this post was submitted on 25 Sep 2024
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Can we add 'cars with spare tires' to the list?
Having to call a damned tow-truck just to get a flat tire fixed is not a winning move if you're trying to sell how much your car benefits the environment.
Wait, new cars don't have spare tires? Wtf has the world come to?
First they switched to the mini-spares. Then they got rid of them altogether.
If you're lucky, there are little filler canisters and a cigarette lighter-powered air compressor to let you get slowly to a tire shop. Sometimes, not even that. If there's a nail or a blowout, tow-truck city. Just hope it's not out in the middle of nowhere in the dark or in bad weather.
And keep in mind that the Fix-a-Flat kind of spray will make your tire unrepairable.
I'm not sure that's strictly true, but it definitely makes the inside of your tire (and rim) a goddamn mess
I could see that if they ran run-flats. If not, they could fuck off with that bullshit.
Many new cars have "run-flats," which can be used even if they get a puncture/go flat.
However, they are more expensive, they don't function under certain kinds of flats (e.g., sidewall damage), they have limited range, and limited speed.
The tiny "donut" spares on some cars are also not intended for high speeds, but I'd much prefer that to a punctured run-flat. (You should probably place the donut on the rear of your car is front wheel drive, though.)
I read somewhere that you should always replace a back wheel with a donut spare, even if that means swapping a punctured front wheel with an original back wheel. The donut spares are so flimsy that they can't be trusted to reliably handle the side loads a front wheel experiences when your car is turning.
That's one for safety in case you can't get help, but one should drive slower than 60kmph and seek help immediately when using T rated tyre(such as the donut spare). The control sucks when your front tyre is a donut spare, and braking also sucks, so driving slow is the only way to do it.
I thought that was a legal safety requirement in the US.
Do you know in the US, the car maker can make a car use brake lamp as a turn signal? The standard is weird.
I did - I'm from the US and have been confused by this before.
Also I saw Technology Connections' rant video about this! As always, in case you're not familiar, I highly recommend his channel.
Yeah it turns out no one uses them or keeps em pumped up or applies that rubber stuff to em to keep em in good shape so the manufacturers replaced em with “24 hr roadside assistance”.
Spare tires have come in handy many times in my life! And im only 30. Fuck 24 hour roadside assistance i can put a spare on faster than they can get out to me
No doubt they have been and are handy to many, but with increasing amount of people not knowing how to change their tires and the tire being empty and gone to shit anyway, I guess I get not having as a default.
Yeah it sucks
I feel like the saved weight could be a net benefit for the environment
I very much prefer the extra cargo space. I have never had a flat tire. I go on vacations/road trips every year, multiple times.