I too wish the full sized spare would return. Just last month I had the misfortune of getting a flat while trying to leave one of the school sites I service. I pop the trunk of my '99 Toyota Corolla, unload a mass of items and unearthed to my surprise a mini-tire! Horror of Horrors it had not ever been used and therefore had lost it's air. I then called AAA, they came, took my mini spare to a nearby service station, had it filled, returned and placed the small hideous rubber "wanna be" tire on my car and then departed. I reloaded the junk in my trunk (literal use of current term) and drove to my nearby mechanic who then gladly replaced that doughnut with a real fully inflated Tire! I am now trying to convince my Husband that a real tire should always be kept as a spare, not some little "play tire" that can deflat on it's own and cannot be driven more than 50 miles at a top speed of 65. "Nuff said!

Reply

I got a flat in my 2004 VW Jetta and when I opened the spare tire well was shocked to find,....a full size tire.

Note that the car in the picture for this article is a Jetta and the person is holding a full size tire.

Reply

It should be illegal for Car companies to put anything BUT a full size spare in their cars. I refuse to buy a car unless it has a full size spare.

Reply

You can thank Ethanol for the crutch spare. Ethanol additive fuels are less efficient and therefore require a 15% larger gas tank to maintain the original range of the automobile. The only way the auto mfr could get this space was to reduce the size of the spare. It's one of the many "benefits" we've gotten from Ethanol like: high food prices, higher fuel costs and increased use of tax dollars.

Reply

Bobm-wrong. Mini-spares were around long before ethonal became the thing. Mini-spares were for smaller cars, and a profit item because you can't replace the rubber on the rim when it wears out-in less than 100 or so miles-you just buy a complete new one, or so they hope. They ought to be out-lawed as unsafefor that reason alone. Plus, they're inconvenient. Full size, you can just put the flat in the trunk, take it to a station, and get it fixed. With the space saver, you have to do all that, plus replace the space saver and figure if enough tread is left to re-use it next time instead of just leaving it on...Did I mention performance is an issue withthem too??? Not too safe or great for handling of a vehicle, ergo, unsafe.

Reply

The worst thing about the mini spares is that people stick them on their cars and drive off never considering that this little donut cannot possibly replace a real tire for long. I've seen cars with four - that's right, FOUR - mini spares, running down the road at 75-80 MPH. I don't know if people are stupid, stoned, or suicidal. The book you get with the car, the stickers by the location of the mini spare, the mini spare its self, and sometimes a sticker on the visor ALL say the mini is for temporary use, not to be driven over 55 MPH, and should be replaced as soon as possible. People know how to post insulting remarks on the internet, naked photos of their girlfriends, and God only knows what else, but they are too stupid to take common sense precautions to protect the lives of their children.

Reply

I just bought my wife a new AUDI A4 to replace her '02 JAGUAR X-Type.

I had considered the BMW 3228Xi but that car don't even come with a spare tire at all. Just those poor handling and overpriced runflat tires. When I saw that, it was a no deal.

Both the Jag and the AUDI sports sedans came/come with standard, full-size spare tires and the AUDI even fits the exact same type alloy road wheel to the spare as the other four that are mounted on the car.

So, the full-size spare tire isn't completely gone yet.

Reply

Can someone explain how a car can run without sagging to one side with one of those mini donut spares?

Reply

I had a flat tire yesterday. Guess I didn't realize how lucky I was. My toyota RAV4 has a full size spare tire !!!

Reply

Yes, full size spare tires in our car trunks. Also full sized containers of coffee, shampoo --- Not this reduced sized 13 ounce cans or bottles...pound sized means 16 ounces...smaller sized 8 ounces, 4 ounces etc...

Reply

Love my Subaru Forrester & it's full size spare-only down side is I can't get it out of my wheel well by myself!

Reply

The mini spare comes as a space savings as well as a WEIGHT savings (the more excess weight in your vehicle, the more fuel it consumes to haul all that weight around with you).

BTW the replacement tire is the place where most people screw up after a flat beyond repair (or if using Z, Y or W rated tires). You should always replace tires in sets of 2 (on any car), preferably sets of 4 on a 4WD if the tires are past 25% worn. You can do damage to the vehicle by driving on mismatched tread depths / wear patterns or tread types.

Reply

I bought my wife anew (7) toyota.I had a throwway tire.I requested a full sized tire.the manager said it cant be done because it will not fit the trunk and the tire cover will not fit,causeing all kind of complaints.and i do hate throwway tires.

Reply

Another item to consider: In general, mini-spares aren't rated for towing; if you get a flat, you need to leave your trailer at the side of the road while in search of a tire repair shop.

I tow a popup camper with my minivan, so this was a concern. Thankfully, my under-body spare tire mount can handle a full-size spare - which was one of my first purchases when setting up to tow the camper.

Further item: Many run-flat tire systems (notably, the Michelin Pax system found on Honda Odyssey Touring model minivans) aren't rated for towing after loss of tire pressure. Annoyingly, many of these vehicles don't have a location to carry a spare, further complicating trailer towing.

Reply

Have a '99 VW Beetle with 164,000+ miles on it. It came with a FULL SIZED spare, which now has about 400 miles; still looks new--rides LOW in the trunk for better center of gravity.
Trust me, having one inspires confidence, and, you don't have to ride around on an embarrassing
'doughnut' after getting a flat...
Come to think of it, been driving since '71 & never had a space saver POS.

Reply