Spare Tire: Yes or No
 

So I've been dirving my '8 for six months with only the inflator kit in the trunk. No problems so far, but I've seen some threads here that say the kit is virtually useless. I saw one poll on here that showed that less than 50% of owners carry a spare tire.

So what do you all recommend: carry a spare or continue to drive "commando"?

when i ordered my 2006 last week i skipped on the spare. if i get a flat then im callin roadside sucka! i dont want to be fillin the fix a flat crap or whatever! i paid 30k for this car, someone is gonna tow it to the dealer and im gettin a free tire!

the pathetic thing is that i am a tech for mazda!!! haha

I drive commando, oh and I dont have the spare either.....

The spare kit takes lots of room outta the trunk. If I'm ever stranded, I'll call for help. Probably wouldn't call roadside assistance for just a flat tire because I don't want my car chained. I think a lot less than 50% of us actually carry the spare tire.

I hope you know that caused involuntary images to pop in my head...funny though! :banghead:

As for the spare...like Ngo said it takes up lots of trunk space. I opted not to get it in mine. :)

No matter who you call, it's still going to involve a lot of down time.

I do like the extra space in the trunk though.

I opted to save the space. In over 30 years of driving, I've only had to change a tire once.

If I lived and mostly drove in town I'd consider going without a spare. I certainly don't disrespect those of you who chose to not carry one.

However, this part of upstate NY has a lot of hills and they break up the cell phone coverage. I live several miles outside of town - my home and most of the way there are in 'dead zones'. 50% of the year is what I consider 'adverse weather' - a few days way too hot to sit in a scortching car plus a few months of time way too cold to sit in a freezing car. I carry the spare because I typically carry my three daughters with me (littlest one is just 2!) and I'd prefer to change the tire and be on our way rather than walk 5 miles with them or sit and wait for a miracle.

The trunk opening is reduced, but I still get my laptop bag in there along with my lunch, their bookbags, a big diaperbag, two dance bags for the older girls, plus my CDs and wash and wax supplies plus anything we happen to pick up at the store on the way home.

My biggest dislike for the spare is that it blocks most of the trunk light, but I'll wires some auxilary lights to the main light eventually.

Doesn't the bar that holds the spare, act like a rear strut tower bar?

Usually all I carry in mine is my gym bag and my laptop. As long as I still have room for those I'm good to go. I use my other vehicle for the heavy hauling. It carries my Mt. Bike and all the big stuff.

I think the convenience factor alone is pulling me toward the "Get One" side.

Thanks,

Marc

Commando for two sets of tires so far (knocks on closest wood...)

Fix-A-Flat goo compressor is in my basement

I would hate to have to wait on roadside service if I am out in the boonies on a late Sunday coming home from the lake. Sure the spare takes up some room, but remember we have a back seat :)

Hey RoXanne, how do you plan on getting a free tire for being towed in??

I don't have a spare, and I've had one flat already. A screw in the sidewall of course, so the fixaflat was useless anyway. I just pumped it up again (slow leak) and drove it to the dealer.

But I'd get a spare if I could do it again, including it in the purchase price. Now I'm too cheap to have one installed. It's bloody expensive.

What I might do is just buy a normal tire/wheel and throw it in the trunk as a spare on long trips (rare for me). Otherwise, I commute through a well-developed area, so I'm never out of cell coverage. Still, I hate having to rely on that.

I just had a flat last night after hitting a bad pothole. The hole was too big for the tire repair kit and I was out in the middle of nowhere. Luckily I had the spare tire.

"Hey RoXanne, how do you plan on getting a free tire for being towed in??"
Sea Ray



i guess your dealer doesnt offer it, but where i work they offer a wheel/tire warranty for like 250 bucks. if u pop a tire/ bend a rim they will replace it FOR FREE. the warranty is the same as the car's. 4 years /50k miles.

when my gf bought her 6 from my work she bought the warranty and since then has bent 1 rim and popped 2 tires and it was covered each time! the cost of one tire alone is nearly 250 bucks and within the next 4 years she owns it sahe will crash into more crap than you and me combined!

ask about the tire warranty at your dealer, if they think its BS, come see me at Faulkner Mazda in Philadelphia, Pa!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Over in the UK we dont really have the spare tyre option as they all come without one. We've got a can of that pressurised foam stuff u squirt into your tyre to plug the hole to get u home.

Of cause if u were unlucky enough to get a big hole, that the foam could not plug, then that can of stuff would b pointless. But 90% of the time i'm never really that far from somewhere where i couldn't sort myself out.

On long road trips I do carry a spare tyre as well as spare fuel but its all just precaution. All depends on your driving situation. If u spend most of your time driving close to civilization then driving without a spare wont put u at 2 much inconvience. And the extra boot space is a big plus, as wel as saving fuel by being lighter (i know its only a lil lighter but every lil helps ;))But if you find yourself driving thru the Scotish highlands, going cross continental thru Europe or something similar then its best to carry a spare rather than risk being caught out.

my car came with free roadside service. did everyone get that? i just hoped if i got a flat and the fix-a-flat system didnt work... i would get it towed.

-hS

I did get the free roadside assitance program with the car. But assuming the fix-a-flat goo does not work, you first have to call for help, then you have to wait, then you still have to have the tire repaired before you can go on your way.

On the other hand, it has been about 15 years since I've suffered a flat. Tires are better now than they were then ( back then I ran my sidewall into a curb and ripped it) so you see less flats now than before. The exceptions are the odd nail or screw that tires pick up now and again.

I think from just a convenience standpoint I'm going to get a spare put in. I can always take it out if I need the extra space and I'm driving in civilized areas where I would not have to wait too long for the roadside assistance truck to show up.

depends on ur commute & road conditions and the level of risk u want to take. here in los angeles driving around without a spare is pretty risky business- esp if ur commute crosses some shady neighborhoods, like mine does. the roads here are constantly under construction and car accident debris is everywhere. i've had several blow-outs over the years. and, having a full-size spare in my bimmer has been a life-saver. AAA shows up in < 30 min and i'm driving work the next day without compromising safety by peddling around on a rinky dink.

i actually wish the 8 had a full-size spare, but i guess to make some useable trunk space they couldn't do it. tho, now that we're talking about it, i think it's a great idea to me. when i get some extra $, i think i'll buy another stock rx-8 18" rim & tire & replace the donut as the spare.

:)

Having lived in the mountain west all of my life, and knowing that there are entirely too many stretches of roads where not only is there no cellular coverage, there are virtually no highway patrol personell, along with the possibility of not seeing another human being for literally hours...
yea. I went with the spare.
It really depends on where you will be driving, and generally what conditions you're likely to encounter.
Now, if ya wanna talk about the kind of fun driving the aforementioned roads can be...:evil_laug

Unless you suffer extreme puncture, just have an air compressor in your car and keep refilling until you get the tire fixed.

the spare tire came with mine but i only put it in the trunk when i go out of town .it does take up to much room in the trunk

commando, but with a tire plug kit... 10 bucks priceless.

beers

Spare came with mine, i'm too lazy to take it out. Well, anyways, i guess it makes me feel safe like a safety blanket? Haha, i dont know. Well, does anyone else think that the spare tire looks cool? Cause i would love to get 3 other spare tires and put it on =X Okae, yeah, all of you might think im dumb but the rims that come with the spare is really nice. 8 spoke (i believe) yellow enkei rims are really really nice.

And to the past comment on the bar that acts like a rear strut, i think so! haha, saves me money from getting the mazdaspeed strut bar. haha