Here's a gem for you John. The original Mini always carried a spare, even after the wheels became 12". New MINI, has, as far as I know, never had space to carry a spare, despite the car being the size of a small planet compared to the original.
Bean counters can be very very stupid as well. When I worked in long distance trucking, the fucking bean counters would constantly come up with "ideas" on how to save money😠😠😠 For instance put inferior parts on vehicles, cheap tyres, etc, etc. This NEVER worked, and eventually the one's who operate like that go poopy in trou. The companies that actually did the best for their vehicles and staff, were ultimately the one's that survive.
@@BubblesTheCat1 I love when they leave little hidden cheapery gems to mess with your day. Hidden deep in the water pump one bean counter left a little effyou by managing to convince someone a nylon impeller was a good idea...
I like to share my experience here in Perth. I bought a new hybrid R4 and I am happy with the my choice. However, because I regularly drive up north which can mean a trip of up to 400-600 kms between towns; I insisted on dealer fitting having a full size spare because I belive a space saver would be useless should I have a flat between towns. However, while the delivery took an extra three months, it was worth the wait.
The spare tyre came 3 months after you got the car... or did the dealer "punish" you by making you wait 3 months more for a whole new car (including spare)?????
Going on holiday to France from the UK, I bought a space saver tyre kit to avoid this very scenario and there’s space under the boot floor for the tyre and jack etc. The peace of mind from having it was incredible,didn’t need it but happy it was there. Good video John.
Totally agree. But have you ever seen cleaner, flatter roads than the French autoroute? Man, they're nice (I used a Renault Trafic for many years... it had only the mobility kit, a can of goo and a compressor... on a commercial vehicle with no space restrictions).
You are a good man John. Taking care of our aging parents can be stressful and a very humbling experience. Nice of you to try and help the stranded lady too, despite having a stressful day yourself. Hope dad is doing well, it sound like he is well taken care of. I personally always carry a tyre plug kit and a portable Ryobi inflator as well as a full sized spare in my Kia Sportage. P.S. Also a good idea to include a NOCO GB40 jump starter. So far, I managed to help out a few people stranded at a carpark. Keep up the good work mate.
That's why the Subaru Outback made it to the top of my short list....a full size spare with matching alloy wheel. You can stick your motorcycle wheel or aerosol can where the sun don't shine
Yes I have the MY18 XV with the space saver spare, I’ve been thinking of getting a fifth ATT but I’d have to buy an iron wheel. I couldn’t get the mag at the wreckers.
When looking for a car a while back we had a choice of two configurations of the same car. One with a third row of seats and no spare at all, or one with a space-saver. We opted for the space-saver equipped version for exactly the reasons you describe. I wonder if such an option would even be available on the current model of that vehicle. I know you weren't looking for support, but this is offered in whatever way you would like (or not) to accept it. I've been through the 'big C' wringer with both parents. My father passed away and it led to me heading off to the ADF to earn my degree and take some of the burden off mum - then again with mum about five years later. There was a world of difference even after five years and that was back in the 1980s. I'm very glad your father is doing so well. We should be thankful we live in a country where our health system is so good, and make sure we fight like hell to keep it out of the hands of the greedy thieves that would like to see it go the way of the US.
A n alternative to carrying a spare in every vehicle would be to standardize wheel bolt sizes and centering diameters, so let's say 2 specially crafted wheels sizes could fit each and every car as a spare wheel, and each and every roadside assistance could carry a set or two, with a country-wide deposit system to pay for it if ever you keep the spare. Vehicles fitted with a spare could then also help the ones with no spare, in most cases. As the OEMs have gone wild with car wheel screwing interfaces, there's a shitton of different sizes and flavors, it would really help to standardize. There's no point to have 150 different styles of screwing interfaces for car wheels, other than shitty NIH syndrome. And the OEMs do not want to standardize, so its time for a law doing this job.
John, I fully understand your feeling about "cancer day". For the past 5 years, I've been seeing an oncologist. I've had surgery and radiation. I'm now on 3-monthly hormone injections. As lovely as the people are, I dread every appointment. Your story about the car with no spare is a real wake-up call. I recently had a flat in a shopping centre carpark and thankfully my car has a full size spare. I was in the process of changing it, when a young trolley collector took pity on me and finished the job for me. I'd dread being in that situation, if I didn't have a proper spare. Thank you for this story. It's a valuable warning.
My wife had a Mazda Tribute Wagon and some kind gentlemen helped her change a flat tyre for the space saver spare while I was at sea working. She then mostly used my car because hers had seemingly also developed a computer fault and the driving was problematic ( Limp mode ) . By the description I got I figured the car was toast and basically a write off at 5 grand for the computer and it being worth a max of 6 at a yard. I bought her. a 2016 xtrail to replace the Mazda and figured I'd have it towed to a wreckers but my neighbour asked if he could have it for his 7 kids to play pretend trips in the yard and I figured why not so I gave it to him. He changed the space saver spare and the computer problem went away and he had himself a not too shabby tribute wagon to ferry the kids around albeit in multiple trips! Not even trying the spare is on me I know, but in my defence I worked at sea and didn't have a lot of time off and the Mrs wanted a newer one anyway and I'm happy for my neighbour. If you do use a space saver and your computer goes into limp mode maybe don't throw the car away but hey it's your car so that's up to you.
lol, someone else here commented that the smaller spare tyre had the car constantly beeping and flashing warning lights at him the entire time it was on. I believe the smaller diameter tyre tricks the car into thinking its constantly losing traction as the spare is spinning faster than the rest.
@@archygrey9093 Yeah it actually had impressive traction control going on and thats what sent the computer into limp mode, but i was at sea for months at a time with overtime etc and i just couldn't be arsed, mrs already had the xtrail picked out and the Mazda went to a good home
Good to hear your Dad is doing well. You are so right about the new treatment options now available. Not much hope a decade ago. Thanks for the advice. I’m about to purchase a new car, and I assumed it’ll have a spare. I’ll double check.
I got a full size spare with a steel wheel for a car I had as I did not like the look of the space saver wheel it came with, but the steel wheel requires shorter bolts than the Alloy one, not good. Then the good thing about the space saver is that you can see it. A lot of people will fit the spare with a full tread old tire on it and leave it with a worn one on the other side and drive forever, not good. Daughter calls one night says she has a flat tire, off to the rescue. Never had a look into the back of the car, but to my surprise under the carpet a full size wheel well with a large lump of Styrofoam containing a electric compressor and a bottle of sealant. no jack nothing. Amazingly this worked. So for me the best solution for the if the wheels go round drive it crowd is the Space Saver.
Absolutely agree. Just a stupid idea that I suspect might to some degree stem from a space issue caused by the need shoehorn in a big extra battery, especially in a car that was not originally designed for it. Nice work on the story, short and to the point, well done.
I totally enjoy your videos. I agree with regarding the lack of a spare tire. I had a 2012 GMC Terrain AWD and one day I rubbed a curb and cut the sidewall. One those inflator things was not going to enable me to get to a service station. Now I was and am unable to change a tire, but I can call road side assistance to get it changed. People need to wake up and begin demanding good sense.
John, you're a bl**dy legend. I love the intelligence and decency that emanates from your channel. I'm not really into cars, but there is so much (more) valuable information and advice in your videos. I want to be like you if I grow up. 😁👍👍
I'm with you John on this one. I once (heaven forbid) looked at a VW Polo and there is was ... no spare. I said to the young salesman "i would never buy a car without a spare and if possible a spare the same as the other wheels on the car". Was told I could buy an extra wheel. WTF should I? You should supply the spare with the car in the first place. Now, I'm no lover of the spacesaver spare but as you said it would have solved the problem in this case. I was looking at the IONIQ 5 PHEV and when I saw there was no spare, I said to myself... No sale here...😁
Absolutely, no spare, no sale. Wife had a car with a spacesaver, the limited safe use of such is no good when a long way from destination, specially between saturday evening and monday morning when tyre shops are closed.
Try any BMW, not only no spare or space saver, they reduce the wheel well size (at least in the 3 series) so there’s nowhere to put a spare. A curse on the BMW engineers who thought this was a good idea. Never again BMW.
@@Meeliskt77 The problem is that many cars don’t have the space in the well for a spare tyre.Only ever needed a spare tyre once in over 50 years of driving but still look for a full size spare when reviewing car purchase.😀
Hi John, had a sidewall puncture recently in my Holden Astra VXR 2015 and had an issue as it doesn’t have a spare! Kit was no good cause as you say hole in the sidewall no good, only good for nail in tread etc. Luckily I got RAC to come out and put it on a flatbed (great fun as car is so low that it scrapped up the bloody ramps). Only trouble was it was the weekend so had to have the car taken to my home then arrange a few days later (having sourced the “high performance” tyres not normally carried by the retailers),to have a truck take it to the tyre specialist! What a pain in the arse. I subsequently found out that the bloody car doesn’t even come with a Jack, so there’s that as you say.Will never repeat this mistake.
Spot on JC! Extends to a fairly standard situation for many companies - if the bean counters are running the show, they'll improve profits short term, but at expense of quality, innovation, engineering. Then generally 5-10 years later, said company is going pear shaped because for "some reason" no one is buying their products. They blame it on unspecified market forces... Then someone with passion for the product gets put at the helm, likely an engineer, and next product cycle the product starts winning again... Except in Holden's case. No one could save them from the damage the bean counters did.
Absolutely spot on. Even if you have a "nail type" puncture the game goes like this. Mobility kit, empty goo into tyre, plug in compressor, wait eternity for it to inflate tyre, drive 7 kilometres ( to spread the goo) after affixing little sticker that says don't exceed 80 kph to inside of vehicle just to remind driver , stop, plug in compressor and check pressure and inflate again if necessary, drive another 7 kilometres and stop, plug in compressor and check pressure. If pressure not holding call roadside assist and wait for repair person, tilt tray or tow truck. Now that tyre probably can't be repaired due to the goo inside, new tyre. Now if the car has tyre pressure sensors, that will also have to be replaced due to the goo, you will probably also have to go to the dealer to get the warning codes reset after the monitor triggers the sensor. So probable dollar cost, new tyre supply and fitted, tyre pressure sensor supply and fitted, dealer reset charges, new can of goo. Just absolutely bloody ludicrous. Oh, by the way, the new Nissan "go where you please" AWD e-thingo - can of goo only.
I was working in the tyre industry when runflat tyres launched on the BMW cars and it was a complete nightmare, most drivers didnt realise once the tyre was driven flat it needed replacing. They didnt get a spare and had to ask the dealer to fit spares by special request. I remember BMW did take extra rims and tyrea around for these emergencies. I still personally believe the best situation is a full size spare with the exact same size tyre as on the vehicle, old school it seems but it works in you favour once you need replacement tyres.
@@JohnSmith-yv6eq as far as I remember the asymmetrical tyres were labelled inside and outside on their sidewalls, now that I'm thinking back they also had two different widths of tyres front and back (staggered fitment) especially Mercedes loved doing this and they usually had a steel rim and tyre one rim size smaller which worked perfectly. I must be totally honest and prefer simple vehicles with a full size spare and I drive a bakkie/Ute myself with a popular brand and size tyres fitted.
@@henkstols9326 can't even get new tyres on the rear and put the rears on the front. save the back tyres cracking with old age. then again on the rear wheel drive cars the back wear out before the fronts anyway. but I would still prefer all the tyres the same size.
Im pleased you brought this up, We own a Hyundai Kona EV (2022) and Im soon to do a video of us implementing and securing a space saver in our Car.. The last thing I would want is to be stranded on a flooding rain day at the side of the road with a huge hole in my sidewall. It should be online in the next few weeks, there is a guy online who has done this, but its just a webpage with some lines and we all know a picture/video says a million words.
