This trend first reared it's ugly head with the introduction of "run flat" tires. Wonderful in theory, they're a bust in real life, especially when one encounters a flat in the boonies where replacements tend not to be available, and when it comes to replace them. (They usually cost several times what traditional tires cost)
Having experienced most of my flats in places that were far less than convenient, not having a spare on board usually would have meant the difference between a minor inconvenience and a serious problem.
Now that "average" cars will need to be getting over 50 MPG within the next dozen years, expect to see more of these less than desirable trends surface. It's ironic that this requirement will likely spur the sales of more SUVs (which won't have this problem) just as the CAFE standards established in the '70s did.
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The next time you have a flat tire in a newly bought car, you might find yourself with tire sealant and an electric air pump instead of a spare.
With gas prices increasing at a rapid rate, automakers are looking for ways to reduce car weight and increase gas mileage — and the tire has been given the boot. This year itself more than 14 percent of new models on sale in the United States replaced the spare with the quick-fix kits. The kits themselves are about 20 pounds lighter than a spare and jack, and don’t take up as much space in the trunk, automakers argue.
While the sealant can have problems if the puncture is on the side of the tire or if the hole is larger than a quarter of an inch, it will work in most cases. And that’s what car companies are betting on. If not, though, you will end up waiting on the shoulder and calling a towing company.
GM, who has already made the kit standard on 17 of its 22 U.S. models, told AP, however, that the kit can fix 85 percent of tire punctures. They also said that it was easier to use for people who didn’t know how to change a tire, and it put people back on the road faster. Most new cars also come equipped with an electronic tire pressure monitors and will, in all likelihood, detect the leak before you’re completely stranded.
For those who still want the comfort of knowing they have a spare in the trunk, GM said it would cost an additional $100 to get one put.
By 2025, the car and truck fleet in the country will have to average 54.5 miles per gallon, and automakers are doing everything they can to meet standards without giving up performance. Not everyone is completely sold on the idea yet — Honda, for instance, still uses spares on all its 2011 models — but it’s something we’re definitely going to see more of in the coming months.
Via Washington Post
