Do you carry a spare wheel?

Page may contain affiliate links. Please see terms for details.

anderoo

Active Member
Joined
Jun 21, 2016
Messages
109
Car
C350 coupe
When I got my car there wasn't a spare in the boot, so I've got myself a spacesaver that fits in the space under the boot. Those things are heavy! I understand many/most new cars no longer come with a spare to help their MPG figures and I can kind of understand that now, I've noticed an immediate drop since fitting the spare.

It got me wondering how many people do actually carry one around with them all the time - do you? I have never had a puncture or blow-out but still feel very uneasy about being stuck somewhere out of the way with no spare, I guess it's likely to happen at some point. On the other hand, I have AA cover so although there would be some hassle it wouldn't really be the end of the world. Until that happens, I'm going to be paying a fair bit to cart that wheel around...
 
When I got my car there wasn't a spare in the boot, so I've got myself a spacesaver that fits in the space under the boot. Those things are heavy! I understand many/most new cars no longer come with a spare to help their MPG figures and I can kind of understand that now, I've noticed an immediate drop since fitting the spare.

It got me wondering how many people do actually carry one around with them all the time - do you? I have never had a puncture or blow-out but still feel very uneasy about being stuck somewhere out of the way with no spare, I guess it's likely to happen at some point. On the other hand, I have AA cover so although there would be some hassle it wouldn't really be the end of the world. Until that happens, I'm going to be paying a fair bit to cart that wheel around...

What are the figures? Nominal at worst surely?
 
True, fairly nominal, seems to be a drop of about 2mpg. But the highest I've ever soon in my car is 36mpg, so it's not nothing.

Maybe I should think of it as extra traction ;)
 
A full size spare plus jack is circa 20kg. C350 coupe circa 1600kg, so you're adding a little over 1% to the weight. That would not cause a 2mpg drop.

It comes down to packaging and space. A can of goo is a lot cheaper than a spare wheel, jack and wheel brace.
 
My W204 came with a space saver.

I replaced it with a full size spare.

It is worth noting that on the W204 the space saver does not really save any space, because it sits in a cavity under the boot floor the size of a full spare. The actual amount of space 'saved' is barely enough for storing a couple of fibre cloths....

I don't measure MPG, but as above - I doubt that adding the weight of a 6-years old child or a suitcase will have such a dramatic effect on on fuel consumption. If this was the case, than with 5 adults (additional 200-300Kg) and luggage (additional 30-50Kg) the car would have the MPG of a Hammer...
 
No room for spare in mine as it's taken up with the Adblue tank.

I cannot remember the last time I needed a spare it must be many many years.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 
@markjay - I guess your car doesn't have a staggered set-up? My S203 came with a space saver, I thought, because of the different rim/tyre sizes front/rear. Like yours it sat in a space big enough for a full size spare.
 
@markjay - I guess your car doesn't have a staggered set-up?...


No it does not... neither did my W203 :)

Much easier when you have 4 (or, in this case 5) identical wheels and tyres :thumb:

OK, so it does not look the business... small price to pay.... :(
 
No it does not... neither did my W203 :)

Much easier when you have 4 (or, in this case 5) identical wheels and tyres :thumb:

OK, so it does not look the business... small price to pay.... :(

TBH I don't think one can really see the difference, except perhaps from directly behind?
 
No room for one in ours. No jack, no wheelbrace, no compressor, no can of tyre sealant. Just run flat MOE tyres.

I thought it might have a collapsible space saver as per our SLK, but nope. Even if it did, one of the issues with fitting a spare is where to put the punctured wheel and tyre you've just taken off the car. In the SLK a full size wheel and tyre won't even fit in the boot! Even in our current car, it could be a right pain if fully loaded. So maybe not having one is a blessing in disguise?
 
Nope, not in the car I do 20k a year in, it has tyre weld and mobilo as a back up.

In the event of a puncture spares are undoubtably handy but people can over react about not having one.

It's like always walking around with an umbrella incase it rains.
 
When I had the CLS, I bought a space saver spare wheel for it, call me old fashioned but just don't like the thought of not having a spare.

Better looking at it than for it, as they say! :)
 
I reckon you must be right, I was just looking at the trip readout for average mpg but on reflection there are lots of factors at play there!

It came with a little compressor that plugs into the cigarette lighter, which is good - it means I can pump up my other tyres without having to go to the petrol station and pay a quid.
 
I've always used a foot-pump, quick, quiet and cheap..
 
My W201 had a full sized spare wheel which I carried around for 21 years without needing to use it so I understand the point being made. Then impact on performance and fuel economy must be small but would have added up over 21 years.

Had I ever needed to use it should I have trusted 21 year old rubber. It certainly looked sound having never been exposed to UV. In hind sight it should have been rotated which incidently is one use for a spare wheel. You can't easily diy rotate at all
without a spare to act as a temporary substitute.


My W204 has a space saver which probably won't get used either.

As for worrying about whether to carry a spare, I don't have a choice on my motorcycle which I've ridden for 10 years without getting a puncture. I don't even carry a spare tube or worry about what might happen if I do get a puncture. These things happen so infrequently that the worrying can be done if and when it happens.
 
In the past 20 years I used the spare wheel three times on the previous Merc, and twice on the wife's car.

There are a lot of builders, scaffolding, etc around where I live, and they just scatter nails and screws everywhere :(
 
Space saver. I used the space saver on my old B170 twice in five years and was glad to have it. Does anyone know if mobilo/AA/whoever would bring out a new tyre if you didn't have a spare and the flat tyre was beyond repair?
 
Yeah mine has a space saver one....first car I`ve had in years with a spare.
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top Bottom