My car didn't come with a spare tire. Is that safe?

My car didn't come with a spare tire. Is that safe?

More and more new cars DON'T come with a spare tire -- not even a compact spare.  My Ford C-Max did not come with a spare tire, and that's the norm for hybrids and electric cars because cargo space is precious after you pack in the batteries.  I decided that I would take it upon myself and find out just how dangerous it is for a car to come without a spare tire.  What I found out was surprising.

First some background to the problem. There is some benefit to NOT having a spare tire. Omitting a spare tire saves weight, space and increases usable cargo room. It also saves cost. If you don't have a spare tire, you don't pay for it.  The benefit of having a spare means that if you have a flat in a place where you can change to the spare, you put on the spare and safely drive to the nearest mechanic to have the regular tire replaced and repaired. Of course, SOME flats can be fixed by aerosol sealant a/k/a "Fix-a-flat" or "goop".  Cars that don't come with a spare virtually always will have a tire repair kit with spray sealant.  So, then, you have to weigh the odds of having a flat, the odds that that flat won't be fixable with goop but occurring in a place where you can change to the spare.  You also have to look at the odds of putting yourself in more danger while you are fixing the flat.  On most busy roadways in the United States, if you are able to pull off the road, you don't have room to change a tire on the left side without being in traffic, and on the right side you may not have enough shoulder to change a tire at all.  Your other option is driving on the flat tire until you can get the car to a safe place to either call roadside assistance or get the tire changed.  This will likely ruin the tire if it isn't already ruined, and it may ruin the rim as well, but it will likely not put you in additional danger like changing a tire on the side of a road.   There are also "run flat" tires, tires that are designed to be driven on for a limited distance without air.  These tires are more expensive and generally don't wear as long as conventional tires.

I haven't had to change a tire since 1982. I have had three flat tires since then, but in each case, the tire went flat from a slow leak caused by road debris, and I was able to get the tire inflated well enough with or without goop to get to a tire store.  So I have had one flat tire a decade since 1982 and I've never had to use a spare.  With that history, I felt reasonably safe buying a car without a spare tire.  Still, I wondered if my experience was typical or if flat tires were more common. I figured that surely somebody had to do some research to determine that it is safe to leave spare tires off of new cars.   What I found out was that either nobody did that research, or they aren't publicizing the results.

I figured the experts on this issue had to be the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). I sent them an email asking them if they had any research on the issue, and they replied back that they have none.  I asked the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), and they replied back that they had none. They suggested that I contact the automakers. I'm not going to do that, because if I were one of the automakers and I had that information, you wouldn't get it out of me without a subpoena.

The bottom line is that, as far as I can determine, nobody has researched the issue about the risk of shipping new cars without spare tires.  Since more and more cars are leaving the factory without one, I think it is high time for somebody to step up and look at the issue.  When I get some time, I may see if research has been carried out in other countries, but honestly, the risks may be different not only in different countries but different parts of the United States. If I mainly drove in the boondocks, I would want a car with a spare tire, because tire stores and AAA trucks would be few and far between, and you are more likely to be able to safely pull off the road and change your tire.  If I lived in the Northeast Corridor, I'd probably take out the spare tire if I had one and plan on driving on the rim.

If you have a spare, make sure it is in good condition, you know where the tools are and how to use them to change the tire.  If you have a kit with sealant, make sure your sealant hasn't expired. The cans may only be good for 2-3 years.  If you don't have a spare, you might want to think carefully before you try to get the last 5,000 miles or so out of your tires.