That ******* spare wheel

[patsparks]

Use the "space saver" spare, how often do you get a flat tyre?
If you are fully loaded put some of the load on a passenger's lap while you drive to a repairer on the space saver. Good chance you will never need to.

By the way, here is Australia donuts are a food item. They are a round deep fried cake with a hole in the middle. Never use one as a spare tyre.

[David Beale]

It is actually more likely to get a flat in rain. The reason is the water acts as a lubricant to the tire cutting item/nail/screw. It's actually very difficult to puncture a modern tire in the dry, which is why it happens so infrequently.

Case in point, over the years I have seen people drive over glass beverage bottles. So far, in the dry, I've never seen it cause a flat, but in the wet, it's 50/50 (the bottles almost always shatter wet or dry).

At any rate, if you want to use a full size spare, you have to carry it deflated (as posted above). Which also means you have to carry a pump. Or you could just carry a can of "fix a flat" (the Mazda RX-8 comes this way).

You still have the original wheels with the tire pressure monitor sensors? Don't fret if they stole the OEM tires, they aren't worth much.

[darelldd]

It wasn't you experiencing a newbie moment. It was the dealer guy experiencing whatever it is that they experience. No spare well is sized to fit a full size wheel if the car comes with a donut. What would be the point in wasting all that space?

[richard schumacher]

Not to mention the ding on fuel economy that would come from carrying a full-sized spare around for a hundred thousand miles, or the added bother of wrestling with two full-sized wheels if the driver ever needs to do a swap on the road.

[lfwintx]

Originally Posted by qbee42

Likewise the odds go up pretty fast during heavy rain or slushy days, especially if you are wearing dress clothes.

Tom

How true! The one time I had a flat on the interstate (knock on wood!), I was wearing a dress, it was raining, and I had my elderly mother and her friend in the car with me. Thankfully, we could see an auto shop nearby on the access road, so I carefully drove through the ditch to get there, and the guys changed the tire for me.

My last flat happened just before I got into town on a back road, and I was able to drive slowly to a nearby tire dealer without any damage to the tire.

Linda

[jayman]

Originally Posted by patsparks

By the way, here is Australia donuts are a food item. They are a round deep fried cake with a hole in the middle. Never use one as a spare tyre.

Oh great, just brilliant. Now my tummy is rumbling

[Tech_Guy]

This situation is a well understood and vaguely documented law of nature: If you carry a well maintained spare tire, odds are that you will never need it. However, the day you remove your spare tire (and/or tire jack), the probability of tire failure increases radically.

Keith

[MagneticGrayIndy]

Originally Posted by qbee42

True, Tony, although the odds of selective probability say that the chances of having a flat increase dramatically if you have no room to carry a flat. Likewise the odds go up pretty fast during heavy rain or slushy days, especially if you are wearing dress clothes.

Tom

lol.... it's only funny 'cause it's true.... The last time I had to change a tire was on the side of a VERY BUSY freeway in the pouring rain wearing nice clothes... Now of course I have roadside assistance on my ins. Won't be doing that EVER again.

[galaxee]

i transported a flat today by removing the top of the luggage box cover (the hatch floor) and dumping the wheel in there.

normally i have a blanket i keep in the back for messy things, but it's currently in use elsewhere.

[lenjack]

Originally Posted by Tech_Guy

This situation is a well understood and vaguely documented law of nature: If you carry a well maintained spare tire, odds are that you will never need it. However, the day you remove your spare tire (and/or tire jack), the probability of tire failure increases radically.

Keith

This is actually one of the infinite variations on Murphy's Law!