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Why don't cars have spare tyres any more?


Still Waters

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There are few things more depressing on a car journey than the ‘flud, flud, flud’ sound of a flat tyre.

You invariably seem to get a puncture when it’s dark, when it’s raining and when the car is laden with tired kids, luggage and a front seat passenger reluctant to get their hands dirty, but unusually eager to point out what you’re doing wrong.

Changing a spare tyre is hassle enough, but in recent years, coping with a flat has become even more stressful. For without fanfare, motor manufacturers have begun to phase them out.

http://www.dailymail...tyres-more.html

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I love the onomatopoeia, there, Still!

Edited by Lady Kasey
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it is quite simple, real tire rated to 180 Km/h costs ~ 150 Euros, the rim cost 30-90 Euros. A emergency wheel rated for 8o Km/h cost 40 Euros (if China quality is bought even less). Makes ~120 Euros savings. That times several million cars produced by a company we have quite an amount to put on the bottom line.

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when buying a car you can select the option for what type of spare tyre you want? plus you can buy that emergency repair kit. http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_storeId_10001_catalogId_10151_productId_746955_langId_-1_categoryId_165664

Edited by stevewinn
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it is quite simple, real tire rated to 180 Km/h costs ~ 150 Euros, the rim cost 30-90 Euros. A emergency wheel rated for 8o Km/h cost 40 Euros (if China quality is bought even less). Makes ~120 Euros savings. That times several million cars produced by a company we have quite an amount to put on the bottom line.

Here in the States we call those "emergency wheels" donuts... and while they are only rated for about 50 miles or so you can see people blithely driving around for months with three normal tires (as we spell it over here) and one of the donuts - they look like they are horribly unbalanced... I wish the police would issue warnings for those people - they just are not safe...

Edited by Taun
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Here in the States we call those "emergency wheels" donuts... and while they are only rated for about 50 miles or so you can see people blithely driving around for months with three normal tires (as we spell it over here) and one of the donuts - they look like they are horribly unbalanced... I wish the police would issue warnings for those people - they just are not safe...

We call them space savers over here, and you can pick them up for about $15. There has been stories of people buying these space savers instead of the correct wheels and driving around with 3 or 4 of them on their cars.

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Has anyone considered asking the manufacturer? Its all about lightening up the car to hit the gas milage standards being imposed. Its not the cost savings to the manufacturer. Its not space savings. Its weight. End of discussion.

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Has anyone considered asking the manufacturer? Its all about lightening up the car to hit the gas milage standards being imposed. Its not the cost savings to the manufacturer. Its not space savings. Its weight. End of discussion.

It's the bottom line, anybody who knows the simplest about physics can easily calculate that the gas savings on a 2 ton vehicle caused by a 10 pound lighter tire falls under the chapter joke. In fact, to get a 50% better gas mileage the car would have to be 20% of its original weight.

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Has anyone considered asking the manufacturer? Its all about lightening up the car to hit the gas milage standards being imposed. Its not the cost savings to the manufacturer. Its not space savings. Its weight. End of discussion.

Out of curiousity, what manufacturer provided you that information?

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Its not 50% more mpg, its one here, one there. You really think its about saving sixty bucks on a 30 grand auto?

I only worked in the business for 14 years, with people who do design, so yeah, you guys should know more than me.

Edited by The Mule
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Tha

Yea, they are unsafe and dangerous. I used to be a wrecker driver for the City in San Antonio for a couple of years, and changing tires was part of the job for stranded customers. This one time I changed this guys tire on a sedan, on a busy highway, and strictly told him 'don't go over 50 mph and get a new tire as soon as possible.' Sure enough, right after I finished and drove off, he pulled out onto the highway not too far behind me and tried to pass me goin 65 or so, I looked out the window and watched his tire pop off the rim, and he had the biggest "WTF?" face I have ever seen. So I pulled over where he did, on the busy highway in a more dangerous spot than before, and he tried to blame me for it, and all I could do was shake my head and point to the bare rim that his rubber tire popped off of. I charged him $185.00 to tow his car to his house after all that.

That is hilarious! It says right there on the tire not to exceed 45-50 mph... I've seen people day after day riding on a donut. Human laziness knows no boundaries...

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I only worked in the business for 14 years, with people who do design, so yeah, you guys should know more than me.

The Mule's getting feisty! ;)

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The spares they were providing were getting to be a joke anyway.

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People sometimes don't understand that a spare tire should be part of the upkeep of your car. Like making sure it's still inflated and such. I speak from experience on this. On my first car I got a flat once and then the spare got a flat. Wasn't fun at all.

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Hmmmm yes., we bought the commodor with 17's and found the spare was standard. It's all good if you have a spare not if you can only do 60klms to get to a new tyre. I used an Allen key to change a spare once, stand with no Jack. O.o Twas a bugger.

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The Mule's getting feisty! ;)

Damn right I'm ....feisty...I know for a FACT that its about weight reduction. Anybody wants to say otherwise they can go ahead and live in their little fantasy land where they're always right.

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Its not 50% more mpg, its one here, one there. You really think its about saving sixty bucks on a 30 grand auto?

I only worked in the business for 14 years, with people who do design, so yeah, you guys should know more than me.

They save even more on a 6o grand care as long as they sell enough of them. Given the amount of BMW 7er sold if you save $1 per unit you end up with millions. And that is what gives manager a bonus: millions made additionally.

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They save even more on a 6o grand care as long as they sell enough of them. Given the amount of BMW 7er sold if you save $1 per unit you end up with millions. And that is what gives manager a bonus: millions made additionally.

Dude....which part of "I was in the business" did you not understand? Its about weight, not money. The customers would gladly pay for a real tire. Just this once you have to admit that somebody knows more about something than you do.

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Dude....which part of "I was in the business" did you not understand? Its about weight, not money. The customers would gladly pay for a real tire. Just this once you have to admit that somebody knows more about something than you do.

We know, they are all philanthropists that put the common good ahead of money. I would be the only industry in the world that is not about money, and then about money again and then about what can make them more money.

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We know, they are all philanthropists that put the common good ahead of money. I would be the only industry in the world that is not about money, and then about money again and then about what can make them more money.

When I say its not about money, I mean the cost of the spare tire, which is what your contention was. Obviously, mpg is all about money too.

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When I say its not about money, I mean the cost of the spare tire, which is what your contention was. Obviously, mpg is all about money too.

If somebody creates an inconvenience for the customers to save less than one hundredth of the weight of an object he should be fired... well unless in Detroit, they are mostly incapable.

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If somebody creates an inconvenience for the customers to save less than one hundredth of the weight of an object he should be fired... well unless in Detroit, they are mostly incapable.

Apparently you haven't noticed, but its not just the spare tire. Everything in your car is smaller and lighter than it was forty years ago.

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Apparently you haven't noticed, but its not just the spare tire. Everything in your car is smaller and lighter than it was forty years ago.

Yes, but as you have noticed the comfort for the user increased,except there where they could save some money.

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Yes, but as you have noticed the comfort for the user increased,except there where they could save some money.

Are you familiar with the term "straight from the horses mouth?"

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Are you familiar with the term "straight from the horses mouth?"

Oh, you real name is Akerson?

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