Posted on 06/14/2011 5:14:51 AM PDT by Libloather
Why your next car may not have a spare wheel
AFP Relax Wed, May 25, 2011
Chevrolet has chosen to remove the spare wheel from one of its US models, opting instead to include a puncture repair kit, just as Michelin announces a tire that can't puncture -- does this mean the end of the spare wheel?
A long-held fixture in today's cars, spare wheels are little thought about but often essential, especially when a long distance from home. Statistics suggest European drivers suffer a puncture every 75,000 kilometers on European roads, although the number falls to every 3,000 km on some roads in Asia.
Buyers of the new Chevrolet Cruze Eco, however, will be among the first modern motorists who need not think about the spare, as the automaker has opted to include an "inflator kit" rather than a full tire to reduce the weight on the ultra-efficient model.
Chevrolet says that on-board tire pressure monitors, which are widely fitted on newer cars, have made spare tires unnecessary, as most problems can be detected well in advance.
So it announced last week that it's opted to do away with the heavy spare tire, opting instead for an electronic tire inflator and a sealant which can temporarily patch holes up to a quarter of an inch in diameter.
It says that the new solution should be enough to repressurize the tire and coax the car to a dealer for a proper repair, although in a serious situation customers can hit an emergency assistance button to summon roadside help.
(Excerpt) Read more at my.news.yahoo.com ...
Downhill.
Most cars sold these days don’t include a spare tire (or wheel) anyway; they give you this crappy “donut” thing, which is good enough to get you to the nearest service station and little more.
I’m sure the repair kit will work well inflating a tire that has the tread separating from the tire because of the Texas heat. No thanks. I want a spare.
I was upset when they started providing those donuts instead of a real tire. With the cost of a new car, you would think you would get a real spare.
I've referred to it as a "polio tire" for years. A car that is using one looks deformed, and in need of mechanical attention.
I’ve seen cars rolling along at 75 on the Interstate with those donut spares.
When I needed a spare - I really needed a spare.
But I also carry two big cans of Fix a Flat.
Certainly is a wimped out name.
No spare tire, just a box of Kleenex in the glove box.
The article also had this interesting bit:
It's a neat idea, and one which could catch on quickly -- although at last week's Challenge Bibendum event in Germany Michelin unveiled an innovation which could make punctures themselves extinct. It seems that the French tire manufacturer may finally have nailed the key to a 'flat-free tire', using an interior material capable of plugging the tire as soon as a hole appears. Michelin says that it's filed 15 patents for the "unprecedented technological breakthrough," which reports suggest could be in use as early as 2014 with considerable environmental benefits including reduced rubber usage and reduced fuel consumption.
My '08 doesn't have a spare tire, a place to put a spare tire, a jack, a lug wrench, a repair kit or even an air pump.
(It has Evil Runflat Tires that don't! I can't imagine how they think they're saving weight by doing this -- the runflats weigh a lot, since the sidewalls need to be thick enough to support the car!)
Don’t buy a Gov’t Motors car!
I mostly dirve vans, but they are equipped with two spares. Where I go, “roadside” assistance is a dream, and only a dream, unless someone stops to help.
Reason #4,539 why I will not buy a GM product ever again.
And my father was an Oldsmobile man.
Maybe this is prompted by the need to meet Federal fleet fuel economy standards, as in, less weight, more mpg?
Good for small punctures, not so good for large ones. But since most of the flats are because of small punctures, that is ok.
I guess they don’t know that New Mexico highways are the natural habitat of the drywall screw.
The locals also seem to think that a temporary spare is temporary because it wears out eventually.
This has been true for years. Many cars have had the spare tire as an option, and only come with a fix it kit. Nothing new at all, and not limited to GM.
Run flat tires are also old news. Been around for a long time.
obama and the unions have pushed GM about as far out on the limb as it can go...now they’re sawing it off at the trunk.
Statistics suggest European drivers suffer a puncture every 75,000 kilometers on European roadsSNAP, 'kilometers'. I hate it when these guys speak in Canadian.
But more important that 75K, is 46,600 Miles. And I don't know about European drivers but 46,600 miles on a set of tires is a bit much. Like time to get a NEW SET 6,600 miles ago.
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