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.
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:
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 <server’s exact DNS name>, I told them exactly that when I called but they told me to make an appointment and so I did.”
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.
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.
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?
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.
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