Question: Does The Lack Of A Spare Tire Bother You?

13135 Views 36 Replies 24 Participants Last post by TavuL iQ, May 14, 2013

johnstevens

Discussion Starter · Feb 6, 2012

No big deal? Planning on purchasing one later? Have faith in the patch kit?

1 - 20 of 37 Posts

rhughes

· #2 · Feb 7, 2012

Well, I was just saying to a friend i haven't had a flat in decades of motoring, and yesterday discovered a bolt right through the tread of my wofe's front tire. That said i haven't changed a tire on the road side in decades (touch wood) so am not going to worry about it.

gokartride

· #3 · Feb 7, 2012

rhughes said:
That said i haven't changed a tire on the road side in decades

Same here...those super-sensitive flat tire sensors have always given me more than ample warning, but I DO pay attention to them.

Several small car makers have been going without spares, so I guess the idea has grown on me.

Fish

· #4 · Feb 7, 2012

Thought you lot all had AAA anyway.

Only joking, it sort of bothers me as I've already had a flat.

The lack of pressure sensors is like the lack of cruise control, in which all can be fitted aftermarket.

Fish

Dave777

· #5 · Feb 7, 2012

Doesn't bother me any more than it bothers the owner of a Porsche or Corvette.

RexIQ

· #6 · Feb 7, 2012

No big deal anymore since I bought a Smart Fortwo last year where all models do not come with spares. I drove it to Vegas (from San Diego) and back, racked up about 12,000 miles on it without ever needing the spare tire. Traded it for an iQ. Still no spare. No biggie anymore. We all have 2 years of roadside assistance with the Scion iQ!

(knock on wood)

surfcitylocal

· #7 · Feb 7, 2012

You're right Fish. I do have AAA. Best money you can spend on your car.

westgl

· #8 · Feb 9, 2012

Most people have Cell phones now a days, make a call.

I keep a Garmin under the seat, bring up local toyota/scion dealer, if away from home, or tire shop once out of the 2 year road hazard asst.

scionq

· #9 · Dec 30, 2012

I am somewhat concerned. The roadside service Scion provides will take the car to the nearest Scion dealer within 25 miles or help you with the stop leak kit. However the stop leak can ruin the air pressure transducer ( $ 78 replacement). Scion should have put run flat tires on the IQ because of lack of a spare.

TavuL iQ

· #10 · Dec 30, 2012

What bothers me is not the lack of spare is the lack of car lifter!!! I mean how can I repair my tire if the hole is in the middle of it and I can't remove her???

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mistergib

· #11 · Dec 30, 2012 (Edited)

Yes, it bothered me.....the fix-it kit that comes with our car, if used, will ruin the TPMS
sensor in that wheel forcing you to buy a new sensor which I'm told costs around $80.
Upon buying my car, I went to the local discount hardware store and bought a scissor
jack....then I purchased an extra wheel and bought and mounted a new tire on it.
If I'm staying in town, I don't carry the spare with me, but at least if I should get a flat
tire, I can jack my car up, remove the tire, and get if fixed....I'm not forced to use that
fix-it kit and ruin my sensor. If I go out of town, I then carry the spare tire with me
because sitting beside the highway, waiting for assistance is not my cup of tea.

Gunner

· #12 · Dec 30, 2012

I dumped the "slime" out of the supplied bottle and found that the air compressor works fine with the empty bottle. That way I don't ruin my TPMS. I also went out and bought a scissor jack, a tire plug kit, appropriate socket and a breaker bar. I also carry tools to remove screw/nail should it remain in the tire. Later on, because I was bored, I "modified" the supplied air compressor to work without the empty bottle. On top of all that, later on I purchased an air compressor from Lowes to replace the one that came with the iQ and now I carry the iQ "modified" iQ air compressor with me when I go on my motorcycle rides.

Stv29

· #13 · Dec 30, 2012 (Edited)

mistergib said:
the fix-it kit that comes with our car, if used, will ruin the TPMS
sensor in that wheel forcing you to buy a new sensor which I'm told costs around $80.
Upon buying my car, I went to the local discount hardware store and bought a scissor
jack....then I purchased an extra wheel and bought and mounted a new tire on it.

Did all that cost more than the sensor? I like the idea of a spare with road trips. Particularly after my in-town run in with a curb and the inconvenience of that.

mistergib

· #14 · Dec 30, 2012 (Edited)

Stv29 said:
Did all that cost more than the sensor? I like the idea of a spare with road trips. Particularly after my in-town run in with a curb and the inconvenience of that.

No, the jack, tire, and wheel was probably about $200 total.....but think about it....if you
have just 2 flat tires along with the accompanying frustration, thats pretty well worth the
$200 investment and its accompanying piece of mind. Two things, I'd hate to have to keep
replacing the TPMS sensor, and I don't like being stranded.
And, more than likely your odds of having more than 2 flats during the years you will own
our car are pretty high.....or do ya feel lucky.....

Benggolf

· #15 · Dec 30, 2012

mistergib said:
No, the jack, tire, and wheel was probably about $200 total.....but think about it....if you
have just 2 flat tires along with the accompanying frustration, thats pretty well worth the
$200 investment and its accompanying piece of mind. Two things, I'd hate to have to keep
replacing the TPMS sensor, and I don't like being stranded.

I rarely get a flat but considering what you say....I would agree the additional cost of run flat tires would definitely worth it especially if you travel a lot.

dugger

· #16 · Dec 30, 2012

14

I've got Trip A and they're great, calling a Scion dealer dosen't do much good after hours. I love the idea of run flat tires but want to use up the all season tires that came with the car first. In an earlier thread someone mentioned using a Saturn donut tire as a spare. I like that idea because of the small size. I still have my steelies that came with the Buggy and may use one if the Saturn donut dosen't work ?

iQ514

Member [HR][/HR]Join Date Dec 2011Location Montreal - CanadaPosts 61

Hey guys... how funny - exact same goes for me

I mountain bike on week-ends; that could sometimes get pretty remote.
I like mistergib cannot afford any of these problems.

This is when I pack a Saturn space-saver on the folded seats; it is tied down with a safety belt thru-the-hub contraption which buckles onto the floor anchor receptacles through the seat gap. It is desirable to secure any heavy object inside of a car if you were to have an accident.

Bits and pieces are carried in a yoga mat stuff bag inside of the trunk (trunk?)
A camping-like strap and buckle secure the lid closed at all times.

I normally leave the space-saver at home for common city driving... though it's been forgotten in the car many times in the past; not awfully obtrusive while laying flat when not needing the rears seats.

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Cliffjumper

· #17 · Dec 30, 2012

I'm not too concerned. Came with three years roadside assistance and once that's up I can get roadsicde assistance from USAA for like a buck every six months. I got an aftermarket slime-optional inflator kit and a tire plug kit, so I'm set.

That said, it would be cute to get a Jeep-style spare tire swing-arm installed. Get a tire cover that looks like a penny

scionq

· #18 · Dec 31, 2012

When I was at a local Scion dealer I checked if they kept a tire which would fit the IQ in stock. They did not have one in stock. This is not customer service.

mistergib

· #19 · Dec 31, 2012

scionq said:
When I was at a local Scion dealer I checked if they kept a tire which would fit the IQ in stock. They did not have one in stock. This is not customer service.

You are going to find out that the stock size tire for our iQ's are not used on very
many other cars and therefore are more expensive, (because of lack of demand),
than tires of a larger size such as the 195's. When I have to replace all my tires, I
will definitely go to the larger size.

scionq

· #20 · Dec 31, 2012

The dealers sell a jack for $125 and handle for $18 .

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