Spare tire now standard?
 

I just got my RX-8 in Las Vegas. It came with a spare tire mounted in the trunk. I thought this was an extra cost accessory. Did I get a freebee from my dealer or is Mazda fitting the RX-8 with a spare?

check your invoice, maybe you paid for it

I purchased my RX-8 from Courtesy on West Sahara also in Las Vegas. I got my car on August 2nd. I got the spare I paid for at the time of purchase ($395.00 installed) three weeks ago. They had no spares initially. I told them I thought they were nuts to sell cars in the desert without spares. Maybe they now agree.

I don't know but even with cell phones, free service, blah, blah, I would not want to be Mazda trying to explain to an old widow that if only the old man could have hung on another half hour we could have saved him with a "Flight for Life". There are too many isolated desert highways in Nevada and not enough passers by that care.

runflats?

Heh, when I first insisted on a spare I got a funny look and something like "why would you want to put a spare in there"? As if the last 100 years were all a mistake and I was the one with fanciful ideas :p

Chance of fixing a flat with a good spare = close to 100%

Chance of fixing a flat on standard RX-8 =

Pg + (1-Pg)*Pph*Pbat*Pcel*Pra*Pt*Palive

Where
Pg = chance that the goo will fix the flat and the compressor works
Pph = chance you have a cell phone with you
Pbat = chance you have a working cell battery
Pcel = chance you are in a coverage area
Pra = chance you can reach Roadside Assistance and it's within their power to help you
Pt = chance the truck makes it to where you are
Palive = chance you're still alive by the time someone gets there

Nubo,

Ain't that the truth! Had a salesman at the dealer two miles away adamantly say that the spare wasn't needed since the can could fix things. Yeah, sure. I'm no mastermind, but by my numbers if you have two flats and two new tires later (after using the goo) it would have been cheaper to go with the spare.

Lol...the can ain't gonna due jack if the side walls of the tires were to get cut by something. Damn porcupines(sp)...

So what's the consenus?. Do we buy the spare? Not sure if I'm the only gal with a RX8 here on the forum, but never changed a tire b4. Always called AAA. Will they know how to use the stuff in the "Tire Kit"? Will Mazda's 24 hour road side assistant service people know what to do? And where does the spare get housed?
Thanks in advance

That answer is not the same for everyone. Depends what you're doing and where you live. If you predominately a city dweller, then Mazda 24 hour roadside assistance can't be too far away. If you’re mostly in a remote area then the spare may be a good idea. I preordered my car with the spare but only plan to have it with me when I go on extended road trips. In general the spare takes up a fair amount of the trunk space and also blocks the night light in the trunk. Just make the choice your most comfortable with.

BTW, there's a few "gal's" in here, they will probably track you down (not to mention the guys with the canned pick-up lines). Have fun!

Thanks for the reply post brothervooodoo-
Your pics are great. Location near me (San Rafael) We have the same taste. I have the Sunlight Silver too. I'd rather not take up trunk space-Where would I put all my Costco purchases?

Good point!! ;) By the way, saw a sunlight silver in SF today. Starting to see more and more of these cars, it was a ghost town when I had mine in late July. Nice to see a couple on the road. So, you do have the car? In that case, have fun with your ride.

If you really need the trunk space (the spare cuts it down CONSIDERABLY), I'd go with replacing the tires with runflats. They are good for 100 miles at 50 MPH with 0 psi.

hey o_town_racer-
what are runflats. Again I have never changed a tire. I think I have only had one flat and AAA came to the rescue on Highway 101 in San Rafael, CA

I checked my paperwork and I wasn't charged for my spare. I also got window tinting without charge.

The spare really restricts the trunk opening, so I'm going to remove mine and only use it for trips where I can't get roadside help outside of Los Angeles - trips to northern Nevada for instance.

Runflats are tires designed to run with little or no air pressure in them. They will generally get you to where you need to go for service if you end up with a puncture, but they typically weigh more, wear faster and don't give quite the ride that typical performance tires will give. They also tend to cost more than a little pocket change. While there are some who love the convenience and swear by them, it's probably safe to say that most people would prefer to keep standard tires w/ a spare (or some kind of service arrangement plan in place of the spare).

Probably the biggest group of people wh would prefer the spare are those who either live beyond the normal city metro areas or those who would end up driving any real amount of distance from time to time. That way you don't have the issue of potentially being out of cell phone range or out of range of someone who can tow you in. If you're in or near town, it might not be as big of a deal. Personally, I have to make trips that sometimes run a couple hundred miles (in addition to moving to a new part of the country every three years) - I'm going for the spare. :)

Woah! Other vegas people?

There's a meet this Sunday, link is in the west forum here, but the real action for the meet is here:

http://www.msprotege.com/vbb225/show...5&pagenumber=1