# No spare tire in new cars because of the 'guvmint? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 25, 2014, 6:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-spare-tire-in-new-cars-because-of-the-guvmint/684507 "2014-03-25T06:53:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2014, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-spare-tire-in-new-cars-because-of-the-guvmint/684507/61 "2014-03-25T19:55:02Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > Just to note that I have a 2012 Mustang. The 2012 'Stang underwent a number of small changes from the '11 (you can tell which one you’re looking at by the tail light shape), but one change is that it no longer has a spare. Bullshit. I looked at a '14 Mustang GT at Griffin Ford in Waukesha last week and it most certainly did have a spare. Was even listed on the window sticker and there was no extra charge for it. (being semi-retired I have a lot of time to look around and drive other peoples cars!😃 ) That compressor will do you no good if a tire is ripped to shreds. You’ll end up having to get towed and all the time wasted to get a new tire put on (good luck if it’s a Sunday) when you could have just changed it roadside and been on your way in 15 minutes. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2014, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-spare-tire-in-new-cars-because-of-the-guvmint/684507/62 "2014-03-25T20:08:33Z")
> [@pkbites](#): > > Bullshit. I looked at a '14 Mustang GT at Griffin Ford in Waukesha last week and it most certainly did have a spare. Was even listed on the window sticker and there was no extra charge for it. (being semi-retired I have a lot of time to look around and drive other peoples cars!😃 ) > > That compressor will do you no good if a tire is ripped to shreds. You’ll end up having to get towed and all the time wasted to get a new tire put on (good luck if it’s a Sunday) when you could have just changed it roadside and been on your way in 15 minutes. So what, exactly, is your problem? I mean, I clearly understand where you’re coming from, but that’s up to you (us) to deal with. It’s a pretty fucking simple equation to me. If I want to buy a car, and the manufacturer of the car I like doesn’t give me the parameters that I want, I consider other manufacturers. C’est le capitalisme. ---
**Author:** ![Doctor\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctor_jackson/32/32_2.png) [@Doctor\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2014, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-spare-tire-in-new-cars-because-of-the-guvmint/684507/63 "2014-03-25T20:09:51Z")
There is a government connection, but not due to the number of tires in existance. As noted in a prior post or two, government fuel economy requirements are the main reason behind dissapearing spares. From [here](http://www.thecarconnection.com/news/1072190_aaa-puts-spare-tires-on-the-endangered-list-thanks-to-fuel-economy-rules): > [@](#): > > No one likes changing a flat tire. In fact, just storing the spare can be a problem: if it’s inside the vehicle, it can take up valuable cargo space, and if it’s kept outside, it may prevent you from using bike racks or other accessories. But AAA says that thanks to new fuel economy regulations, we may not have to worry about either of those things much longer, since spare tires could soon disappear altogether ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2014, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-spare-tire-in-new-cars-because-of-the-guvmint/684507/64 "2014-03-25T20:18:22Z")
> [@pkbites](#): > > Bullshit. I looked at a '14 Mustang GT at Griffin Ford in Waukesha last week and it most certainly did have a spare. Was even listed on the window sticker and there was no extra charge for it. (being semi-retired I have a lot of time to look around and drive other peoples cars!😃 ) Y’know, it’s pretty rude to tell someone “bullshit” about their own informed statement, about their own car, which **you have never seen**. Documentation: [http://www.stangnet.com/mustang-forums/threads/no-spare-tire.853352/](http://www.stangnet.com/mustang-forums/threads/no-spare-tire.853352/) TL;DR: starting in 2012, some Mustang packages (apparently including the V6, which is what I have, as well as the Brembo and Boss 302) stopped coming with spares. You looked at a '14 GT. Note that that package isn’t in the list above. So, it did have a spare. ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2014, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-spare-tire-in-new-cars-because-of-the-guvmint/684507/65 "2014-03-25T20:19:25Z")
> [@Lukeinva](#): > > This is actually the first I have ever heard of run flat tires ([Wiki page here](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Run-flat_tire)). Question: do bank robbers know about them? Seems like the perfect getaway car accessory. Things like government limos have had run-flat tires for decades, but those tend to be an older, more complicated technology with a hard plastic wheel within the tire - if the tire goes flat or even is damaged, the tread will ride against the inner plastic wheel plenty long enough for a getaway. It will also prevent sudden loss of control and resulting accidents. Mass market RFTs are proof only against air loss and minor tread damage. Shred a sidewall, even a little bit, and their range is drastically limited. So while they might help a bank robber escape, they wouldn’t be all that proof against being shot at. ---