Excellent Vlog Mr Cadogan, I have a 2019 Subaru XV, lovely car..........except for the space saver, or more specifically, the cavity that only fits a smaller diameter space saver wheel. I wish vehicle manufacturers would at least make the spare wheel cavity big enough to hold a full size spare wheel, even if I wanted to place a narrow, cheese cutter wheel as a spare it won't fit...........but at least there's a spare, it seems ludicrous to not have a spare wheel as an option.
Triggered me on this one JC. Just got my awesome new o-light torches delivered and like them a lot. The brand new base model i30 is a great little car, well recommended by one of your dudes on the other end of the line. He couldn’t do much on price as it was a special Hyundai pricing but just the chat was valuable enough. Particular points in the base models favour were the spare full size tyre and the 15000km service interval, versus space saver spare and 10000km service interval in the $6000+ more expensive N-Line. And mum’s funeral is Wednesday after a long battle with oesophageal cancer. I hope your dad pulls through and goes peacefully whenever that time may be. Cheers, Luke.
My old car had a full size spare. My new car had a can of foam. That went in the bin at the first opportunity, and a spacesaver and jack is now in place. When my mate bought his first car, he was pleasantly surprised to find a full size spare on board. As for the big C, my dad had his 20 odd years ago, and the treatments are definitely getting better. Here's hoping your old fella sticks around for a fair bit yet 👍👍
I was given a rental car while mine was being repaired after someone pulled out on me. I had a similar experience with a can of foam and a compressor (both one use items) sat forlornly in the bottom of a full size spare wheel well. Now, it is just me or is it just stupid to equip a car with a full size wheel well, do all the dies for the steel pressing, calculate the crash performance etc, and then not fit a spare wheel? If all you were going to do is supply foam and a compressor why bother putting the wheel well in there in the first place? Its like they dont know what they want. Anyway, going forward i will not be buying anything without a spare and if i accept a spacesaver then it will be under significant duress.
@@LaserEnginesAGC it's probably more that the dies were already set up for the wheel well, and it would cost more to change the dies than it does to cut a huge chuck of foam to fill the gap. At the end of the day, it's really down to the governments to fix, since they dictate what's legal on the roads. In the UK, supply of a spare was a legal requirement until recently, but the government changed the rules, and now a tin of snot counts as adequate.
@@mcdon2401 Its possible, but its still stupid to make the car with the capability and then not bother with it. And this is a brand new (late 21) car. I dont know what platform its on, but it couldnt have been that old
Good timing, I had a flat last weekend, no spare! only a can goo in the trunk. Fortunately I'm at least somewhat mechanically minded and keep my own car toolkit with the car too (torque wrench / plug kit / pressure gauge etc). Removed the nail and put a plug in to get to the shop, considered using the goo but it seems very hit and miss depending on the type of puncture you get and I didn't want the local mechanic to have the headache of having to clean out the inside of the wheel after repair. Called up the dealer after that and found they sell a space saver kit as an optional accessory! Instead opted for a standard sized wheel off a well known auction site for 1/4 the price the dealer wanted for something that should come as standard. I guess in part a lot of it is due to cars being sold as no maintenance these day and people not knowing how to change a flat, of course triple A or your equivalent wrecker / road side assistance isn't going to complain with all the extra business their way from something that the owner used to be able to resolve in a matter of minutes. Best wishes for your old man, hope he has many healthy days ahead. lost mine to cancer a few years ago. -edit- Should have added, the goo option isn't an equivalent solution to a spare wheel and the manufacturer should clearly make that known to buyers of cars. Most mechanical people will already know that there are many types of damage or failure modes that it cannot repair.. such as sidewall damage, valve failure but the average consumer might not be aware of that. Flats for many are an increasingly rare occurrence but even so, depending on when and where they happen having a spare wheel can make the difference between a ten minute minor inconvenience and several hundred dollars and many hours later.
It's about time someone brought up the subject of spare tyres or no spare at all. Would you consider doing a video explaining the different types of spares available. ie. Run flats, collapsible spares, donuts, whatever they are, space saver and repair kits. Don't forget nothing at all. I won't bore you with my experiences with flats and blow outs, but I can assure you I have had my share and probably someone else's as well. Thank you for your informative videos. Well done.
It's the bean counters wanting to save that 1p bucks per car Run flat are crap and damage the tyre rims ,brakes and suspension, sump and plastic covers Especially if you have drive any distance and on uneven roads So having a proper sized spare tyre is going the cost less than the tens of thousands of dollars driving on run flats Especially on an expensive European car
We have a Grand Caravan with the space saver mounted outside underneath the floor under the front drivers seats. Limited space under there both width & height wise. No where else to keep a spare safely. Unsafely, I have had a full size sitting behind my drivers seat on the floor loose when we do a long trip (1000 kms round trip). Nothing to tie it down to. Nothing like a 19kg/40 lb projectile waiting for a crash to crush me dead! I believe the newest version has no spare at all. A great topic as always, John!
Glad your father is doing well mate, i lost my wife to bloody cancer 5 years ago. I got to know Westmead hospital very well over the years. The car parks are a bloody joke, cost a fortune if you can get in to them. Anyway, all the best to your dad. I'm getting a bit emotional writing this.
Over 50% of the tyre damage in our family in recent years was sidewall damage , good luck with using gloop as a get you home fix for that, runflat tyres are stupidly expensive and mostly unrepairable. My E82 was practically undrivable on runflats anyway ( and with sidewall damage you can only drive a short distance at a snails pace before rim damage sets in) so there are now proper UHP tyres on the rims and a minispare taking up half the boot ( trunk)
Good to hear your Dad is doing ok. Right with you there - when space savers were becoming a thing in the 2000s I thought that was bad enough, but all these new cars (and I've even seen some regular ICE cars with no spare) omitting the spare scare me. A couple of years ago I helped Mum buy her new car (Mazda CX-3), one of the things I made absolutely sure of was that it had a spare.
A few months ago, I purchased a 2016 Subaru Outback. A couple of weekends ago, just driving along with a friend and two of his kids in the car, 80km/h, all of a sudden there's the sound of some steel dingus doing laps around the right rear wheel well for a couple of seconds, before whatever it was buggered off into low Earth orbit. Pulled over straight away, got out and had a look. Couple of scratches on the plastics, and right there on top of the tyre, was the leak. It wasn't leaking super fast, we had the cargo area unloaded, the car jacked up, and the wheel off, before it had even gone half flat. We were all loaded back up and on our way before the tyre had lost all of it's air, less than 10 minutes. When I load the car up for something like a camping trip, I also carry a puncture repair kit and my DeWalt tyre inflator (which I bought after watching your video featuring the Ryobi one a few years ago). Just to minimise the need to unload the whole car if I get a puncture. But in the situation you've described in this video, I would have 100% tried to plug those two holes in the sidewall, just to get the car out of the car park, so it could then be loaded onto the tow truck. Not safe to drive on obviously, but it DOES work in a pinch, even if it just gets you somewhere easier for the tow truck. I've had space saver spares, I've had full size spares. But I've never had a car without a spare at all. And I agree, it's a shit idea, even in the middle of suburbia.
I recently purchased a BMW ICE through your good company John and am very happy with the service, thank you. The car has no spare, no jack and no wheel brace, just the recovery kit and the phone number for the flatbed 😐. The salesman advised ( I know, I listened ) not to purchase a spare, when I asked, as the wrong size wheel/tyre might damage the e/diff and or the x drive system…. Additionally, the tyres are different sizes, with the front 225 40 R 19, and the rear 255 35 R 19. Am guessing the 3/4 of a mil difference in diameter between front and back (if my numbers are right) shouldn’t be an issue if I did get a spare. I live on the south coast and given a school bus has recently gone missing in one of the potholes down here, the idea of a spare seems prudent….. Appreciate your thoughts on the salesman’s advice. Rick.
Commiserations on the Barvarian Money Waster. *_"Additionally, the tyres are different sizes, with the front 225 40 R 19, and the rear 255 35 R 19"_* That's reason enough for me to walk away. *_"Am guessing the 3/4 of a mil difference in diameter between front and back (if my numbers are right)"_* Close - 1.5mm difference on diameter.
Get a spare wheel with matching bolt pattern, wheel from wreckers any width. then go to tyre shop and get them to match a tyre of same diameter to match your diff driven wheels. If you need to mount to undriven wheels, unequal diameter does not matter.
@@Robert-cu9bm Yes, the 255/35R19 turns nominally one more revolution per 1000m than the 235/40R19 to make up for its ~4.7mm smaller circumference... how far are we going to take this? haha
I have seen this at least twice a day through my line of work, being a recovery vehicle operator. which we use a "underlift" small truck, such as a Nissan Atlas or a little Mitsubishi truck, which have the ability to get through most if not all carpark towers.
I saw a dad an his daughter trying to fix a flat on a mini at the servo with that tyre goo stuff. It was a mess. The tyre goo had gone everywhere except in the tyre and was dribbling all over the road. No doubt, some lessons learn there.
While having the tracking done on my Land Rover 3 weeks ago a breakdown truck pulled up outside with a Tesla on the back with a front n/s flat. “ how long did you wait for the recovery” “hour and a half” was the response, I left 30 minutes later but drove back passed the tyre shop 60 minutes later and it was still there with the couple milling about. Food for thought
I work in roadside assistance, we do have access to low-clearance towing vehicles for this exact situation. You're right though, I send too many unnecessary tow trucks to vehicles with flats without a spare.
My sympathies to you john, my father developed liver cancer about two years ago strangely I can count the number of times he got drunk when I was younger, on one hand, he wasn't much of a drinker life's a bitch, isn't it? The hospital parking lot and garage aren't terrible it's mainly the other drivers but you did remind me of what happened when I bought my current vehicle. I bought my first like-new car back in 2020 an off-lease Forte and was more concerned about NOT buying a GDI variant and getting a traditional automatic that I overlooked the spare. Fast forward a few months and I was looking in the trunk when I remembered not seeing a spare instead I saw the fix-a-flat. I chuckled "I'm in danger" fired up google did some research and found a wrecked Hyundai in the local car parts lot slapped a cheap tire on it and called it a day. The dealer wanted $250+ for a steel rim with no sensor included I laughed all the way out of the parts department.
My car came with no spare at all so I went to the wreckers and bought one. The car has a well for a space saver so the full size wheel sticks up a bit higher, but I can live with that.
I was looking at buying a Toyota 86 some years ago. While at the dealership just having a look and talking to the salesman when we brought up the subject of no spare wheel he proceeds to tell me that ‘cars don’t get flat tyres these days’! I gave him a look that clearly said what planet are you from and muttered some words that I won’t repeat here...
Mate, changed countless tyres roadside from full size to space savers, on my car and the cars of other poor road users through pure goodwill. I feel like an F1 pit crew with the level of precision and speed I have developed, and that's using the jack and equipment included in the boot. But... my work cars, for a government job I won't and can't name, don't have spares. It's said this is because they have "run flats" yet I and countless colleagues have called for a tow due to the rim making sweet love to the pavement. Bring back the spare, space savers at the very least. I think you need to lobby every car maker to do this. Sounds like a big task, I know. I can't (don't feel like) really help either, but I have faith in you. Good luck, I'll be sitting in my chair waiting, doing nothing. Might it the like button.
My government vehicle doesn't have a spare wheel; it's policy to get a flatbed truck to take the vehicle to a tyre shop for repair or replacement; suits me, as I don't have to deal with changing the dirty wheel..
@@petesmitt haha fair call, basically the same with us..... but i find waiting around for the tow and tyre change worse than the self change and getting back to actual work.
Had a run flat go soft, then disintegrate on my BMW530 while traversing the NZ southern alps. Solution was a flat deck tow, an overnight stay, two new tyres (can’t mismatch!), $1000.00 not including accommodations. After owning 5 BMWs in the past will not buy another. My Merc replacement has a space saver. Don’t know how you would get on in the Aussie outback!
The one and only time I had a flat in the last thirty odd years was in the middle of the Perth suburbs right next door to a service station. Thankfully my 95 Camry had a full size spare and I was able to get moving in about fifteen minutes unaided.
