CTC: Top Ten of 2008!

[Altima1]

A can of sealant is the most stupid thing I ever heard, and from Honda for crying out loud.  Sure it works for a nail hole, what about some big gash, wait 3 hours in traffic with bad weather for roadside assistance???

[DanYanoff]

A can of sealant is the most stupid thing I ever heard, and from Honda for crying out loud.  Sure it works for a nail hole, what about some big gash, wait 3 hours in traffic with bad weather for roadside assistance???

Surely a big gash doesn't happen as often as some poor soul gets hit in traffic when trying to change a flat. Its much easier, esp. in winter to use a sealant and an electric pump.

[Mitlov]

A can of sealant is the most stupid thing I ever heard, and from Honda for crying out loud.  Sure it works for a nail hole, what about some big gash, wait 3 hours in traffic with bad weather for roadside assistance???

Surely a big gash doesn't happen as often as some poor soul gets hit in traffic when trying to change a flat. Its much easier, esp. in winter to use a sealant and an electric pump.

When I was 16, I tore the sidewall out of my parent's Camry by clipping a curb while turning a corner.  I pulled into the nearest store's parking lot (a whopping 15 feet from the accident) and, with some help from someone who knew what they were doing, swapped out the damaged tire for a spare.  Sure, changing a tire in the middle of traffic is dangerous, but how hard is it to pull well off the road, or into a nearby parking lot?

I like to have a spare tire.  I don't like runflats, and I really really really don't like a can of sealant, because it wouldn't have helped me at all in the above situation.

[Honda Owner]

If a spare tire ruins the fuel economy, imagine what a human being or two inside the vehicle would do!

I would imagine it is about qualifying for the Eco Auto Rebate programme here in Soviet Canuckistan. The Fit is the only automatic that makes it.

[safristi]

 ::)POOR excuse for NO SPARE IMHO..............................and run_Flats have been excoriated here for AGES.......................if even a 25lb Mini Spare loses the ECO-GREEN Designation  what does that SAY!!!???.......and i tho't the REBATE scheme has DIED for sub 7.whatever per/100Km B/S.........??

 we live in COLD fer 5 MONTHS....................even a CAA/ROADSIDE assistant can't help ya in a Major defect/tyre problem..........................with NO SPARE............lighten UP the spare then to 13Lbs?.......we seem to spen an inordinate amount of time discussing TYRES..............and Morty is on HIATUS................

[carcrazed]

I agree with Brigitte and like wing said, the list is only from the cars he has tested for day-to-day reviews, not every car sold in the country!
I'd definitely consider a Versa if I was in a market for compact wagon on a budget.

[Demosthenes X]

I would imagine it is about qualifying for the Eco Auto Rebate programme here in Soviet Canuckistan. The Fit is the only automatic that makes it.

Exactly.  The automatic with spare pushed the Fit over the 6.5L/100km threshold, so they chucked it.  Honda will still sell you a proper spare if you want it, though. 

[Honda Owner]

Honda will still sell you a proper spare if you want it, though.

You can use the $1000 rebate to buy a spare. Or, like me, most of a set of good aftermarket tires and allow wheels.

[Jaeger]

No spare = totally, completley, inexcusably lame.

You know what's even more lame?  There's 6" MORE rear leg room in that teen, tiny, spare-tireless Fit than in the Infiniti EX-35.  At least the Honda's deficiency is easily fixable.  Still lame, though.

Jaeger

[Careener]

You hit the nail on the head with what you said about the Mazda 6 offering at great package even at the lowest trim levels. That's why I've had several Mazdas in a row.

[Honda Owner]

No spare = totally, completley, inexcusably lame.

The Corvette doesn't have one, either. Neither does a Porsche 911.

[safristi]

Hmm i'm having a FIT!!!   the Vette OR the PORSCHE.......... ..I take IT BATTERIES are INCLUDED..............

[wing]

No spare = totally, completley, inexcusably lame.

The Corvette doesn't have one, either. Neither does a Porsche 911.

RX-8, Mini, some BMW's -- there are quite a few now that do not.  Tires are getting better and that + runflat I guess they don't think we need spares.

I've never used one -- but I'm sure someday I will... but how often?

[DanYanoff]

Way back in the day my dad's car came standard with a "handle-of-an-auger" thingie that you could stick through the front bumper, turn and thus start the engine. I'm sure the wise men would tell you it is quite an essential part of your car and it is nuts to not have it. Times change, but come to think of it, that handle is actually more useful than a spare IMHO.

[safristi]

Don't be such an OLDE CRANK Danny Boy..................ye'll "wind UP" inna back Brace.....OR rupture yer GiGa Joules.......and how will that piece of metal get ya HOME in a FLAT situation.....!!!!???

[DanYanoff]

Don't be such an OLDE CRANK Danny Boy..................ye'll "wind UP" inna back Brace............and how will that piece of metal get ya HOME in a FLAT situation.....!!!!???

You'll just have to "ASK" for a ride when holding the crank. Often they will even hand over the keys, voluntarily 

[Seafoam]

No spare = totally, completley, inexcusably lame.

The Corvette doesn't have one, either. Neither does a Porsche 911.

RX-8, Mini, some BMW's -- there are quite a few now that do not.  Tires are getting better and that + runflat I guess they don't think we need spares.

I've never used one -- but I'm sure someday I will... but how often?

MX-5 as well. I did get a flat but opted to keep a plugging kit in my trunk instead. It worked great ,better than injecting your tire with that goo. My car came with a mini compressor to inflate the tire. Hard to fit a spare in my trunk and a flat 17 inch wheel would never fit. [this would give an MX-5 as much trunk space as a solstice]

[Jaeger]

No spare = totally, completley, inexcusably lame.

The Corvette doesn't have one, either. Neither does a Porsche 911.

RX-8, Mini, some BMW's -- there are quite a few now that do not.  Tires are getting better and that + runflat I guess they don't think we need spares.

I've never used one -- but I'm sure someday I will... but how often?

A lot of people have driven along merrily for years and never had to make a claim on their auto insurance.  Still seems like a bad idea to drive around without it - quite apart from the legalities of the issue.  When you do need it, you're pretty glad it's there.  I've had to rely on a spare tire three times.  Once was a nail in the tread (that could be fixed by a spray can).  The next was a nail in the sidewall (right where it met the tread) - no spray can fixy there.  The third was when some doofus  decided to randomly slash a bunch of tires at a train station parking lot.  No spare?  Sit and wait.  Clearly, my personal experience informs my perception of the lameness of an absence of a spare.  

Then again, the vehicles you have listed also tend to prove the rule by very small number of exceptions.  For the VAST majority of vehicles on the road, the manufacturer has seen the wisdom of including a spare.  Even in the case of the Honda Fit, clearly the manufacturer is not of the view that a spare is unnecessary, or else they wouldn't have included one in the manual transmission version.

So to summarize: no spare = lame0rama.

Jaeger

PS - Clearly, vehciles that come standard with runflat tires at least have an articulable reason for not including a spare.  That sure isn't the case with the automatic Fit.

[safristi]

     I keep my plugging kit in my pants.....................most times................

[Demosthenes X]

  I've had to use my spare a couple times, and it's nice to have it when you need it.  But I do think, with the Fit, people would rather forgo a spare than forgo that $1000 rebate.