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Comment by BugsJustFindMe | Hacker News Reader

It seems like the article should have been "Can we please go back to having spare tires in cars?" Shit happens. But these days half the cars available don't include spares or a place to put them.

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? I didn’t know not having a spare tire was even a thing. I’ve had flat tires twice and got back on the road in under 20 minutes after changing the tire. I’m glad I now know this is a thing, so I can research new cars for this and avoid any model that has no spare.

I think the problem is that tires are getting so big there's no place to store the spare. Especially on EVs where you need all the space you can get for the battery.

That being said all the cars I looked at when I bought my car had a spare tire as an option (by default you wouldn't get one)

Its also because a spare tire is counted in the curb weight if it's standard equipment.

So it'll impact e.g. the fuel consumption you can advertise.

One of my previous cars came with no spare but “run flat” tires (might be named something else). Basically they have strong sidewalls that do not collapse even without pressure. You can ride on them at much slower speeds to get to a tire shop. Loved those.

My later cars both had no spares neither an emergency solution like the previous one had. I used a foam tire sealer once, worked wonders on a small puncture.

Couple weeks ago I managed to completely fuck up a tire on my volvo with no spare. Had to call assistance number, they sent a tow truck.. Spent half a day sorting it out.

I've never seen a car without a spare in the US. Maybe only in sports/performance cars. What kind of cars are you talking about?

I own a 2010 Camaro SS and it doesn't have a spare. Part of that because those tires are HUGE -- I doubt I could fit one into my trunk -- but also because the front and rear tires are of different sizes. Which size should you carry?

Chevy also put my battery in the trunk for weight distribution reasons, which makes the available space there even less. Maybe they felt they could do that because there was no spare.

I love my Camaro but it is definitely a "pay to play" vehicle.

>but also because the front and rear tires are of different sizes. Which size should you carry?

Oftentimes, spare wheels are very tiny compared to the wheel they're replacing and just made to get you to the tire place.

Yeah, every car other than the Camaro I've owned has had a donut spare tire. I forgot to address that my original comment.

The challenge with a donut on my car is trying to fit over/around the brake calipers associated hardware.

I've been lucky so far: in the 13 years I've own the car, I've had only one slow leak due to a nail. I haven't needed a spare yet.

If you don’t have a full size spare, you generally always want to put it on the back. (Even if it means swapping tires around if you blew out a front tire.) You don’t want to compromise steering by putting it on the front wheel.

FWIW lift the liner in the trunk and there's space for a donut. They have it replaced with an air compressor, a fix a flat can and a giant block of compressed foam in the shape of a tire lol.

most of hybrid cars don't have spares. my wife's mini countryman didn't have spare (had runflats instead).

there is a trend to put instead of spare inflation kit + sealant. costs savings and such

It's become relatively common over the last few years. Especially with EVs (probably a mix of cost reduction, weight reduction, and packaging problems). There's barely any EVs that come with spares (Rivian, F-150, that might be it). Some EVs based in ICE platforms like the Hyundai Kona have a place to put it at least, or you can get aftermarket ones that live in the back seat/trunk

The first car I ever bought new, a 2012 Hyundai Accent, didn't come with one. It was a comparatively cheap car, but it wasn't the cheapest package. A friend's Volvo sedan (approx. same model year) also didn't come with one. My newer Volkswagen did come with a donut, so I've definitely experienced both.

Edit: none of these were hybrids or EVs, so it's not just batteries.

Have you seen a Tesla?

It's the norm for hybrids and electrics. My 2014 volt doesn't have a spot for a spare, just some expired fix-a-flat and a 12v air compressor.

Ten years ago, we bought a 2012 Acura station wagon, which came without a spare. It had a fixer-upper kit in place of spare and jack.

Most cars we've seen in Canada last decade did not have one. My 2004 wrx (yes 20yo) has one. Anything from Honda odyssey to Subaru cross trek to hyundai and Kias did not seem to have one.

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