We have 2 cars 7 years old (with space savers) One has done 80K without problem The other had a massive nail ruining the tyre whilst on an expressway after 1 month, required space saver. We are currently trading both cars on 1 new car with a repair kit. Following your elegant explanation that these things always happen at the wrong time and place, we will be looking to add a space saver, however much space it takes up and weight added. Thanks
I sadly shake my head at stories like this. A few years ago, I saw a few kids (late teens to early 20's) standing around a car with a flat tire and not a clue what to do next. Okay, the crusty old grey bearded fuck can do a good deed. Since the car was about 15 years old, the first thing I did was get out my compressor. When I pulled the spare out of the trunk, it was flatter than a pancake. I set the compressor to work on that while I switched wheels. The girlfriend looked at me like I had a Superman cape, and asked how I knew the spare would be flat. 99% of them are, I said, in a car more than a few years old, because it's probably never been used or checked.
I have got in the habit of remembering to give my car a Christmas present, which is pulling the spare out and topping up the pressure. It would be easy to forget it for years otherwise
I recently purchased my Mums "fully serviced" 24 year old Civic from her. Surprisingly, given the vintage, it comes equipped with a space saver tyre. Apparently, the service department where she had the car maintained doesn't know the difference between atmospheric pressure and 60PSI. There was no indication that the tyre had ever been checked and the vehicle was supposedly maintained by "professionals". Timing belt hadn't been done since 2008 and the brake fluid looked like flood water. Gotta hand it to the pros.
As someone who regularly drives 350km from a regional area to an urban area to see relatives, shop etc, I have often wondered what I would do with no spare. I get a puncture about once a year or so on average but recently had a 12mm by 150mm bolt spear through the tyre and through the alloy rim destroying both. It went off like a small bomb but luckily didn’t damage any suspension components. It was a weekend about 200km from a town with a tyre service. If it was a space saver I would have been on the highway after changing the damaged tyre at 80km/h as a rolling road block to cars and trucks and it would add another hour onto the journey. If a can off goo was the only means of repair I would have been stuck for a day or more. Bottom line, a can of goo just isn’t suitable for journeys through regional Australia and a space saver is marginal at best. All my vehicles have a full size spare.
Interesting scenario, and in terms of probability, less frequent that a standard puncture caused by a something hard and pointy. You can almost see Mr. Bean-Counter, still deeming it so statistically unlikely that the cost saving of avoiding a spare is justified. But I'm sure Mr. Bean Counter would be only too happy to leave his contact details, so that he can be notified of this situation, and rush out a spare as required. 😋
It's crazy. It also speaks volumes about the buying public in general. As long as it's got Apple/Android, heated and cooled seats with lots of other bells and whistles, people don't care that there is no spare, or that it has CVT or DSG and will barely outlast the warranty. This makes me aware of just how poor I am.
Good story John! Something every driver needs to think about. A guy I work with didn't think twice about his spare until he needed it, then realized it hadn't come with one. I'm in Canada and some manufactures still put them in and others don't, it's something a car buyer has to be aware of nowadays. It was my understanding they quit putting spares in vehicles to help shave a bit of weight for better gas milage.
In the UK, Ford deleted the spare from their Fiesta with the excuse of better fuel economy. At the time I was using them as a learner car, so a spare is necessary. In the few weeks of running with no spare, the fuel economy was identical to the previous vehicles. A used spare was added, adn the fuel economy didn't change. Deleted spare is for manufacturer cost reasons, and with electric/hybrid, to make space for the battery. Ford in the UK are in some of their adverts, making a big fuss about the extra storage under the boot floor. Soomethign to get excited about.
@@Mike-ry4ti Uh! Identical cars. One with a spare, replaced with identical car without a spare. No change to economy. Added spare wheel to new car, still no change to economy. No emissions junk added or removed when wheel added.
Bang on. I got caught with my current car - I had no idea that no spare would even have been a thing until I had an inner sidewall get taken out by rogue pothole on one of our fine local roads. Only to then find out it would be several days before a replacement tyre would be available to fit. Never again and the maker of my current car can go take a running jump when it comes to our next steed. I took your advice and do have a puncture repair kit and inflator on board which can at least get us out of some situations but without any spare I was left high and dry.
My car came with a silly inflation kit. I ended up buying a genuine rim (older year model but the specs are still the same) off FB marketplace, and then when I bought my next set of tyres I put the least worn of my old ones on the new rim/spare. I've only had to use it once in four years. The only problem is, at 20" with a 275 wide tyre on it, it sure takes up a lot of boot space.
I've got a 215/55/17 on my spare in the boot. won't fit where the space saver was. takes up most of the boot. takes up 3/4 of the room width and length.
Our Rav4 had (correct tense) a space saver - now has a nice full sized 18" alloy and matching tyre in the well. - And if your dealer says it won't fit - It will
I own a 2023 XLE Prius with AWD and of course no spare tire. I did some research and someone put a spare tire in the trunk with all OEM parts. Now, why can't they at least have an option to purchase this as an option at least! It has the room for one but they want to save money and get the best EPA numbers. I was getting an average of4.9 l/100km and with the spare now I get 5.2 l/100km. Well worth the expense to have that peace of mind when you travel!
Hi John, if it came down to the lady having to source a new tyre even in the Syd of Knee there are mobile tyre fitters. Google can be a friend in that situation :) Cheers Mark
Even still, is one of those necessarily going to be able to drop everything, and head straight to this job? Or several hours later, compare that to popping even a space saver on, and driving to the nearest tyre retailer. Just the cost of a few hours extra stuck in a hospital car park sends chills (if Sydney hospitals are like ours in Sadelaide)
RUclips definitely listens in on us. I’ve just had to buy a space saver because of a tyre issue. Much discussion about spares in the house and boom, this video randomly pops up! In fact, the last 3 cars I’ve had didn’t have a spare saver or spare wheel. Oh, and fully agree with you on the topic. Best wishes to your dad. I hope he’s doing ok.
I've got to tell you, a common statement by our customers is that they did not know there was no spare tyre. "Let the buyer beware" must have escaped them.
My brother-in-law ordered a full spare instead of a space saver. They supplied a full size spare tyre. Only problem was when he actually needed it near Yunta in South Australia en route to Broken Hill. The bolt holes did not match up. He, and my sister, had to wait about 4 hours for the correct spare tyre to be delivered from Adelaide.
Buyer beware ?? Joking right.. How about full disclosure.. If thats yur attitude, then there's another good reason to dislike car salesmen.. Should try to be honest.. I may want a particular vehicle but if there's no spare, I'd go look elsewhere..
yeah... you are absolutely right.. I got '22 car with no spare, and even it take like quarter of the boot I've bought a fullsize spare and put it in the boot.
They are far less likely to have a puncture now than the old days but we always wear seatbelts for something that might not happen. Lots of junk on the roads nowadays.
Cheering for your Dad John, I'm one the multiple myeloma mob which they found after finding another cancer. Spent the the last two and a half years with a couple stem cell transplants (my own), getting nuked and being pumped full of roundup. We've got some real cluey people that look after us, they've kicked my original 'rust problem' in to submission and the myeloma in to remission... it's an ongoing gig, but I reckon your Dad is going to do alright... best of luck to you and your Dad mate, and.... Keep Cheering! ✌ #rustedvillain
I've sort of grown to not love the space saver, but I think over the last 20 or so years I've only had one car that's had a full sized spare. Even the old 90's shitboxes seem to have had space savers and they do work, you won't die if you stick below the 'do not exceed speed' and it beats walking to get help if you're out in the country. Got my dad out of hospital just recently for his cancer op, so I do give you some genuine sympathy as its a hard time to deal with and all the best
My 2001 Nissan Sentra has a full size spare identical to the other 4 wheels. But to be fair mine was the last facelifted model of a car that came out in 92...
@@BubblesTheCat1 I had a 91 nissan that had a space saver I brought over as a grey import. I think the vast majority of cars that don't have a spare probably do it to chop a bit of weight as they're all quite hefty Don't know that model of Sentra very well, mostly Pulsars and Maximas sold well here
@@krissteel4074 Yeah, you right. Here in Sat Afrika we had the Sentra 1.4 and 1.6. My Haynes repair manual calls it a Nissan Sunny. The Sentra name was originally a South African only name ☺
@@BubblesTheCat1 We did have a Sunny back in the 80's here, couldn't tell you which one exactly though because it was a very long time ago. Heck, it might have even been a Datasun badge. I think the only real way to get a proper spare now is in cars with the more work role like vans and utilities usually carry one.
@@krissteel4074 Yeah, it's sad to see the way the world is going. Absolutely everything has been commercialised. 😢 Ute's at least have space for the spare under the tray ☺
I hit a piece of metal with my 2012 Prius and cut the tire. I had to wait for roadside assistance to tow me back home as the "mobility kit" was useless as in the case you cited. Luckily I was only 2 miles from my home when it happened. Then the pain in the ass procedure to remove it (thank goodness I had a second car), take the wheel to a tire shop and get a new tire mounted, drive back home and reinstall. I shiver to think what hassle I would have gone through had I been 50 miles from home or a tire shop. The one big downside with a hybrid or EV.
Not having at least a space-saver would be a deal-breaker for me. It would bring back memories of that time I was stuck at 2am in a freezing car park with a flat and the AA saying it would take them 6 hours to get to me (because at the time I wasn't old or female who they prioritise). Luckily the car had a space-saver, so I warmed myself swapping the tyre and drove slowly home. It also was true at one time that many recovery firms wouldn't attend you if you were in a private car park or premises - not sure if that is still true but it might be something to check at your location.
Plus how reliable and safe are the tyres temp fixes ? What happens if the temp repair fails cause you to lose control and straight into the path of a B double Emergency services would have to pick you up with adust pan and brush into a bucket Plus any one else in the vehicle with you Even if you did survive your insurance wouldn't pay as the tyre repair was done by a unqualified person and anyone you killed or injured the police would have you as responsible I think a space saver tyre is a better solution do not you think?
@@waynehewett4017 Quite. I was shocked to hear Noel say they wanted 800$ for a space saver. It must cost less than $20 to actually make one, and its not like they are exactly huge. If you can't find space for one then I'd say you suck at design. Its just bean-counters trying to get away with maximising profit at the expense of safety.
@@IanSlothieRolfe it's true the car dealers charge marfia extortion rates But you can go to the car wreckers a pick up one there alot cheaper It's better than having no spare at all and relying on thoses stupid repair kits
@@waynehewett4017 Oh yes, and if I ever found myself in that situation thats totally what I would do. But given that spare (even a space saver) is an item of safety equipment you would think that manufacturers wouldn't charge hundreds of dollars for something that costs ony tens to make. You'd think that they would see how nickel and diming on the safety of their customers would be a bad thing. If you don't have a spare, you're more likely to be tempted to drive on a flat tyre to get off a highway (which isn't a safe place to be) or to get the tyre changed.
@@IanSlothieRolfe I have and it's most inconvenience to say the least Running on a flat tyre or run flats even for a short distance can destroy the rim , brakes, brake lines and your cars suspension very easy If you have a European car It can be very expensive in deed I hate space saver tyres as they have a limited speed 80 kph They cost alot and don't do a good job especially on the hwy at night in the rain But a spare is better than nothing or thoses stupid repair kits
For years I lusted after a WRX Subi', went to the dealer to test drive , walking into the office to sign up and just happened to ask the sales person if it had a spare. Yes, a space saver. Next question: "Is there room for a full sized spare, I drive across the Nullarbor rather frequently" ? No, I would have to put the tyre on the parcel shelf if so desired. So my lust was never sated.
I'm actually right in the process of tossing out my space saver and putting a full size wheel in its place. It won't fit properly and we will lose some boot space but we live in a regional area and a good spare is a priority. A few years ago we were plodding along in the NT at 130 kph and were passed by a car with a space saver.... so much for the 80 kph maximum on a space saver.
