is it necessary to carry a spare tire in your G35?!

[Smartidiot]

Since gas price is skyrocketing like there is no tomorrow these days..

has anybody here taken out their spare tire to reduce some weight?

That spare tire with steel rim seems really heavy.. but i am not sure how much gas (in %) can I save by not carrying a tire around

is there any mathematicians here that can chime in?!??!

[BigWill]

The few pounds of weight savings hardly seems worth the lack of a spare if you need it. I can't imagine the gas savings would be all that much... but I'd bet that Chano has done a study on it!

Come on Chano... you always have great answers!

[rn79870]

The Gov. says 100 pounds can add up to a 2% penalty in MPG.

So, if a spare tire weighs 50 pounds, you might save 1%. 1 percent might amount to .2 to .25 MPG on the freeway. Which means you might get 4 to 5 more miles per tank. That is hardly worth the problems you'd face if you were stranded without a spare tire.

http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/driveHabits.shtml

[Jacko3]

Bigwill:

+1

[Jacko3]

rn79870:

+1

[Sentientbydesign]

Here are few things you can look into. About half of them apply to older vehicles, but there are definately some good points.

zerothread?id=319146

[BigWill]

That's assuming a 50 pound spare... the donuts we have in our cars likely only weigh 15 to 20!

[smockers83]

Is it necessary? Absolutely not, that's what the roadside service card is for, might as well use it. I'm headed on a 450 mile trek today and I'm taking mine out (for luggage space). I took it out last summer for the same reason and never put it back in until fall, didn't notice a difference in MPGs. The only way you would notice is over the very long run. And it is probably only about 20-25 lbs. If it was 50lbs, on my trek that would get me an extra 100 miles or so on a tank...all I have to say is I wish.

[Cali 2 Balti G]

Since gas price is skyrocketing like there is no tomorrow these days..

has anybody here taken out their spare tire to reduce some weight?

That spare tire with steel rim seems really heavy.. but i am not sure how much gas (in %) can I save by not carrying a tire around

is there any mathematicians here that can chime in?!??!

No mathemetician needed for this one. No offense but you should rethink your username, well at least the first part of it.

It seems to me that the biggest contribution to extra weight in a car are the driver and passengers - so just stop sitting in your car and driving people around. Your gas will last a lot longer

If you must drive then remove your passenger and back seats along with the spare tire, jack, left side mirror, floor mats, on sunny days remove your hood, when you are not carrying anything that needs to be secure you can remove your trunk lid too.

[BigWill]

I get ya completely smockers... I have AAA with me all the time, although, I've not had a reason to use them with my G as yet, (fingers crossed!). You can bet though, if I get a flat on the freeway, I'm gonna call them up and request a flatbed to come and tow me off!

There's lots of guys who prefer to utilize the space for sound equipment as well.

Pretty soon, we'll all be running these, and it will be a moot point:

[Smartidiot]

No mathemetician needed for this one. No offense but you should rethink your username, well at least the first part of it.

It seems to me that the biggest contribution to extra weight in a car are the driver and passengers - so just stop sitting in your car and driving people around. Your gas will last a lot longer

If you must drive then remove your passenger and back seats along with the spare tire, jack, left side mirror, floor mats, on sunny days remove your hood, when you are not carrying anything that needs to be secure you can remove your trunk lid too.

i see.. thanks for the tips.. i really thought that this calculation is gonna be so hard that only hardcore mahematicians are able to solve it.. guess we Canadians are dumber than you think , eh!so now,as per your suggestion, how do i remove my hardtop and backseats without bringing my car to dealership? all i have is a screw drvier at home.....

[BigWill]

screw drvier

Must be the French spelling.

[rn79870]

I get ya completely smockers... I have AAA with me all the time, although, I've not had a reason to use them with my G as yet, (fingers crossed!). You can bet though, if I get a flat on the freeway, I'm gonna call them up and request a flatbed to come and tow me off!

Try getting AAA at 11PM, midway between Barstow and Las Vegas, where there is no cell phone reception, on a summer night, with 100+ degree temperature. You'd pay really good money for a spare right about then.