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2014, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-spare-tire-in-new-cars-because-of-the-guvmint/684507/66 "2014-03-25T20:19:48Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > So what, exactly, is your problem? I mean, I clearly understand where you’re coming from, but that’s up to you (us) to deal with. It’s a pretty fucking simple equation to me. If I want to buy a car, and the manufacturer of the car I like doesn’t give me the parameters that I want, I consider other manufacturers. C’est le capitalisme. Can’t you see how absurd that is? To be forced to buy a different car because of a stupid spare tire is fucking ridiculous. It wouldn’t be quite so bad if one were available as an option. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2014, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-spare-tire-in-new-cars-because-of-the-guvmint/684507/67 "2014-03-25T20:28:05Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > TL;DR: starting in 2012, some Mustang packages (apparently including the V6, which is what I have, as well as the Brembo and Boss 302) stopped coming with spares. After a little more Googling, I see that Ford may have actually started doing this in 2010, possible even earlier. > **[No spare tire!](https://www.mustangevolution.com/threads/no-spare-tire.290469/)** > **[2011 Mustangs - No Spare Tire](https://www.allfordmustangs.com/threads/2011-mustangs-no-spare-tire.238671/)** ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2014, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-spare-tire-in-new-cars-because-of-the-guvmint/684507/68 "2014-03-25T20:36:17Z")
> [@pkbites](#): > > I may have been driving before this dweebs father was an itch in his Grandpas trousers! Yes, and so have I. I used to keep a _spare_ spare in the back of the pickup. And, when I was a kid, driving from LA to SF was a adventure, usually involving some break down or a flat. But that was then. This is now. I haven’t even had a flat in the new car (knock on wood! :p. Tires are that much better since 'Back in the day". PS, you don’t need that starter handle anymore, either. And, 3000mile oil changes are also passe’. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2014, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-spare-tire-in-new-cars-because-of-the-guvmint/684507/69 "2014-03-25T20:42:49Z")
> [@pilot141](#): > > I suspect that if a spare is not an option then there is no place for it in the car. I suspect that if a spare is not an option, there is no place for the car in my life. Because I don’t drive Matchbox and Hot Wheels vehicles. Or Tonkas. ---
**Author:** ![Si\_Amigo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/si_amigo/32/2877_2.png) [@Si\_Amigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Si_Amigo)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2014, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-spare-tire-in-new-cars-because-of-the-guvmint/684507/70 "2014-03-25T20:43:38Z")
As big as private drones are getting and advancing every year it won’t be long until flying cars become a reality. Probably even in my lifetime. Then we will be reminiscing about tires and the kids will just roll their eyes and fly on by us. Heck, soon drones could be bringing you a spare. ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2014, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-spare-tire-in-new-cars-because-of-the-guvmint/684507/71 "2014-03-25T20:44:20Z")
> [@Lukeinva](#): > > This is actually the first I have ever heard of run flat tires ([Wiki page here](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Run-flat_tire)). Question: do bank robbers know about them? Seems like the perfect getaway car accessory. I think there is a limited number of times you can drive them over those tire-shredding treadles before they finally give out. ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2014, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-spare-tire-in-new-cars-because-of-the-guvmint/684507/72 "2014-03-25T20:47:24Z")
> [@pkbites](#): > > Can’t you see how absurd that is? To be forced to buy a different car because of a stupid spare tire is fucking ridiculous. It wouldn’t be quite so bad if one were available as an option. Nobody’s forcing you to do a goddam thing. You want a car with a spare tire? Find one that comes with a spare tire, and buy it. You like a particular car that doesn’t come with a spare? Buy the car, then buy an aftermarket spare and throw it in the trunk. You don’t want to buy an aftermarket spare? Make your own car, and include a spare in the design. Really, do whatever you want; just stop bitching about being _forced_ to do anything. ---
**Author:** ![Kimballkid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b5a626/32.png) [@Kimballkid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimballkid)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2014, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-spare-tire-in-new-cars-because-of-the-guvmint/684507/73 "2014-03-25T20:50:21Z")
Geez **pkbites** did you forget your Geritol this morning or something. So much vitriol over something that amounts to nothing. ---