@@chrishart8548 Yeah, and it was a hot day too, about 35C. They obviously ignored the big yellow "80 kph limited" sticker on the space saver, it's impossible to miss.
The 20 somethings that worked for me were staggered when they saw me change a tyre one day. Apparently they just wait for the RACV to come fix it so guessing they don't need a spare.🤣
Unbelievable! I changed wheels out on semi trucks for years! Next to the road in the hot sun. Completely different ball game compared to a simple car wheel. You'll work very very hard for an hour changing that semi's wheel, and be drenched with sweat when done. If you're especially unlucky, you'll do it more than once on a day. Surely don't miss those things!
When my kids were learning to drive part of my test was they had to jack the car up and change a tyre before they were allowed to go for their driving test.
@@TC-yx2ss My Dad made my older sister learn how to change a tyre when she got her drivers licence. To help her he also gave her a length of pipe so she can undo the nuts.
Hi John, nice report as usual. Well concerning this issue, the roadside assistance cars and tow trucks here have special emergency tyres with multi-hole rims on board that can be mounted on most common vehicles and lend to the members when they are in such a case and are returned after the repair of the problem.
I would not feel entirely comfortable with no spare wheel, but when I think about it, it has been more than 20 years since I had a flat tire. And that includes a fair amount of off road driving and long distance road trips. Maybe I have just been very lucky.
yeah comes in waves.... We live regionally and do a fair bit of gravel road driving. Rarely get punctures, but have had a few. At one point in time I bought some "cheaper" tyres for my 4x4. Less than 6 months in, my wife started getting flat tyres, about one per month, till I took the vehicle to a different dealer and had better tyres fitted. That was many years ago now and i dont believe that vehicle has experienced a flat tyre since.. The tyre plays a big part on whether you get flats or not too.
@@Gnrnrvids I don’t believe in getting cheap tyres and I cannot understand why people do it because they compromise everything about the car you have spent $$$ when purchasing. As tyres wear they of course are less resistant to punctures and the legal tread depth is 1.6 mm which is often before the tyres reach the wear indicators. Tyres below that measurement are illegal and dangerous to everyone on the road as well as having insurance claims denied if in a crash.
@@davidperry3531 4x4 AT tyres dude. Way more tread than car tyres forget 1.6mm, they start with 15 mm of tread minimum. They were cheaper, not what I'd call cheap. About $250 each compared to the $350-400 I'd normally spend. 6 months old, still had the pips on the tread as they were wearing well and getting punctures all the time. I've had tyres on cars driving the same roads down to the minimums and no punctures, but not cheaper tyres.
I sure have seen my fair share of 'spareless' cars, and said no deal. Full size spare wheels on Tucson and Santa Fe. Two cars I had my eyes on. That's much more like it.
I agree with you John. Being a bit of an old fashioned curmudgeon, I would still lean to a spare tyre in any new car purchase even if it was an extra cost option. The only dampener is with these AWD drive cars to match up the spare with the other tyres so rolling diameter mismatch does not cause problems especially if you damage a tyre permanently ie. staked on something.
I’ve never asked for a favour John, but if you could give the name and models of all cars with no spare tyres,,,,I’ve a pocket full of nails and a brilliant new business idea.
Hi John, excellent observations. My wife and I have EVs and we don't have any cars that have a spare tire. Most cars have tire repair kits and basic compressors but what you describe is more than these kits could possibly fix.
Personally if I was you get a couple of space saver tyres As thoses kits cannot fix or make safe damage done to the side walls of a tyre Having a temp fix on a tyre failure causing an accident is not worth it Especially if someone is injured or killed Plus don't expect your insurance companies to pay out as they won't Or the police to go easy with an accidental death charge against you I think the couple of space saver tyre is looking pretty good to me
G'Day John, Firstly, I hope Dad is doing OK. Secondly.... bean counters are the anti-sales department. Not having a spare is sacrelige. As you point out. Engineers make the product; accountants ruin the brand.
Totally agree with John on the no spare issue. In some ways, the overall technology advantages have been undone by cost & space saving measures. We may have reached a juncture , where the product is in decline.
Hi John, KTM motorcycles are trying it on with the Adventurer model that will give you a 1500 km trial with "demo mode" then it will switch off and you will need to pay to have the option switched back on. I'm glad people like yourself are dragging this sort of stuff into the spotlight. I will be not be purchasing any new vehicles with this kind of extortion being leveled at me. Keep it going! 👍
Yeah great video. Our son works in the tyre industry and started out locally. We're regional but very well serviced and not far from the city. A late model Euro 4wd/SUV thing with no spare got dragged in on a tilt tray and sat there for quite a while before a tyre could be sourced for it. First question I asked when I bought our South Korean grocery getter was did it have full sized spare. All the best with your dad as I know how that feels. Cheers.
Great and very valid video John. here in the UK we have many cars with no spare wheels but on top of the problem of not having a spare is having a low profile run flat tyre. Ask BMW how many 19 and 20" rims they have to deal with where the side walls are so bloody hard that they impart far too much energy into the rim on not so great road surfaces. So not only do you have the insult of having no spare wheel but you get a runflat tyre that offers awful handling, is much more expensive and will also likely crack your rims!!!
Should be illegal to sell a car without a proper spare in this country, we have far to much of fuck all for hundreds of ks .Sitting out in 45 degree temps while waiting for roadside assistance could get you killed.
I bought a diesel hatch a couple of years ago as a cheaper to run car for when I don’t need a 4wd or ute, early on i staked a tyre (second one on that stretch of road) after using the pathetic jack and space saver I went the wreckers for a full size
I had a 2009 BMW 3 series (wagon) I loved the car however one of the main reasons for moving it on was the fact that it ran on those stupid spacesaver tyres and had no spare (even though they could have fitted one quite easily). The car itself was great, quite reliable (for a euro car) and very economical. I drive regularly between Canberra and the above ground cemetery (Adelaide) so not having a spare was a constant worry.
@@grahamcampbell9261 That’s exactly what I did after my one and only puncture 3 years ago. It’s been rattling around my Impreza’s boot taking up half the space ever since. But it gives peace of mind on long trips.
Mum got a new set of tyres a little over a month ago and just last Wednesday we got a flat on the way home (Council roadworks put down some bluemetal that really should've had another round or two in the crusher). Put on the spare and dropped in the flat the next day. Then today as we're about to head in and pick up the now fixed tyre I find that another wheel had suffered the bluemetal treatment, no spare this time... Thankfully we have another two cars in the driveway. Now to just wait and see how my car's tyres look in the morning, lol.
Do you reckon another reason manufacturers might be leaving out the spare wheels to avoid liability if someone hurts themselves changing a wheel? Lawyers, damn their oily hides.
I used to work in Port Moresby a lot and always found it curious to see many of the locals and taxis driving on 2 or 3 space savers with only only 1 or 2 full sized tyres. You just do what you have to do to survive in POM.
Don't quote me but I have seen it said that if you have a spare and it's bald or whatever you can be done for being unroadworthy, even though its not on the car, but not if you don't have a spare at all. Maybe someone with a bit more knowledge might be able to clarify this.
@@oldbloke204 In NZ the following applies: It is not a legal requirement for a motor vehicle to have a spare wheel. If one is fitted however, it must be securely attached by a device which is in good condition or stored in a closed compartment separate from the occupant space. This is checked at the time of a WoF inspection.
In 32 years of driving the only place I've ever had flat tyres is my garage. A nail (usually) causes a slow leak that only manifests as an obvious problem a day or more later. And in saying that, flats are exceedingly rare, my last would have been about 9 years ago, and neither myself nor anyone I know has been waylaid on the side of a road with a flat. My car has the goop and compressor kit, which would work admirably for the punctures I encounter, and if not then other more onerous arrangements would have to be made, but given the vanishingly small probability of that happening I can certainly see why a manufacturer wouldn't bother with a spare. Additionally, some f-wits think a space saver is fine to keep on indefinitely and in all driving conditions. So there's that.
@MaxPower777: I must be less fortunate than you in my 32 years of driving (33 if I count properly, but pretty damn close). I can’t agree that flats are “exceedingly rare”. While I have had several flats in the garage as described, I’ve also had to change maybe a dozen tyres on the roadside, in car parks, and one very stressful time in the breakdown lane of a 100kph Motorway, wedged up against a concrete barrier. In every case it was a ten minute job, and back on the road. Tyres are so much better than in years gone by, and if changed at appropriate intervals they don’t generally fail, but there will always be debris on the road, and you won’t spot every nail or roofing screw (or in my wife’s case once, pair of nail scissors) that you pass, so flats will still occur, at inconvenient times and at inconvenient places. I probably get one every few years, same as my wife. Perhaps we live in an area with a lot of building activity, as hex head screws are the number one culprit. Space saver tyres are a deal breaker for me: I will only buy a vehicle with a full size spare. I wish you continued good fortune with your current non-flat streak!
Getting a flatbed tow on a rural NZ highway is not always easy either and you're at the mercy of the tow truck driver's education regarding EV towing requirements. Many of us Kona EV owners locate a suitable spacesaver and jack, then secure that under the rear floor where it just fits perfectly above the existing too-small cavity. When you had the Kona EV it's too bad you didn't have a look at the gear oil as you'd have an hour's worth of discussion as to how dirty it you would have found it.
Here's a gem for you John. The original Mini always carried a spare, even after the wheels became 12". New MINI, has, as far as I know, never had space to carry a spare, despite the car being the size of a small planet compared to the original.
I think I speak for us all, thanks Dad(& Mum!) for going to the effort of producing John. A job well done.
Excellent topic John. Really, there is no excuse for omitting a spare tyre. Best of wishes for your dad, yourself and family John.
This reminded of something that my Engineering lecturer had told us. One of our challenges that we face on our careers will be the bean counters.
Bean counters, they know the cost of everything and value of nothing.
@@terrygaudron9451 And yet, perversely enough, they still serve a purpose. Dammit.
Bean counters can be very very stupid as well. When I worked in long distance trucking, the fucking bean counters would constantly come up with "ideas" on how to save money😠😠😠
For instance put inferior parts on vehicles, cheap tyres, etc, etc. This NEVER worked, and eventually the one's who operate like that go poopy in trou.
The companies that actually did the best for their vehicles and staff, were ultimately the one's that survive.
Yep, accountants and procurement people are the mortal enemies of an engineer.
@@BubblesTheCat1 I love when they leave little hidden cheapery gems to mess with your day. Hidden deep in the water pump one bean counter left a little effyou by managing to convince someone a nylon impeller was a good idea...
I like to share my experience here in Perth. I bought a new hybrid R4 and I am happy with the my choice. However, because I regularly drive up north which can mean a trip of up to 400-600 kms between towns; I insisted on dealer fitting having a full size spare because I belive a space saver would be useless should I have a flat between towns. However, while the delivery took an extra three months, it was worth the wait.
The spare tyre came 3 months after you got the car...
or did the dealer "punish" you by making you wait 3 months more for a whole new car (including spare)?????
@@JohnSmith-yv6eq Eric did quote " However, while the delivery took an extra three months, it was worth the wait."
Necessity is the mother of invention ergo mirack in WA make a range of hitch mounted wheel carriers that for thise who venture outside Perth.
eric turner ,,It took 3 months to buy a wheel with a tyre on it? Wow!!
Going on holiday to France from the UK, I bought a space saver tyre kit to avoid this very scenario and there’s space under the boot floor for the tyre and jack etc. The peace of mind from having it was incredible,didn’t need it but happy it was there. Good video John.
This video certainly got the tongues wagging.
Totally agree. But have you ever seen cleaner, flatter roads than the French autoroute? Man, they're nice (I used a Renault Trafic for many years... it had only the mobility kit, a can of goo and a compressor... on a commercial vehicle with no space restrictions).
