Grrr....why do new cars not have spare tires?

[tibbitts]

I have a set of snows on steelies I swap to from Oct-March, I tossed my donut and put one of whichever set is available in the trunk as a full size spare. I've got a patch kit, inflator, and proper tools to change a tire in there as well. Donuts are terrible, so I just consider getting a spare tire as part of the cost of a vehicle now.

For what it's worth, the vehicle I have on order (Ford Maverick) comes with a full-size spare. Still planning on a set of snows once it's in, just won't need to swap the current spare out.

This thread is a good reminder to check your donut and consider replacing it if it's older than 5 years, and to air it up when you top off your other tires.

I can't imagine anyone replacing an unused donut after 5 years. I don't recommend other people drive around on 14-year-old tires or have a 20-year-old donut like I do, but 5-year replacement would be incredibly low on my priority list.

[TimeTheMarket]

This bothered me more before. Now I'm used to it. I do keep an electric inflater and a puncture kit in one of my cars (I don't bother with the gel stuff). The fact is for me the only flats I've gotten in recent memory were because of pot holes in this damn state (new york). I've resolved that by vowing (and applying) never to drive a vehicle in new york again with low profile tires.

[TimeTheMarket]

Plus the huge rims and low profile tires that come on everything, expensive tires get damaged very quickly with a flat.

I wish this silly low profile obsession would go away. After losing a tire (actually two because both have to be replaced) a few years ago to a HORRENDOUS pot hole that had been around for weeks and weeks (state never fixed it and I bet it caused many thousands in damage over this period), and then having a new rim on a car (like 1-2 months after buying it) bent on another damn pot hole ($950 to replace the wheel) and then another flat not long after that on another, I decided I will never again own a car with low profile tires unless I can get a complete warranty package on them. Now I drive a pickup truck, and when we bought a tesla I got the smallest wheel = thickest tire option on our model 3, which has done well since.

The thing is even many SUVs have very thin tires now, and pot holes pinch flat them. It looks good, but makes driving more frustrating and reduces ride quality.

[kevinf]

I have a set of snows on steelies I swap to from Oct-March, I tossed my donut and put one of whichever set is available in the trunk as a full size spare. I've got a patch kit, inflator, and proper tools to change a tire in there as well. Donuts are terrible, so I just consider getting a spare tire as part of the cost of a vehicle now.

For what it's worth, the vehicle I have on order (Ford Maverick) comes with a full-size spare. Still planning on a set of snows once it's in, just won't need to swap the current spare out.

This thread is a good reminder to check your donut and consider replacing it if it's older than 5 years, and to air it up when you top off your other tires.

I can't imagine anyone replacing an unused donut after 5 years. I don't recommend other people drive around on 14-year-old tires or have a 20-year-old donut like I do, but 5-year replacement would be incredibly low on my priority list.

I did say consider.

[neilpilot]

I have a set of snows on steelies I swap to from Oct-March, I tossed my donut and put one of whichever set is available in the trunk as a full size spare. I've got a patch kit, inflator, and proper tools to change a tire in there as well. Donuts are terrible, so I just consider getting a spare tire as part of the cost of a vehicle now.

For what it's worth, the vehicle I have on order (Ford Maverick) comes with a full-size spare. Still planning on a set of snows once it's in, just won't need to swap the current spare out.

This thread is a good reminder to check your donut and consider replacing it if it's older than 5 years, and to air it up when you top off your other tires.

I can't imagine anyone replacing an unused donut after 5 years. I don't recommend other people drive around on 14-year-old tires or have a 20-year-old donut like I do, but 5-year replacement would be incredibly low on my priority list.

I agree. Since the spare isn't exposed to UV and weather a 10 year life is conservative. Unless it's mounted on the rear of a truck or jeep, in which case a cover is essential and even then the life maybe reduced due to exposure. OTOH you can check your spare tire for dry rot or cracking when you check its tire pressure.

[TexasPE]

That said, replacing all 4 tires is not always the only option. If you have to replace one, the new tire can be shaved down to have the same rolling diameter as the other 3, and thus won't cause issues with your AWD. Yes this "wastes" a portion of the tread on the new tire. But unless they're all heavily worn and coming up on replacement anyway, it's far less wasteful than binning the other 3. If your tires are $400 each and have half of their life left, you can effectively buy half a set for $400, vs. a whole set for $1600.

...or buy a used tire with the proper remaining tread depth on eBay. I have a Subaru and the spec calls for all tread depths to be within 2/32 to avoid damaging the AWD. I've done this twice in the last 6 months paying ^$50 for the tire (shipped) and $20 for mounting and balancing. This avoided my paying ~$900 for a new set of tires when I still had more than 50% of the usable tread life left on the remaining three. I purchased the tires from United Tires, which shows more than 1M sales. I had to find an independent tire store to mount - Discount Tire refused,

[texasdiver]

I used to own the 2wd version of the Sienna that had the full size spare cinched up to the underside of the car.

If I were to own a new AWD Sienna I think I would buy a hitch mount spare tire holder to use on long road trips and then not bother to carry it for ordinary around town use. Something like this:

I hadn't thought about going that route though I probably would never use it. When going on long trips, especially with five people in my family, we access the rear hatch quite often and having a hitch mounted spare in the way would definitely make that a lot more difficult.

They are swing-away so you can still access your rear hatch

[PTCGeorge]

1. CAFE / GHG regualtions
2. Spare tire "tubs" have been taken up by hybrid batteries and foldig 3rd row seats in SUVs
3. Many more OEMs offer roadside assistances to customers

You CAN find plenty of new vehicles with full time spares but it may not be the economical hybrid you want