[Sentientbydesign]

Lighter tires- 20lbsLug Nuts- 1 lbMats- 10-20 lbsLightweight Pulleys= 4lbs

Total rotating weight= 25lbs

Total weight= 35-45 lbs

Fuel savings~ 2% (rotating mass/weight should buy better gains)

Amsoil Synthetic in engine, transmission & differential 3%-7% gains

Total Gains 5%-9%

Cost~ $500 (tires have to be replaced sooner or later, so I didn't count those).

5% savings on $4.20/gallon= 22 cents/gallon ~$100-$200/yr

[joe603]

I don't have mine...There's an amp in thar

[SVTCOBRA]

Guess I'm the wrong one to ask since I carry:

spare tireset of tools including a plug'n kitcompressorAAA prem card....

My trunk needs to go on a diet!!

[ArizonaG35]

I carry my spare tire up front!

[BigWill]

You got that right rn... you gotta choose carefully when to carry it and when to not!

[BigWill]

I carry my spare tire up front!

That, and a pony keg it looks like!!

[Cali 2 Balti G]

i see.. thanks for the tips.. i really thought that this calculation is gonna be so hard that only hardcore mahematicians are able to solve it.. guess we Canadians are dumber than you think , eh!so now,as per your suggestion, how do i remove my hardtop and backseats without bringing my car to dealership? all i have is a screw drvier at home.....

Just to be clear - I'm not calling you or any other Canadian dumb. I just think the topic was silly and well the username is just asking for it.

[av8or]

makes you wonder when was the last time he saw his ding-a ling

[Smartidiot]

Just to be clear - I'm not calling you or any other Canadian dumb. I just think the topic was silly and well the username is just asking for it.

The reason why I started this thread is because I had no idea what the MPG gain that I'd be able to get in response to the weight reduction. (note that this is just empirical data which is exactly what I was looking for. )

Assuming the MPG gain by not carryign a spare tire is 10%+, then this might be a wise gas saving tips for people who drive a lot and try to save some gas money here and there.

However, if the gain is only 1% MPG increase per tire.. then as most members here said, taking out spare tire is a stupid idea and needs not to be considered at all as it can save me maximum $10/month or maybe even less.

But I wouldn't have known this fact until I get the equation from some members on this forum (thanks to Sentientbydesign and rn79870 for the useful information and links by the way).

You are welcome to disagree my idea, which I myself disagree now too. But I don't appreciate it when someone just pops up out of nowhere and start making fun of other people's usernames.

Lastly, if this thread is really not worth a look, then why do you keep coming back and check out any new posts since i started it 2 hours ago? Doesn't that make you jsut as dumb even though your username clearly implied that you are a lot smarter than a not-so-smart-Smartidiot?

[rn79870]

SI, I didn't find your question dumb at all. In fact, it was an attempt to do what a hundred other people here have tried to do, and that's get a little more mpg out of their cars. Everyone here is interested in better mileage and any possible way to get it.

If this was my forum, I would have commented on another poster making uncalled for remarks about your user name. I wouldn't take it personal as I don't think it was intended in a bad way. It's the Internet after all. I hope to see you around here more.

[ArizonaG35]

C'mon now Robin, you could not have expected to have a username like smartidiot and think that you would never catch a little flack about it... That would be like me having a username of Peckerhead... I'm sure someone would make fun of it at sometime... Don't call me a peckerhead by the way!

I'm sure Cali wasn't trying to hurt your feelings... he was just making an obvious joke about your username. If you don't want to be a target, then don't put yourself out there like that.

We're good... just keep up with us and you'll see that we're pretty harmless... no harm done.

Dave

[BigWill]

makes you wonder when was the last time he saw his ding-a ling

Prolly just before his belly swallowed it!!!

[rn79870]

C'mon now Robin, you could not have expected to have a username like smartidiot and think that you would never catch a little flack about it... That would be like me having a username of Peckerhead... I'm sure someone would make fun of it at sometime... Don't call me a peckerhead by the way!