You are a good man John. Taking care of our aging parents can be stressful and a very humbling experience. Nice of you to try and help the stranded lady too, despite having a stressful day yourself. Hope dad is doing well, it sound like he is well taken care of.
I personally always carry a tyre plug kit and a portable Ryobi inflator as well as a full sized spare in my Kia Sportage.
P.S. Also a good idea to include a NOCO GB40 jump starter. So far, I managed to help out a few people stranded at a carpark.
Keep up the good work mate.
That's why the Subaru Outback made it to the top of my short list....a full size spare with matching alloy wheel. You can stick your motorcycle wheel or aerosol can where the sun don't shine
Same! But for the Forester.
Where is this place that the sun doesn't shine? I want to be there i hate the sun and heat 😉
Yes I have the MY18 XV with the space saver spare, I’ve been thinking of getting a fifth ATT but I’d have to buy an iron wheel. I couldn’t get the mag at the wreckers.
I'm currently tossing up between the Outback XT and the WRX Sportswagon. Full size spare v Space saver.
When looking for a car a while back we had a choice of two configurations of the same car. One with a third row of seats and no spare at all, or one with a space-saver. We opted for the space-saver equipped version for exactly the reasons you describe. I wonder if such an option would even be available on the current model of that vehicle.
I know you weren't looking for support, but this is offered in whatever way you would like (or not) to accept it. I've been through the 'big C' wringer with both parents. My father passed away and it led to me heading off to the ADF to earn my degree and take some of the burden off mum - then again with mum about five years later. There was a world of difference even after five years and that was back in the 1980s. I'm very glad your father is doing so well. We should be thankful we live in a country where our health system is so good, and make sure we fight like hell to keep it out of the hands of the greedy thieves that would like to see it go the way of the US.
A n alternative to carrying a spare in every vehicle would be to standardize wheel bolt sizes and centering diameters, so let's say 2 specially crafted wheels sizes could fit each and every car as a spare wheel, and each and every roadside assistance could carry a set or two, with a country-wide deposit system to pay for it if ever you keep the spare.
Vehicles fitted with a spare could then also help the ones with no spare, in most cases.
As the OEMs have gone wild with car wheel screwing interfaces, there's a shitton of different sizes and flavors, it would really help to standardize. There's no point to have 150 different styles of screwing interfaces for car wheels, other than shitty NIH syndrome.
And the OEMs do not want to standardize, so its time for a law doing this job.
Thanks for being real. Respect.
John,
I fully understand your feeling about "cancer day". For the past 5 years, I've been seeing an oncologist. I've had surgery and radiation. I'm now on 3-monthly hormone injections. As lovely as the people are, I dread every appointment.
Your story about the car with no spare is a real wake-up call. I recently had a flat in a shopping centre carpark and thankfully my car has a full size spare. I was in the process of changing it, when a young trolley collector took pity on me and finished the job for me. I'd dread being in that situation, if I didn't have a proper spare. Thank you for this story. It's a valuable warning.
John the kind of give to keep his profanity to himself on a hospital parking lot. I can appreciate that.
My wife had a Mazda Tribute Wagon and some kind gentlemen helped her change a flat tyre for the space saver spare while I was at sea working. She then mostly used my car because hers had seemingly also developed a computer fault and the driving was problematic ( Limp mode ) . By the description I got I figured the car was toast and basically a write off at 5 grand for the computer and it being worth a max of 6 at a yard. I bought her. a 2016 xtrail to replace the Mazda and figured I'd have it towed to a wreckers but my neighbour asked if he could have it for his 7 kids to play pretend trips in the yard and I figured why not so I gave it to him. He changed the space saver spare and the computer problem went away and he had himself a not too shabby tribute wagon to ferry the kids around albeit in multiple trips! Not even trying the spare is on me I know, but in my defence I worked at sea and didn't have a lot of time off and the Mrs wanted a newer one anyway and I'm happy for my neighbour. If you do use a space saver and your computer goes into limp mode maybe don't throw the car away but hey it's your car so that's up to you.
lol, someone else here commented that the smaller spare tyre had the car constantly beeping and flashing warning lights at him the entire time it was on.
I believe the smaller diameter tyre tricks the car into thinking its constantly losing traction as the spare is spinning faster than the rest.
Haha!
@@archygrey9093 Yeah it actually had impressive traction control going on and thats what sent the computer into limp mode, but i was at sea for months at a time with overtime etc and i just couldn't be arsed, mrs already had the xtrail picked out and the Mazda went to a good home
In the UK the AA/RAC carry a multi-fit spare wheel that can be fitted to drive a short distance.
Has multiple holes to fit most makes.
Good to hear your Dad is doing well. You are so right about the new treatment options now available. Not much hope a decade ago. Thanks for the advice. I’m about to purchase a new car, and I assumed it’ll have a spare. I’ll double check.
I got a full size spare with a steel wheel for a car I had as I did not like the look of the space saver wheel it came with, but the steel wheel requires shorter bolts than the Alloy one, not good.
Then the good thing about the space saver is that you can see it. A lot of people will fit the spare with a full tread old tire on it and leave it with a worn one on the other side and drive forever, not good.
Daughter calls one night says she has a flat tire, off to the rescue. Never had a look into the back of the car, but to my surprise under the carpet a full size wheel well with a large lump of Styrofoam containing a electric compressor and a bottle of sealant. no jack nothing. Amazingly this worked.
So for me the best solution for the if the wheels go round drive it crowd is the Space Saver.
Absolutely agree. Just a stupid idea that I suspect might to some degree stem from a space issue caused by the need shoehorn in a big extra battery, especially in a car that was not originally designed for it. Nice work on the story, short and to the point, well done.
I totally enjoy your videos. I agree with regarding the lack of a spare tire. I had a 2012 GMC Terrain AWD and one day I rubbed a curb and cut the sidewall. One those inflator things was not going to enable me to get to a service station. Now I was and am unable to change a tire, but I can call road side assistance to get it changed. People need to wake up and begin demanding good sense.
Who else remembers a time when not having a spare would get you a defect notice?
Until now i didn't even think it was legal to sell a car without a spare
John, you're a bl**dy legend. I love the intelligence and decency that emanates from your channel. I'm not really into cars, but there is so much (more) valuable information and advice in your videos. I want to be like you if I grow up. 😁👍👍
I'm with you John on this one. I once (heaven forbid) looked at a VW Polo and there is was ... no spare. I said to the young salesman "i would never buy a car without a spare and if possible a spare the same as the other wheels on the car". Was told I could buy an extra wheel. WTF should I? You should supply the spare with the car in the first place. Now, I'm no lover of the spacesaver spare but as you said it would have solved the problem in this case. I was looking at the IONIQ 5 PHEV and when I saw there was no spare, I said to myself... No sale here...😁
Absolutely, no spare, no sale. Wife had a car with a spacesaver, the limited safe use of such is no good when a long way from destination, specially between saturday evening and monday morning when tyre shops are closed.
Just buy the f ing spare if you like the car. Why make life hard for yourself?
Car manufacturers only care about city drivers
Try any BMW, not only no spare or space saver, they reduce the wheel well size (at least in the 3 series) so there’s nowhere to put a spare. A curse on the BMW engineers who thought this was a good idea. Never again BMW.
@@Meeliskt77 The problem is that many cars don’t have the space in the well for a spare tyre.Only ever needed a spare tyre once in over 50 years of driving but still look for a full size spare when reviewing car purchase.😀
Hi John, had a sidewall puncture recently in my Holden Astra VXR 2015 and had an issue as it doesn’t have a spare! Kit was no good cause as you say hole in the sidewall no good, only good for nail in tread etc. Luckily I got RAC to come out and put it on a flatbed (great fun as car is so low that it scrapped up the bloody ramps). Only trouble was it was the weekend so had to have the car taken to my home then arrange a few days later (having sourced the “high performance” tyres not normally carried by the retailers),to have a truck take it to the tyre specialist! What a pain in the arse. I subsequently found out that the bloody car doesn’t even come with a Jack, so there’s that as you say.Will never repeat this mistake.
Spot on JC!
Extends to a fairly standard situation for many companies - if the bean counters are running the show, they'll improve profits short term, but at expense of quality, innovation, engineering. Then generally 5-10 years later, said company is going pear shaped because for "some reason" no one is buying their products. They blame it on unspecified market forces...
Then someone with passion for the product gets put at the helm, likely an engineer, and next product cycle the product starts winning again...
Except in Holden's case. No one could save them from the damage the bean counters did.
Absolutely spot on. Even if you have a "nail type" puncture the game goes like this. Mobility kit, empty goo into tyre, plug in compressor, wait eternity for it to inflate tyre, drive 7 kilometres ( to spread the goo) after affixing little sticker that says don't exceed 80 kph to inside of vehicle just to remind driver , stop, plug in compressor and check pressure and inflate again if necessary, drive another 7 kilometres and stop, plug in compressor and check pressure. If pressure not holding call roadside assist and wait for repair person, tilt tray or tow truck. Now that tyre probably can't be repaired due to the goo inside, new tyre. Now if the car has tyre pressure sensors, that will also have to be replaced due to the goo, you will probably also have to go to the dealer to get the warning codes reset after the monitor triggers the sensor. So probable dollar cost, new tyre supply and fitted, tyre pressure sensor supply and fitted, dealer reset charges, new can of goo. Just absolutely bloody ludicrous.
Oh, by the way, the new Nissan "go where you please" AWD e-thingo - can of goo only.
I was working in the tyre industry when runflat tyres launched on the BMW cars and it was a complete nightmare, most drivers didnt realise once the tyre was driven flat it needed replacing. They didnt get a spare and had to ask the dealer to fit spares by special request. I remember BMW did take extra rims and tyrea around for these emergencies. I still personally believe the best situation is a full size spare with the exact same size tyre as on the vehicle, old school it seems but it works in you favour once you need replacement tyres.
Only problem is asymmetric tyres.....you need a bidirectional spare????
@@JohnSmith-yv6eq as far as I remember the asymmetrical tyres were labelled inside and outside on their sidewalls, now that I'm thinking back they also had two different widths of tyres front and back (staggered fitment) especially Mercedes loved doing this and they usually had a steel rim and tyre one rim size smaller which worked perfectly. I must be totally honest and prefer simple vehicles with a full size spare and I drive a bakkie/Ute myself with a popular brand and size tyres fitted.
@@henkstols9326 can't even get new tyres on the rear and put the rears on the front. save the back tyres cracking with old age. then again on the rear wheel drive cars the back wear out before the fronts anyway. but I would still prefer all the tyres the same size.
Im pleased you brought this up, We own a Hyundai Kona EV (2022) and Im soon to do a video of us implementing and securing a space saver in our Car.. The last thing I would want is to be stranded on a flooding rain day at the side of the road with a huge hole in my sidewall. It should be online in the next few weeks, there is a guy online who has done this, but its just a webpage with some lines and we all know a picture/video says a million words.
Excellent Vlog Mr Cadogan, I have a 2019 Subaru XV, lovely car..........except for the space saver, or more specifically, the cavity that only fits a smaller diameter space saver wheel. I wish vehicle manufacturers would at least make the spare wheel cavity big enough to hold a full size spare wheel, even if I wanted to place a narrow, cheese cutter wheel as a spare it won't fit...........but at least there's a spare, it seems ludicrous to not have a spare wheel as an option.
Triggered me on this one JC. Just got my awesome new o-light torches delivered and like them a lot. The brand new base model i30 is a great little car, well recommended by one of your dudes on the other end of the line. He couldn’t do much on price as it was a special Hyundai pricing but just the chat was valuable enough. Particular points in the base models favour were the spare full size tyre and the 15000km service interval, versus space saver spare and 10000km service interval in the $6000+ more expensive N-Line. And mum’s funeral is Wednesday after a long battle with oesophageal cancer. I hope your dad pulls through and goes peacefully whenever that time may be. Cheers, Luke.
