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Absent spare wheels

I am contemplating my next, and possibly last car. Increasingly new cars are being introduced without spare wheels, the sales tag is "when did you last have a blowout?"

The answer is a couple of years when a sharp item went through the tyre wall.

How can manufacturers be allowed to produce models which have no provision to sensibly store a spare wheel? As a retired police driver I know that often a puncture is only discovered too late to save the tyre and often at an inconvenient time and place. Try finding a tyre shop at 2 am!

What do people think of this invidious attempt to take a few kilos off the weight to bolster the consumption figures at the expense of safety?

Asked on 22 February 2012 by old police driver

Answered by Honest John
I'm as disturbed by it as you are. One answer (the BMW answer) is runflats. Basically manufacturers are saving money and a few grams of CO2 by not fitting spare wheels, then making money selling you a space saver or a proper spare to retrofit. Hyundais and KIAs usually come with full size spare wheels.
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