Spare wheel necessary?

[AnnasMerc83]

Thinking of ditching the spare wheel, freeing up some space and weight.

But wanted personal recommendation from long time drivers - do you wish you had one or is it an unnecessary weight?

Mainly do city driving, some long distance driving around the uk and typically an annual eurotrip.

 

[Muckypaps]

Haven’t needed one for the last twenty years.
But it’s staying.

 

[keith of kent]

Sadly I don't have the option of one, its got an adblue tank instead. I certainly would not ditch it if I had one, tempting fate

 

[Petrol Pete]

Same here . Last puncture that left me 'stranded' was over 20 years ago. But I was not stranded in the real sense as the spare wheel came in handy on the day.

Mine are staying . In all 4 vehicles.

By pure coincidence I was in my local Vauxhall dealership yesterday where they were offering this 'upgrade' . So 'we delete this stuff to save us money and squeeze our cars into some made up emissions category then try to sell it back to you ....


A spare wheel and a jack ..an upgrade ? FFS.

 

[SpikyMikey]

Specified spare wheel & toolkit on both of Mrs S's most recent cars which came with the can of goo as standard.
I also bought a spare for my Beemer, even though there was no spare wheel well.

 

[markjay]

On the W204, I replaced the space saver that it came with, with a full size spare. Never needed it, the jack is still shiny new and has never been used. On the Suzuki, it came with only a can of goo, so I purchased a brand new genuine space saver and toolkit (no room for a full size spare). On the IONIQ 5, I only have the can of goo that it came with, and absolutely no space for a spare wheel of any description. So sadly I don't have a spare in it. In all cars, I carry a tyre inflator, it will get you going (for a while) in the event of a nail or screw that didn't actually cause a blow out.

In summary, my view is: keep a full size spare in the boot if you can, or a space saver if there's no space for a full size spare, or, if you have no space for either, then have a good luck charm dangling from your rearview mirror....

 

[markjay]

Same here . Last puncture that left me 'stranded' was over 20 years ago. But I was not stranded in the real sense as the spare wheel came in handy on the day.

Mine are staying . In all 4 vehicles.

By pure coincidence I was in my local Vauxhall dealership yesterday where they were offering this 'upgrade' . So 'we delete this stuff to save us money and squeeze our cars into some made up emissions category then try to sell it back to you ....


A spare wheel and a jack ..an upgrade ? FFS.



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I think that the other main reason that manufacturers are not supplying a spare wheel as standard any more, is that it increases the car's weight which in turn increases emissions during type approval testing - if the spare wheel is defined as 'optional' then it does not need to be present in the car during emissions testing.

 

[Petrol Pete]

I think that the other main reason that manufacturers are not supplying a spare wheel as standard any more, is that it increases the car's weight which in turn increases emissions during type approval testing - if the spare wheel is defined as 'optional' then it does not need to be present in the car during emissions testing.

I did mention that in my post . The whole situation is ludicrous . My guess is that 'older' customers who have had a spare wheel in their cars since the year dot when realising the new car they are about to buy has no spare wheel ask the salesman if they can have one and when they say 'no' have threatened to shop elsewhere.

Or could it be a new sales tactic , like metallic paint, alloy wheels , floormats once were. ?

'Buy this car and we will throw in a jack and a spare wheel ! '

 

[markjay]

'Buy this car and we will throw in a spare wheel and a jack !

....but if you don't buy this car, we'll throw the jack at you! "

 

[ToeKnee]

The SL has no space for a spare so I have a compressor, tyre repair strips and a can of goo, plus mobillo.

 

[Mactech]

I last had a puncture 24 years ago. I have driven up to 30K miles a years since then and never needed a spare either when I had one on board or not.
Most of my cars in the last decade have not had spare wheels, but I have carried the aerosol 'gunk' as supplied by most manufactures now.
My current Porsche does have a collapsible spare, but it appears to have made no difference to its ability to 'find' a puncture or not.
I do check the condition of my tyres on a weekly basis, but again, there are no statistics to prove if this helps or not....but I will continue to do it.

 

[AndrewOl]

Always want a spare unless I have rft fitted. No matter how good modern tyres are they are still susceptible to an errant nail. Never happens when it is convenient so having a spare will get you out of trouble. I carry a can of tyre weld too as a back up. Not had to use that, more for using if I don’t fancy changing the wheel and just want to get somewhere safer.

 

[ToeKnee]

The SL has no space for a spare so I have a compressor, tyre repair strips and a can of goo, plus mobillo.

Plus, not much space in the SL boot for a spare wheel either.

 

[chic0821]

The problem with the "goo" is that when you go to the tyre shop, they will not clean it out so you need a new tyre

 

[alabbasi]

do you wish you had one or is it an unnecessary weight?

You'd wish you had one if you got a flat. Otherwise people never think about it

 

[merc estate]

My mate has a tyre shop and i would say 75% of his work is punctures, then 10% locking wheel nuts locked on or broken where they have been done up to tight. He recons you should throw the locking wheel nuts away, as when was the last time you heard of someone having there wheels nicked, they nick the whole car now not the wheels. It does make me think when i'm round there.
My set up is, i bought a spare wheel jack and brace, also have air pump, gunk stuff (which he also tells me ruins your tyre so you replace it) also i have the screws with the glue on (on ebay cheap if they work) the t bar thing you poke in the hole with the strips (but good strips not the crappy ones it comes with) and another can of tyre repair stuff. And most important pray you don't get a puncture O i forgot AA as well.

 

[merc estate]

The problem with the "goo" is that when you go to the tyre shop, they will not clean it out so you need a new tyre

I have been told that stuff degrades the rubber so that why it fixes it temporary, so you should get a new tyre.

 

[Benz17]

I replaced my runflats around September last year, have no spare, or anything else to help me in an emergency, I mostly drive in London, and have had no need to venture out too far from home frequently, although made a trip to Ipswich a few weeks back, and another planned next week.

Touchwood never had a blow out in 33 years of driving. TPMS does help me as far as slow punctures are concerned, so gives me enough time to fix.

Yes i guess it’s a risk, but do have mobilo if I ever was in a pickle.

 

[E55BOF]

Do you need a spare? Depends how risk averse you are. I'd have said not until about nine months ago, when I picked up a long thin screw that had gone through the tread and continued on to poke out through the sidewall very close to the rim. No goo or patent puncture repair item was going to fix that.

 

[PaulMason]

My SLK came without a spare, so within a week of purchase I hunted one down second hand with an air pump as they have to be flat to fit in the boot. I also have the gunk can in it. The S and ML both have spares, jacks with tyres I check the pressure on fairly regularly but neither have a compressor or gunk. All 3 are spacesavers, all 3 have the extra wheel bolts to suit. The last time I got a flat that necessitated a tyre change roadside was about 8 years ago, but I'd be uncomfortable driving without one. I even have a bag of tools in the S