My old car had a full size spare. My new car had a can of foam. That went in the bin at the first opportunity, and a spacesaver and jack is now in place. When my mate bought his first car, he was pleasantly surprised to find a full size spare on board.
As for the big C, my dad had his 20 odd years ago, and the treatments are definitely getting better. Here's hoping your old fella sticks around for a fair bit yet 👍👍
I was given a rental car while mine was being repaired after someone pulled out on me. I had a similar experience with a can of foam and a compressor (both one use items) sat forlornly in the bottom of a full size spare wheel well. Now, it is just me or is it just stupid to equip a car with a full size wheel well, do all the dies for the steel pressing, calculate the crash performance etc, and then not fit a spare wheel? If all you were going to do is supply foam and a compressor why bother putting the wheel well in there in the first place? Its like they dont know what they want. Anyway, going forward i will not be buying anything without a spare and if i accept a spacesaver then it will be under significant duress.
@@LaserEnginesAGC it's probably more that the dies were already set up for the wheel well, and it would cost more to change the dies than it does to cut a huge chuck of foam to fill the gap.
At the end of the day, it's really down to the governments to fix, since they dictate what's legal on the roads. In the UK, supply of a spare was a legal requirement until recently, but the government changed the rules, and now a tin of snot counts as adequate.
@@mcdon2401 Its possible, but its still stupid to make the car with the capability and then not bother with it. And this is a brand new (late 21) car. I dont know what platform its on, but it couldnt have been that old
Good timing, I had a flat last weekend, no spare! only a can goo in the trunk. Fortunately I'm at least somewhat mechanically minded and keep my own car toolkit with the car too (torque wrench / plug kit / pressure gauge etc).
Removed the nail and put a plug in to get to the shop, considered using the goo but it seems very hit and miss depending on the type of puncture you get and I didn't want the local mechanic to have the headache of having to clean out the inside of the wheel after repair.
Called up the dealer after that and found they sell a space saver kit as an optional accessory! Instead opted for a standard sized wheel off a well known auction site for 1/4 the price the dealer wanted for something that should come as standard.
I guess in part a lot of it is due to cars being sold as no maintenance these day and people not knowing how to change a flat, of course triple A or your equivalent wrecker / road side assistance isn't going to complain with all the extra business their way from something that the owner used to be able to resolve in a matter of minutes.
Best wishes for your old man, hope he has many healthy days ahead. lost mine to cancer a few years ago.
-edit-
Should have added, the goo option isn't an equivalent solution to a spare wheel and the manufacturer should clearly make that known to buyers of cars. Most mechanical people will already know that there are many types of damage or failure modes that it cannot repair.. such as sidewall damage, valve failure but the average consumer might not be aware of that. Flats for many are an increasingly rare occurrence but even so, depending on when and where they happen having a spare wheel can make the difference between a ten minute minor inconvenience and several hundred dollars and many hours later.
It's about time someone brought up the subject of spare tyres or no spare at all. Would you consider doing a video explaining the different types of spares available. ie. Run flats, collapsible spares, donuts, whatever they are, space saver and repair kits. Don't forget nothing at all. I won't bore you with my experiences with flats and blow outs, but I can assure you I have had my share and probably someone else's as well. Thank you for your informative videos. Well done.
It's the bean counters wanting to save that 1p bucks per car
Run flat are crap and damage the tyre rims ,brakes and suspension, sump and plastic covers
Especially if you have drive any distance and on uneven roads
So having a proper sized spare tyre is going the cost less than the tens of thousands of dollars driving on run flats Especially on an expensive European car
We have a Grand Caravan with the space saver mounted outside underneath the floor under the front drivers seats. Limited space under there both width & height wise. No where else to keep a spare safely. Unsafely, I have had a full size sitting behind my drivers seat on the floor loose when we do a long trip (1000 kms round trip). Nothing to tie it down to. Nothing like a 19kg/40 lb projectile waiting for a crash to crush me dead! I believe the newest version has no spare at all. A great topic as always, John!
Glad your father is doing well mate, i lost my wife to bloody cancer 5 years ago. I got to know Westmead hospital very well over the years. The car parks are a bloody joke, cost a fortune if you can get in to them. Anyway, all the best to your dad. I'm getting a bit emotional writing this.
Over 50% of the tyre damage in our family in recent years was sidewall damage , good luck with using gloop as a get you home fix for that, runflat tyres are stupidly expensive and mostly unrepairable. My E82 was practically undrivable on runflats anyway ( and with sidewall damage you can only drive a short distance at a snails pace before rim damage sets in) so there are now proper UHP tyres on the rims and a minispare taking up half the boot ( trunk)
Good to hear your Dad is doing ok. Right with you there - when space savers were becoming a thing in the 2000s I thought that was bad enough, but all these new cars (and I've even seen some regular ICE cars with no spare) omitting the spare scare me. A couple of years ago I helped Mum buy her new car (Mazda CX-3), one of the things I made absolutely sure of was that it had a spare.
A few months ago, I purchased a 2016 Subaru Outback. A couple of weekends ago, just driving along with a friend and two of his kids in the car, 80km/h, all of a sudden there's the sound of some steel dingus doing laps around the right rear wheel well for a couple of seconds, before whatever it was buggered off into low Earth orbit. Pulled over straight away, got out and had a look. Couple of scratches on the plastics, and right there on top of the tyre, was the leak. It wasn't leaking super fast, we had the cargo area unloaded, the car jacked up, and the wheel off, before it had even gone half flat. We were all loaded back up and on our way before the tyre had lost all of it's air, less than 10 minutes.
When I load the car up for something like a camping trip, I also carry a puncture repair kit and my DeWalt tyre inflator (which I bought after watching your video featuring the Ryobi one a few years ago). Just to minimise the need to unload the whole car if I get a puncture.
But in the situation you've described in this video, I would have 100% tried to plug those two holes in the sidewall, just to get the car out of the car park, so it could then be loaded onto the tow truck. Not safe to drive on obviously, but it DOES work in a pinch, even if it just gets you somewhere easier for the tow truck.
I've had space saver spares, I've had full size spares. But I've never had a car without a spare at all. And I agree, it's a shit idea, even in the middle of suburbia.
I recently purchased a BMW ICE through your good company John and am very happy with the service, thank you. The car has no spare, no jack and no wheel brace, just the recovery kit and the phone number for the flatbed 😐. The salesman advised ( I know, I listened ) not to purchase a spare, when I asked, as the wrong size wheel/tyre might damage the e/diff and or the x drive system…. Additionally, the tyres are different sizes, with the front 225 40 R 19, and the rear 255 35 R 19. Am guessing the 3/4 of a mil difference in diameter between front and back (if my numbers are right) shouldn’t be an issue if I did get a spare. I live on the south coast and given a school bus has recently gone missing in one of the potholes down here, the idea of a spare seems prudent….. Appreciate your thoughts on the salesman’s advice. Rick.
Commiserations on the Barvarian Money Waster.
*_"Additionally, the tyres are different sizes, with the front 225 40 R 19, and the rear 255 35 R 19"_* That's reason enough for me to walk away.
*_"Am guessing the 3/4 of a mil difference in diameter between front and back (if my numbers are right)"_* Close - 1.5mm difference on diameter.
Get a spare wheel with matching bolt pattern, wheel from wreckers any width. then go to tyre shop and get them to match a tyre of same diameter to match your diff driven wheels. If you need to mount to undriven wheels, unequal diameter does not matter.
@@TonyRule
1 full revolution per km difference.
@@adrianzmajla4844
X drive... That's BMW code for all wheel drive.
Every wheel is driven.
@@Robert-cu9bm Yes, the 255/35R19 turns nominally one more revolution per 1000m than the 235/40R19 to make up for its ~4.7mm smaller circumference... how far are we going to take this? haha
I have seen this at least twice a day through my line of work, being a recovery vehicle operator. which we use a "underlift" small truck, such as a Nissan Atlas or a little Mitsubishi truck, which have the ability to get through most if not all carpark towers.
I saw a dad an his daughter trying to fix a flat on a mini at the servo with that tyre goo stuff. It was a mess. The tyre goo had gone everywhere except in the tyre and was dribbling all over the road. No doubt, some lessons learn there.
Maybe that dad had learned the lesson about putting goo in the hole when his daughter was born and never wanted to have that mistake again.
While having the tracking done on my Land Rover 3 weeks ago a breakdown truck pulled up outside with a Tesla on the back with a front n/s flat. “ how long did you wait for the recovery” “hour and a half” was the response, I left 30 minutes later but drove back passed the tyre shop 60 minutes later and it was still there with the couple milling about.
Food for thought
I work in roadside assistance, we do have access to low-clearance towing vehicles for this exact situation.
You're right though, I send too many unnecessary tow trucks to vehicles with flats without a spare.
Should be good for business ☺
My sympathies to you john, my father developed liver cancer about two years ago strangely I can count the number of times he got drunk when I was younger, on one hand, he wasn't much of a drinker life's a bitch, isn't it? The hospital parking lot and garage aren't terrible it's mainly the other drivers but you did remind me of what happened when I bought my current vehicle.
I bought my first like-new car back in 2020 an off-lease Forte and was more concerned about NOT buying a GDI variant and getting a traditional automatic that I overlooked the spare. Fast forward a few months and I was looking in the trunk when I remembered not seeing a spare instead I saw the fix-a-flat. I chuckled "I'm in danger" fired up google did some research and found a wrecked Hyundai in the local car parts lot slapped a cheap tire on it and called it a day. The dealer wanted $250+ for a steel rim with no sensor included I laughed all the way out of the parts department.
My car came with no spare at all so I went to the wreckers and bought one. The car has a well for a space saver so the full size wheel sticks up a bit higher, but I can live with that.
Good idea 👍
I was looking at buying a Toyota 86 some years ago. While at the dealership just having a look and talking to the salesman when we brought up the subject of no spare wheel he proceeds to tell me that ‘cars don’t get flat tyres these days’! I gave him a look that clearly said what planet are you from and muttered some words that I won’t repeat here...
Mate, changed countless tyres roadside from full size to space savers, on my car and the cars of other poor road users through pure goodwill. I feel like an F1 pit crew with the level of precision and speed I have developed, and that's using the jack and equipment included in the boot.
But... my work cars, for a government job I won't and can't name, don't have spares. It's said this is because they have "run flats" yet I and countless colleagues have called for a tow due to the rim making sweet love to the pavement.
Bring back the spare, space savers at the very least.
I think you need to lobby every car maker to do this. Sounds like a big task, I know. I can't (don't feel like) really help either, but I have faith in you. Good luck, I'll be sitting in my chair waiting, doing nothing. Might it the like button.
My government vehicle doesn't have a spare wheel; it's policy to get a flatbed truck to take the vehicle to a tyre shop for repair or replacement; suits me, as I don't have to deal with changing the dirty wheel..
@@petesmitt haha fair call, basically the same with us..... but i find waiting around for the tow and tyre change worse than the self change and getting back to actual work.
Had a run flat go soft, then disintegrate on my BMW530 while traversing the NZ southern alps. Solution was a flat deck tow, an overnight stay, two new tyres (can’t mismatch!), $1000.00 not including accommodations. After owning 5 BMWs in the past will not buy another. My Merc replacement has a space saver. Don’t know how you would get on in the Aussie outback!
The one and only time I had a flat in the last thirty odd years was in the middle of the Perth suburbs right next door to a service station. Thankfully my 95 Camry had a full size spare and I was able to get moving in about fifteen minutes unaided.
Isn't that just Murphys law? If you have a full size spare, you'll hardly get a flat, but if you're without one, the puncture is likely to happen.
