No spare wheel

Does anyone know the reason for the lunatic wholesale move to not providing a spare in current cars?

In the overall scheme of things I cannot beleive that it is cost - on the scale of car manufacture, providing one would cost peanuts.

Run-flats are OK, but only if the puncture is very modest - hit something that puts even a small slice in the tyre and you are going nowhere.

My Megane came with a can of puncture repair fluid and a battery-operated pump, but it also has a spare wheel well in the boot, originally filled with a foam insert. I fitted a spare PDQ after buying it - the fact that no spare was normal was news to me then and it amazed me.

This has got to be one of the looniest moves in car design/provision/whatever, ever, especially for lone lady drivers - provided with a long-handled wheel nut spanner, or even a standard one and a length of steel pipe, and some very basic education, any lady can change any car wheel, if they have a spare. Maybe the asumption is that ALL ladies who habitually drive alone have some kind of rescue cover?

 

It used to be weight to reduce and sneak into lower VED brackets. Not really so relevant now so guess it’s simply cost. I hate it and should be a legal requirement to carry at least a space saver spare IMHO.

 

I don't like it either. Makes an AA/RAC membership compulsory. Agree with Ponty - should be law to have a minimum of space saver (at point of sale maybe?)

 

Get one from here
https://www.thewheelshop.co.uk/

 

When we were looking to replace our ancient Astra (full-sized spare wheel) just over 8 years ago, I was greatly taken by the Mercedes A-Class, until my brother said, "Do you know that not only does it not have a spare wheel but also not even a place for one?" As a result, the boot of the A-Class in India looked like this:

https://img.indianautosblog.com/2013/05/Mercedes-A-Class-spare-wheel-placed-in-the-boot.jpg

We ended up with a Volvo V40, which at least has a space saver. However, for long trips (especially when driving from Basel to Cherbourg for the Dublin ferry), I invested in a full-sized wheel and tyre. Now that there are only the two of us, we have more than sufficient space.

Personally, I think the lack of a full-sized spare is a terrible mistake. As Vinny says, if you damage a sidewall, and you have no spare, you have big problems.

 

As implied by @tones, and from received wisdom, no wheel well in not uncommon. Fine if you have loads of room otherwise..........................

 

Partly as you probably can't put enough torque on the wheel nuts to get them off by the side of the road.

 

I can tolerate space savers, but no spare at all or space for one is a disaster where I am in Malaysia. I have had tyres destroyed by scrap metal 25km from the nearest house and no cell coverage.

 

And no dipstick?

 

No spare wheel, smart motorways with no hard shoulder. Recipe for trouble.

 

Mine has a space saver, I regard that as a minimum. Haven't needed it in 2 years / 30k miles. There's no space for a full size wheel, tyres on modern cars are huge.
no dipstick either, only a problem at oil change time when you need to measure the volume going in. I would prefer to have one.
As for women changing wheels, just no. Large numbers of men can't either, and they're strong enough. I can only get my wheels off because I carry a breaker bar and socket, garages put them on tight these days.

 

Even with a spare I would wait for recovery assistance on any motorway, smart or not, and get well away from the car.

 

no gearstick, no handbrake lever, no key

bah, what's the world coming to

 

So instead of a dipstick, I assume there is some kind of sensor (which will inevitably malfunction sometimes, telling you you have no oil when you do or not telling you that it is low, and will need to be replaced) inside the sump (or the oil tank, in dry-sump engines) that tells a computer in the car how much oil is in there, but clearly this can only be read with the computer and software that official service centres have. This is much more modern and civilised than that nasty, medieval steel stick that any owner or petrol pump attendant could get their grubby hands on.

 

It’s not only the lack of a spare but the lack of a jack & wrench too as a consequence.

 

Can be bought as a pack at thewheelshop

 

I’d genuinely suggest that smart motorways WITH spare wheel is a much more likely recipe for trouble.

Out of interest, who’s changed a car tyre in the last decade?

 

My current car (2016 Volvo V60cc) came (used) with the gunk and compressor. I got the dealer to throw in the space saver option pack as a sweetener for the deal.

It also has only a vestigial dipstick, accessible only from below, so only during servicing. There’s a ‘police dipstick’ aftermarket option which I only found out about afterwards. Probably going to get one fitted at the next service.

 

Me. Side of the road, but I pulled off to a quiet entry to an office block.

I’ve also had to wait on the motorway for recovery after hitting a pothole at 60-odd and trashing tyre.

 

I have not had to change a wheel at the roadside in 40 years, but always order cars with at least a space-saver. That's eight cars bought new and sold with pristine spares. One was sold over 10 years old so the spare had probably perished. I also try to follow my grandads advice to change tyres every three years regardless of the mileage but I've never changed the spare at the same time.

Come to think of it, I can't recall the last time I saw someone changing a wheel by the road, although I recall it being common 40 years ago. I guess tyres are a lot better these days and my memory of my youth is peppered with bargain remoulds.

Next time I really should remind myself that insanity is observing the same result over and over again whilst still anticipating a different one