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Why many new cars are missing spare tires
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Autos Canada
Not able to find a spare tire in your trunk? It's no surprise. The auto industry has been quietly replacing them with donuts (above)--or just an aerosol patch kit.
Spare tires, once indispensable to drivers everywhere, are going the way of the running board. A victim of environmental legislation, the full-sized spare is giving way to aerosols and patch kits or anorexic "run flat" donuts designed to reduce weight and improve mileage while making the most of cargo space.
Even premium brands like Cadillac now provide a "do it yourself" kit for drivers to remedy a flat. But often as not, says this is a needless gesture. "In the age of OnStar there is little need for a spare tire," he says. "Instead of wrestling with lug nuts and a cumbersome tire all you have to do is press a button and ask for road service."
Be that as it may, some marques still cling to the time-honored full-sized spare tire. "Space considerations compel us to offer a "run flat" spare with solid sidewalls in a few of our models," says Toyota Public Affairs Manager Wade Hoyt, "but philosophically the company leans to the full sized spare."
For the true car buff there's more than expediency at stake; it's a matter of tradition. "There was a time when every red-blooded male knew how to change a tire," says Gene Petersen, Consumer Report's Senior Automotive Tire Test Engineer. "Especially in Canada, where self reliance was taken for granted. But today it's a lost art."
Indeed, the spare tire was more than practical; it was the hallmark of such legendary automobiles as the Lincoln Continental, with bulging trunk lid, and the Bugatti Sport Saloon with dual spares inset over the front fenders. It's unlikely that the spare tire will ever return to its former prominence as a fashion statement but there's something to be said for the old fashioned spare.
"The idea that you can replace a spare tire with a can of sealant and compressed air is erroneous," says Petersen. "First, knowing people, they'll seal a flat and keep driving without bothering to have the tire serviced. Second, if you have a cut in the sidewall, which is very common, the sealant approach doesn't work."
The problem is, tires have become so reliable that they're taken for granted. "You should check your tires at least once a week, and not just by looking at them. Modern day radials tires are different from bias type tires; the former have a natural bulge to them so you can't do a visual check, you have to use a pressure gauge."
Today even Rolls Royce provides owner with an aerosol can and patch in lieu of a spare tire. This is a far cry from the way it was in the 1950s when the directions in the Rolls Royce owner's manual on how to change a tire began with: "Instruct your man..."
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