We have 2 cars 7 years old (with space savers) One has done 80K without problem The other had a massive nail ruining the tyre whilst on an expressway after 1 month, required space saver. We are currently trading both cars on 1 new car with a repair kit. Following your elegant explanation that these things always happen at the wrong time and place, we will be looking to add a space saver, however much space it takes up and weight added. Thanks
I sadly shake my head at stories like this. A few years ago, I saw a few kids (late teens to early 20's) standing around a car with a flat tire and not a clue what to do next. Okay, the crusty old grey bearded fuck can do a good deed. Since the car was about 15 years old, the first thing I did was get out my compressor. When I pulled the spare out of the trunk, it was flatter than a pancake. I set the compressor to work on that while I switched wheels. The girlfriend looked at me like I had a Superman cape, and asked how I knew the spare would be flat. 99% of them are, I said, in a car more than a few years old, because it's probably never been used or checked.
I have got in the habit of remembering to give my car a Christmas present, which is pulling the spare out and topping up the pressure. It would be easy to forget it for years otherwise
I recently purchased my Mums "fully serviced" 24 year old Civic from her.
Surprisingly, given the vintage, it comes equipped with a space saver tyre.
Apparently, the service department where she had the car maintained doesn't know the difference between atmospheric pressure and 60PSI.
There was no indication that the tyre had ever been checked and the vehicle was supposedly maintained by "professionals". Timing belt hadn't been done since 2008 and the brake fluid looked like flood water. Gotta hand it to the pros.
As someone who regularly drives 350km from a regional area to an urban area to see relatives, shop etc, I have often wondered what I would do with no spare. I get a puncture about once a year or so on average but recently had a 12mm by 150mm bolt spear through the tyre and through the alloy rim destroying both. It went off like a small bomb but luckily didn’t damage any suspension components. It was a weekend about 200km from a town with a tyre service. If it was a space saver I would have been on the highway after changing the damaged tyre at 80km/h as a rolling road block to cars and trucks and it would add another hour onto the journey. If a can off goo was the only means of repair I would have been stuck for a day or more. Bottom line, a can of goo just isn’t suitable for journeys through regional Australia and a space saver is marginal at best. All my vehicles have a full size spare.
Interesting scenario, and in terms of probability, less frequent that a standard puncture caused by a something hard and pointy. You can almost see Mr. Bean-Counter, still deeming it so statistically unlikely that the cost saving of avoiding a spare is justified.
But I'm sure Mr. Bean Counter would be only too happy to leave his contact details, so that he can be notified of this situation, and rush out a spare as required. 😋
It's crazy. It also speaks volumes about the buying public in general.
As long as it's got Apple/Android, heated and cooled seats with lots of other bells and whistles, people don't care that there is no spare, or that it has CVT or DSG and will barely outlast the warranty.
This makes me aware of just how poor I am.
Good story John! Something every driver needs to think about.
A guy I work with didn't think twice about his spare until he needed it, then realized it hadn't come with one. I'm in Canada and some manufactures still put them in and others don't, it's something a car buyer has to be aware of nowadays.
It was my understanding they quit putting spares in vehicles to help shave a bit of weight for better gas milage.
In the UK, Ford deleted the spare from their Fiesta with the excuse of better fuel economy. At the time I was using them as a learner car, so a spare is necessary. In the few weeks of running with no spare, the fuel economy was identical to the previous vehicles. A used spare was added, adn the fuel economy didn't change. Deleted spare is for manufacturer cost reasons, and with electric/hybrid, to make space for the battery.
Ford in the UK are in some of their adverts, making a big fuss about the extra storage under the boot floor. Soomethign to get excited about.
@@nigelcox1451 They could fit the 27th cup holder where the spare once resided.
@@nigelcox1451 the weight was probably replaced with emissions junk
@@Mike-ry4ti Uh! Identical cars. One with a spare, replaced with identical car without a spare. No change to economy. Added spare wheel to new car, still no change to economy. No emissions junk added or removed when wheel added.
Bang on. I got caught with my current car - I had no idea that no spare would even have been a thing until I had an inner sidewall get taken out by rogue pothole on one of our fine local roads. Only to then find out it would be several days before a replacement tyre would be available to fit. Never again and the maker of my current car can go take a running jump when it comes to our next steed.
I took your advice and do have a puncture repair kit and inflator on board which can at least get us out of some situations but without any spare I was left high and dry.
My car came with a silly inflation kit. I ended up buying a genuine rim (older year model but the specs are still the same) off FB marketplace, and then when I bought my next set of tyres I put the least worn of my old ones on the new rim/spare. I've only had to use it once in four years. The only problem is, at 20" with a 275 wide tyre on it, it sure takes up a lot of boot space.
Yeah, I'm sure. Compared to my '13 with a 175 tyre on it.
I've got a 215/55/17 on my spare in the boot. won't fit where the space saver was. takes up most of the boot. takes up 3/4 of the room width and length.
The Hyundai I30 has a full size spare. The Hyundai Kona which is the baby SUV with an actual centre locking diff. Had a SPACE SAVER SPARE!!!!
Our Rav4 had (correct tense) a space saver - now has a nice full sized 18" alloy and matching tyre in the well. - And if your dealer says it won't fit - It will
Depends on the car
that's awesome a full-size spare even fits in the wheel well.
@@cityplanner3063 Hybrid AWD Cruiser
I own a 2023 XLE Prius with AWD and of course no spare tire. I did some research and someone put a spare tire in the trunk with all OEM parts. Now, why can't they at least have an option to purchase this as an option at least! It has the room for one but they want to save money and get the best EPA numbers. I was getting an average of4.9 l/100km and with the spare now I get 5.2 l/100km. Well worth the expense to have that peace of mind when you travel!
Hi John, if it came down to the lady having to source a new tyre even in the Syd of Knee there are mobile tyre fitters. Google can be a friend in that situation :) Cheers Mark
Even still, is one of those necessarily going to be able to drop everything, and head straight to this job? Or several hours later, compare that to popping even a space saver on, and driving to the nearest tyre retailer. Just the cost of a few hours extra stuck in a hospital car park sends chills (if Sydney hospitals are like ours in Sadelaide)
RUclips definitely listens in on us.
I’ve just had to buy a space saver because of a tyre issue. Much discussion about spares in the house and boom, this video randomly pops up!
In fact, the last 3 cars I’ve had didn’t have a spare saver or spare wheel.
Oh, and fully agree with you on the topic.
Best wishes to your dad. I hope he’s doing ok.
I've got to tell you, a common statement by our customers is that they did not know there was no spare tyre.
"Let the buyer beware" must have escaped them.
My brother-in-law ordered a full spare instead of a space saver. They supplied a full size spare tyre. Only problem was when he actually needed it near Yunta in South Australia en route to Broken Hill. The bolt holes did not match up. He, and my sister, had to wait about 4 hours for the correct spare tyre to be delivered from Adelaide.
Buyer beware ?? Joking right.. How about full disclosure.. If thats yur attitude, then there's another good reason to dislike car salesmen.. Should try to be honest..
I may want a particular vehicle but if there's no spare, I'd go look elsewhere..
The more pre-purchase investigations I do, the less inclined I am to buy anything.
Why not include it in your sales pitch Matt. You could spout off on how much cheaper the car is because it doesn't have a spare.
yeah... you are absolutely right.. I got '22 car with no spare, and even it take like quarter of the boot I've bought a fullsize spare and put it in the boot.
I remember when a roadworthy spare was required for a roadworthy certificate. It seems that our govt. is letting car companies write the rules now.
They are far less likely to have a puncture now than the old days but we always wear seatbelts for something that might not happen. Lots of junk on the roads nowadays.
Cheering for your Dad John, I'm one the multiple myeloma mob which they found after finding another cancer. Spent the the last two and a half years with a couple stem cell transplants (my own), getting nuked and being pumped full of roundup. We've got some real cluey people that look after us, they've kicked my original 'rust problem' in to submission and the myeloma in to remission... it's an ongoing gig, but I reckon your Dad is going to do alright... best of luck to you and your Dad mate, and.... Keep Cheering! ✌ #rustedvillain
I've sort of grown to not love the space saver, but I think over the last 20 or so years I've only had one car that's had a full sized spare. Even the old 90's shitboxes seem to have had space savers and they do work, you won't die if you stick below the 'do not exceed speed' and it beats walking to get help if you're out in the country.
Got my dad out of hospital just recently for his cancer op, so I do give you some genuine sympathy as its a hard time to deal with and all the best
My 2001 Nissan Sentra has a full size spare identical to the other 4 wheels. But to be fair mine was the last facelifted model of a car that came out in 92...
@@BubblesTheCat1 I had a 91 nissan that had a space saver I brought over as a grey import. I think the vast majority of cars that don't have a spare probably do it to chop a bit of weight as they're all quite hefty
Don't know that model of Sentra very well, mostly Pulsars and Maximas sold well here
@@krissteel4074 Yeah, you right. Here in Sat Afrika we had the Sentra 1.4 and 1.6. My Haynes repair manual calls it a Nissan Sunny. The Sentra name was originally a South African only name ☺
@@BubblesTheCat1 We did have a Sunny back in the 80's here, couldn't tell you which one exactly though because it was a very long time ago. Heck, it might have even been a Datasun badge.
I think the only real way to get a proper spare now is in cars with the more work role like vans and utilities usually carry one.
@@krissteel4074 Yeah, it's sad to see the way the world is going. Absolutely everything has been commercialised. 😢
Ute's at least have space for the spare under the tray ☺
I hit a piece of metal with my 2012 Prius and cut the tire. I had to wait for roadside assistance to tow me back home as the "mobility kit" was useless as in the case you cited. Luckily I was only 2 miles from my home when it happened. Then the pain in the ass procedure to remove it (thank goodness I had a second car), take the wheel to a tire shop and get a new tire mounted, drive back home and reinstall. I shiver to think what hassle I would have gone through had I been 50 miles from home or a tire shop. The one big downside with a hybrid or EV.
Not having at least a space-saver would be a deal-breaker for me. It would bring back memories of that time I was stuck at 2am in a freezing car park with a flat and the AA saying it would take them 6 hours to get to me (because at the time I wasn't old or female who they prioritise). Luckily the car had a space-saver, so I warmed myself swapping the tyre and drove slowly home. It also was true at one time that many recovery firms wouldn't attend you if you were in a private car park or premises - not sure if that is still true but it might be something to check at your location.
Plus how reliable and safe are the tyres temp fixes ?
What happens if the temp repair fails cause you to lose control and straight into the path of a B double
Emergency services would have to pick you up with adust pan and brush into a bucket
Plus any one else in the vehicle with you
Even if you did survive your insurance wouldn't pay as the tyre repair was done by a unqualified person and anyone you killed or injured the police would have you as responsible
I think a space saver tyre is a better solution do not you think?
@@waynehewett4017 Quite. I was shocked to hear Noel say they wanted 800$ for a space saver. It must cost less than $20 to actually make one, and its not like they are exactly huge. If you can't find space for one then I'd say you suck at design. Its just bean-counters trying to get away with maximising profit at the expense of safety.
@@IanSlothieRolfe it's true the car dealers charge marfia extortion rates
But you can go to the car wreckers a pick up one there alot cheaper
It's better than having no spare at all and relying on thoses stupid repair kits
@@waynehewett4017 Oh yes, and if I ever found myself in that situation thats totally what I would do. But given that spare (even a space saver) is an item of safety equipment you would think that manufacturers wouldn't charge hundreds of dollars for something that costs ony tens to make. You'd think that they would see how nickel and diming on the safety of their customers would be a bad thing. If you don't have a spare, you're more likely to be tempted to drive on a flat tyre to get off a highway (which isn't a safe place to be) or to get the tyre changed.
@@IanSlothieRolfe I have and it's most inconvenience to say the least
Running on a flat tyre or run flats even for a short distance can destroy the rim , brakes, brake lines and your cars suspension very easy
If you have a European car
It can be very expensive in deed
I hate space saver tyres as they have a limited speed 80 kph
They cost alot and don't do a good job especially on the hwy at night in the rain
But a spare is better than nothing or thoses stupid repair kits
For years I lusted after a WRX Subi', went to the dealer to test drive , walking into the office to sign up and just happened to ask the sales person if it had a spare. Yes, a space saver. Next question: "Is there room for a full sized spare, I drive across the Nullarbor rather frequently" ? No, I would have to put the tyre on the parcel shelf if so desired. So my lust was never sated.
