guys travel with other spare parts 'just in case'? and a set of tools to change them on the side of the road? belts? spark plugs? ECUs?

My dad did. In northern Africa in the middle of the 80s... That was 40 years ago. World has changed since.

I know that 'bad things' happen to tires. The puncture from last April was the first one I got since some 20 years. For the first ten years I've been doing 35 - 40 tkm / year, then I changed my job and am only doing around 10 - 12 tkm / year. 2 cars + van + motorbike. The previous car was crashed by my friend, it had an original 27 year old spare on a steel rim with no wear signs. I had it for 5 years. Of course, I had a similar repair kit 'just in case'.

And no, roads are far from ideal here.

 

[lunchbeers]

Only bulbs and fluids.

I've never broken down with anything other than clutch issues, neither of which could be fixed by the side of the road.

 

[StevenRB45]

That's not the question either though...it's would you remove something fitted into the car for your convenience for no real benefit?

Last year a friend of mine cracked a wheel on a pot hole, for me that's inconvenient as long it takes to put the spare on for him it was his car needing to be recovered, needing to order a matching wheel and waiting for it to arrive and then getting the wheel to where the car was on the bus...

So if I had a car with no spare...I'd deal with it..but I'd not choose to.

 

[AndyRKett]

I’ve had my car 8 years now and aside from the nail that must have come from building Noah’s ark that my wife put through the tire and about 3 inches out of the tire wall when the car was under a year old, I have never otherwise had to use the spare, a repair kit would not have dont much to the steel pole that pierced the tire so I am glad I had the spare but thinking about it logically in 8 years and now nearly 100k I have to wonder how much cost it would work out in terms of fuel burned for added weight ? Of course these days I have a child’s car seat that weighs about 10kg or more and a push chair permanently in the boot along with a regular rotation of toy cars or dinosaurs in the back so the weight of the wheel now is probably largely irrelevant