**Author:** ![Blakeyrat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecd19e/32.png) [@Blakeyrat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blakeyrat)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2014, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-spare-tire-in-new-cars-because-of-the-guvmint/684507/74 "2014-03-25T21:28:35Z")
> [@pkbites](#): > > Can’t you see how absurd that is? To be forced to buy a different car because of a stupid spare tire is fucking ridiculous. It wouldn’t be quite so bad if one were available as an option. Of all the absurd things in my life, that hardly even rates. Just today I had to have the cable guy come to my house when I knew for a fact that the problem was in the data center-- but I didn’t have any way of communicating that information to anybody within a hundred miles of the data center. So the cable guy comes to my house, spends two hours to shrug and say, “looks like it’s all working”, and I reply, “right, the server having problems is this one \, I told them exactly that when I called but they told me to make an appointment and so I did.” Now THAT is absurd. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2014, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-spare-tire-in-new-cars-because-of-the-guvmint/684507/75 "2014-03-25T21:59:53Z")
A few years ago a friend got a brand new pricey car. Her husband came along, but she warned him ahead of time that _she_ was buying the car and he was just there to observe. After all the paperwork was complete, she asked about his smirk. He just smiled/smirked some more. When she took delivery and drove the car home, the first thing she did was light a cigarette (she chain smokes). Then she realized there was no ashtray. She wouldn’t have bought the car if she’d known, and her husband (a nonsmoker) kept his mouth shut as he’d been warned to.😃 ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2014, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-spare-tire-in-new-cars-because-of-the-guvmint/684507/76 "2014-03-25T22:06:02Z")
On the one hand we have actual arguments. On the other we have **pkbites’** shrill whining that “it’s ridiculous” over and over. ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2014, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-spare-tire-in-new-cars-because-of-the-guvmint/684507/77 "2014-03-25T22:33:30Z")
> [@pkbites](#): > > Buy a 30 or 40 thousand dollar car and then have to go to a junk yard for an accessory. One can go to Costco or Pep Boys or AutoZone and buy a new one; or see if some friendly independent shop can order for you an OEM-replacement wheel; so no need to get it from the junkyard except it would cost you less. Of course, your trunk may be so volume-optimized that putting in a spare means now you can’t fit in your groceries. Sure, I’ll shake my fist at The Man’s Greed for this; and for that matter for the elimination of unlimited data on my smartphone; and of of free checked luggage, free seat choice, free food, free drinks on the airlines. But I’ll adapt and live on. ---
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2014, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-spare-tire-in-new-cars-because-of-the-guvmint/684507/78 "2014-03-25T23:47:47Z")
For those who think I’m whining about this, be warned what will happen to you one day: You’re going to be driving in the middle of Eastern Nowhere and, in the dark of night you’ll run over a piece of metal that fell off of Farmer Bumpkins manure truck. It’s going to tear a rip through the tie. Bad enough you have to change a tire in the dark, but even worse when you pop the trunk and find a useless inflation kit. 2 hours later the AAA guy get’s there, but in a pick up truck, not a wrecker. Another 2 hour wait for the tow truck to arrive. It’s Saturday night, so all they can do is tow your car to the nearest town. You rent a room in a scuggy little motel that smells like a Portuguese cathouse. And you have to wait until Tuesday (Monday is a holiday) to have some goober sell you an off brand tire for $1200. But he can’t get to it until Thursday. Thus you miss the job interview you were driving to, screwing you out of a job that paid 100K more a week you make now. This is what I will wish for as I blow out the candles on my next birthday! Nah, I’m just kidding. You guys are alright. But can’t a guy voice his displeasure now and then without it being in the Pit? ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2014, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-spare-tire-in-new-cars-because-of-the-guvmint/684507/79 "2014-03-26T00:41:30Z")
Good luck blowing out that many candles in one go… ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2014, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-spare-tire-in-new-cars-because-of-the-guvmint/684507/80 "2014-03-26T03:26:09Z")
> [@pkbites](#): > > Can’t you see how absurd that is? To be forced to buy a different car because of a stupid spare tire is fucking ridiculous. It wouldn’t be quite so bad if one were available as an option. Then buy yourself an aftermarket spare. How hard is this? 😕 Look, I think not having a spare tire borders on being short-sighted at best. But it’s not that hard to just pick up another tire for yourself. The main problem is trunk room. I like the way my trunk is designed so it can fit a compact spare underneath the main compartment. A car not designed for that will have to have a spare taking up trunk space, so it’s something I may consider when buying a new car. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-spare-tire-in-new-cars-because-of-the-guvmint/684507.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-spare-tire-in-new-cars-because-of-the-guvmint/684507.md?page=5)