I had been considering a plug in hybrid!
No spare! This is the first of heard of this!
This is a deal breaker!
No spare is a deal breaker for me. At least a space saver will keep you mobile but you also need room for the full size wheel when its removed.
I own cars with space savers but have full size spares at home exactly for this reason.
I'm actually right in the process of tossing out my space saver and putting a full size wheel in its place. It won't fit properly and we will lose some boot space but we live in a regional area and a good spare is a priority. A few years ago we were plodding along in the NT at 130 kph and were passed by a car with a space saver.... so much for the 80 kph maximum on a space saver.
the space saver could suffer overheating at higher speeds. and also handling is adversely effected. but they won't realise that.
@@chrishart8548 Yeah, and it was a hot day too, about 35C. They obviously ignored the big yellow "80 kph limited" sticker on the space saver, it's impossible to miss.
The 20 somethings that worked for me were staggered when they saw me change a tyre one day. Apparently they just wait for the RACV to come fix it so guessing they don't need a spare.🤣
Unbelievable! I changed wheels out on semi trucks for years! Next to the road in the hot sun. Completely different ball game compared to a simple car wheel. You'll work very very hard for an hour changing that semi's wheel, and be drenched with sweat when done. If you're especially unlucky, you'll do it more than once on a day. Surely don't miss those things!
RACV membership includes 20km of metro towing, so why bother having a spare.. 😁
@@sectokia1909 This is the world we live in now. Full of useless people.
When my kids were learning to drive part of my test was they had to jack the car up and change a tyre before they were allowed to go for their driving test.
@@TC-yx2ss My Dad made my older sister learn how to change a tyre when she got her drivers licence. To help her he also gave her a length of pipe so she can undo the nuts.
Hi John, nice report as usual. Well concerning this issue, the roadside assistance cars and tow trucks here have special emergency tyres with multi-hole rims on board that can be mounted on most common vehicles and lend to the members when they are in such a case and are returned after the repair of the problem.
I would not feel entirely comfortable with no spare wheel, but when I think about it, it has been more than 20 years since I had a flat tire. And that includes a fair amount of off road driving and long distance road trips. Maybe I have just been very lucky.
Murphy's Law says that you will get a flat tomorrow.
yeah comes in waves.... We live regionally and do a fair bit of gravel road driving. Rarely get punctures, but have had a few. At one point in time I bought some "cheaper" tyres for my 4x4. Less than 6 months in, my wife started getting flat tyres, about one per month, till I took the vehicle to a different dealer and had better tyres fitted. That was many years ago now and i dont believe that vehicle has experienced a flat tyre since.. The tyre plays a big part on whether you get flats or not too.
@@Gnrnrvids I don’t believe in getting cheap tyres and I cannot understand why people do it because they compromise everything about the car you have spent $$$ when purchasing. As tyres wear they of course are less resistant to punctures and the legal tread depth is 1.6 mm which is often before the tyres reach the wear indicators. Tyres below that measurement are illegal and dangerous to everyone on the road as well as having insurance claims denied if in a crash.
@@davidperry3531 4x4 AT tyres dude. Way more tread than car tyres forget 1.6mm, they start with 15 mm of tread minimum. They were cheaper, not what I'd call cheap. About $250 each compared to the $350-400 I'd normally spend. 6 months old, still had the pips on the tread as they were wearing well and getting punctures all the time. I've had tyres on cars driving the same roads down to the minimums and no punctures, but not cheaper tyres.
@@Gnrnrvids bit of a mystery why you were getting punctures regularly- maybe the tyre retailer could give a reason.
Tremendous episode John. Thank you for understanding. Yeah its what has to be done hey.
I sure have seen my fair share of 'spareless' cars, and said no deal. Full size spare wheels on Tucson and Santa Fe. Two cars I had my eyes on.
That's much more like it.
I agree with you John. Being a bit of an old fashioned curmudgeon, I would still lean to a spare tyre in any new car purchase even if it was an extra cost option. The only dampener is with these AWD drive cars to match up the spare with the other tyres so rolling diameter mismatch does not cause problems especially if you damage a tyre permanently ie. staked on something.
I’ve never asked for a favour John, but if you could give the name and models of all cars with no spare tyres,,,,I’ve a pocket full of nails and a brilliant new business idea.
Hi John, excellent observations. My wife and I have EVs and we don't have any cars that have a spare tire. Most cars have tire repair kits and basic compressors but what you describe is more than these kits could possibly fix.
Personally if I was you get a couple of space saver tyres
As thoses kits cannot fix or make safe damage done to the side walls of a tyre
Having a temp fix on a tyre failure causing an accident is not worth it
Especially if someone is injured or killed
Plus don't expect your insurance companies to pay out as they won't
Or the police to go easy with an accidental death charge against you
I think the couple of space saver tyre is looking pretty good to me
Make it available as a subscription service
😂🤣😂😂🤣🤣😂🤣😳
You missed your calling, should have been a bean counter 😂
Gold 👍
many people already do just that; subscribe to a road assistance service.
@@petesmitt I put the money I saved into a decent set of spanners and sockets.
Excellent points made. Great example! Hope your Dad is ok. 😢
G'Day John, Firstly, I hope Dad is doing OK. Secondly.... bean counters are the anti-sales department. Not having a spare is sacrelige. As you point out. Engineers make the product; accountants ruin the brand.
Totally agree with John on the no spare issue. In some ways, the overall technology advantages have been undone by cost & space saving measures. We may have reached a juncture , where the product is in decline.
Hi John, KTM motorcycles are trying it on with the Adventurer model that will give you a 1500 km trial with "demo mode" then it will switch off and you will need to pay to have the option switched back on.
I'm glad people like yourself are dragging this sort of stuff into the spotlight. I will be not be purchasing any new vehicles with this kind of extortion being leveled at me. Keep it going! 👍
Subscription cars. What a rip off!
Yeah great video.
Our son works in the tyre industry and started out locally. We're regional but very well serviced and not far from the city.
A late model Euro 4wd/SUV thing with no spare got dragged in on a tilt tray and sat there for quite a while before a tyre could be sourced for it.
First question I asked when I bought our South Korean grocery getter was did it have full sized spare.
All the best with your dad as I know how that feels.
Cheers.
It’s very simple John, don’t get a flat tyre. If everyone just avoided getting a flat tyre this whole spare tyre debate would be moot! 😂
I've never had a fully flat tyre in my life... All my flats have only been on the bottom.
I love your Olight infomercials!
all the best for your Dad mate, also why cant we have one day a year where we can shoot a bean counter? just one
Counter Bean Day.
Great and very valid video John. here in the UK we have many cars with no spare wheels but on top of the problem of not having a spare is having a low profile run flat tyre. Ask BMW how many 19 and 20" rims they have to deal with where the side walls are so bloody hard that they impart far too much energy into the rim on not so great road surfaces. So not only do you have the insult of having no spare wheel but you get a runflat tyre that offers awful handling, is much more expensive and will also likely crack your rims!!!
Should be illegal to sell a car without a proper spare in this country, we have far to much of fuck all for hundreds of ks .Sitting out in 45 degree temps while waiting for roadside assistance could get you killed.
I bought a diesel hatch a couple of years ago as a cheaper to run car for when I don’t need a 4wd or ute, early on i staked a tyre (second one on that stretch of road) after using the pathetic jack and space saver I went the wreckers for a full size
I had a 2009 BMW 3 series (wagon) I loved the car however one of the main reasons for moving it on was the fact that it ran on those stupid spacesaver tyres and had no spare (even though they could have fitted one quite easily). The car itself was great, quite reliable (for a euro car) and very economical. I drive regularly between Canberra and the above ground cemetery (Adelaide) so not having a spare was a constant worry.
lol
Why not go to the wreckers and buy one?
>wagon
so room for a spare... and the tools to change it. you never need it until you need it.
@@grahamcampbell9261 That’s exactly what I did after my one and only puncture 3 years ago. It’s been rattling around my Impreza’s boot taking up half the space ever since. But it gives peace of mind on long trips.
Living in a cemetery as I do here in Adelaide has its advantages. The neighbours are very quiet.
Mum got a new set of tyres a little over a month ago and just last Wednesday we got a flat on the way home (Council roadworks put down some bluemetal that really should've had another round or two in the crusher). Put on the spare and dropped in the flat the next day. Then today as we're about to head in and pick up the now fixed tyre I find that another wheel had suffered the bluemetal treatment, no spare this time... Thankfully we have another two cars in the driveway. Now to just wait and see how my car's tyres look in the morning, lol.
Do you reckon another reason manufacturers might be leaving out the spare wheels to avoid liability if someone hurts themselves changing a wheel?
Lawyers, damn their oily hides.
No! It's to save money, no other reason.Liability?It sad that you think this!
@@nearlyretired7005 wow.
I used to work in Port Moresby a lot and always found it curious to see many of the locals and taxis driving on 2 or 3 space savers with only only 1 or 2 full sized tyres. You just do what you have to do to survive in POM.
I hope your dad is doing well and fighting on! I thought it was part of a car being roadworthy to have a spare tyre? Or am I incorrect?
Don't quote me but I have seen it said that if you have a spare and it's bald or whatever you can be done for being unroadworthy, even though its not on the car, but not if you don't have a spare at all.
Maybe someone with a bit more knowledge might be able to clarify this.
@@oldbloke204
In NZ the following applies:
It is not a legal requirement for a motor vehicle to have a spare wheel.
If one is fitted however, it must be securely attached by a device which is in good condition or stored in a closed compartment separate from the occupant space.
This is checked at the time of a WoF inspection.
@@JohnSmith-yv6eq Cheers.
It would be a rare thing for anyone under 40 too even know how to change a wheel, most will just call roadside assistance
In 32 years of driving the only place I've ever had flat tyres is my garage. A nail (usually) causes a slow leak that only manifests as an obvious problem a day or more later. And in saying that, flats are exceedingly rare, my last would have been about 9 years ago, and neither myself nor anyone I know has been waylaid on the side of a road with a flat. My car has the goop and compressor kit, which would work admirably for the punctures I encounter, and if not then other more onerous arrangements would have to be made, but given the vanishingly small probability of that happening I can certainly see why a manufacturer wouldn't bother with a spare. Additionally, some f-wits think a space saver is fine to keep on indefinitely and in all driving conditions. So there's that.
@MaxPower777: I must be less fortunate than you in my 32 years of driving (33 if I count properly, but pretty damn close). I can’t agree that flats are “exceedingly rare”. While I have had several flats in the garage as described, I’ve also had to change maybe a dozen tyres on the roadside, in car parks, and one very stressful time in the breakdown lane of a 100kph Motorway, wedged up against a concrete barrier. In every case it was a ten minute job, and back on the road. Tyres are so much better than in years gone by, and if changed at appropriate intervals they don’t generally fail, but there will always be debris on the road, and you won’t spot every nail or roofing screw (or in my wife’s case once, pair of nail scissors) that you pass, so flats will still occur, at inconvenient times and at inconvenient places. I probably get one every few years, same as my wife. Perhaps we live in an area with a lot of building activity, as hex head screws are the number one culprit. Space saver tyres are a deal breaker for me: I will only buy a vehicle with a full size spare. I wish you continued good fortune with your current non-flat streak!
Getting a flatbed tow on a rural NZ highway is not always easy either and you're at the mercy of the tow truck driver's education regarding EV towing requirements. Many of us Kona EV owners locate a suitable spacesaver and jack, then secure that under the rear floor where it just fits perfectly above the existing too-small cavity. When you had the Kona EV it's too bad you didn't have a look at the gear oil as you'd have an hour's worth of discussion as to how dirty it you would have found it.