I'm sure Cali wasn't trying to hurt your feelings... he was just making an obvious joke about your username. If you don't want to be a target, then don't put yourself out there like that.

We're good... just keep up with us and you'll see that we're pretty harmless... no harm done.

Dave

Yeah, like this...ArizonaG35 looks pretty in pink.

[groundrocket]

If you must drive then remove your passenger and back seats along with the spare tire, jack, left side mirror, floor mats, on sunny days remove your hood, when you are not carrying anything that needs to be secure you can remove your trunk lid too.

Sounds like what I did when DMV required me to register my 66 Ranchero as a commercial vehicle - the cost of your tags are based on the weight of the vehicle - they wouldn't accept the stated weight from Colorado registration - as I had to pay to get it weighed I removed the tailgate, bumpers, hood, spare, and drained the tank to about 2 gallons so I could make it to the scales... took me about 4 hours to remove / reinstall the items and saved me about $18 / year for the life of the vehicle...

[ArizonaG35]

I like the pink!

[numskul]

The reason why I started this thread is because I had no idea what the MPG gain that I'd be able to get in response to the weight reduction. (note that this is just empirical data which is exactly what I was looking for. )

Assuming the MPG gain by not carryign a spare tire is 10%+, then this might be a wise gas saving tips for people who drive a lot and try to save some gas money here and there.

However, if the gain is only 1% MPG increase per tire.. then as most members here said, taking out spare tire is a stupid idea and needs not to be considered at all as it can save me maximum $10/month or maybe even less.

But I wouldn't have known this fact until I get the equation from some members on this forum (thanks to Sentientbydesign and rn79870 for the useful information and links by the way).

You are welcome to disagree my idea, which I myself disagree now too. But I don't appreciate it when someone just pops up out of nowhere and start making fun of other people's usernames.

Lastly, if this thread is really not worth a look, then why do you keep coming back and check out any new posts since i started it 2 hours ago? Doesn't that make you jsut as dumb even though your username clearly implied that you are a lot smarter than a not-so-smart-Smartidiot?

I liked your post. It beats the hell out of another post about what kind of oil to use or what kind of gas to put in your car or how the G compares the the 335i. It is way better than the ones where people ask what we think of the mods they are about to make because they can't make a decision on their own and require the acceptance of others to alter a car for which they paid.

Many have already provided some good advice that is practical and applicable to other areas of the car. (sentientbydesign listed some great weight reducers). Based on the practical solutions the thread generated- I would say it was a good thread. BUT...I don't think removing the spare is a good idea.I feel your pain on the nick, too. At least half of your name is esteemable. By whole moniker is laughable. (I like it that way! ;-) )

Good luck with your quest to save fuel!

[Smartidiot]

I liked your post. It beats the hell out of another post about what kind of oil to use or what kind of gas to put in your car or how the G compares the the 335i. It is way better than the ones where people ask what we think of the mods they are about to make because they can't make a decision on their own and require the acceptance of others to alter a car for which they paid.

Many have already provided some good advice that is practical and applicable to other areas of the car. (sentientbydesign listed some great weight reducers). Based on the practical solutions the thread generated- I would say it was a good thread. BUT...I don't think removing the spare is a good idea.I feel your pain on the nick, too. At least half of your name is esteemable. By whole moniker is laughable. (I like it that way! ;-) )

Good luck with your quest to save fuel!

thanks numskul!

Not that this has anything to do with the topic of this thread, but I picked this screenname first when i was 15 years old for my ICQ account(if anyone still remembers what it is) and have been using it in various forums and websites ever since.

I figured since one cannot be "smart" in all aspects of his/her life, there must be something, some areas that one felt short or "idiotic". So the name Smartidiot creates an interesting contradiction that can be applied to everyone..

And yes i have had some people making fun of my nickname from time to time, but most of them were 16, 17 years old yahoo who had no clue the underlying meaning behind my nick.. they think it is funny just because there is a word "idiot" in the name which makes me look like i am calling myself.

with that being said, maybe i should care less after realizing that "Cali 2 Balti G" is jsut another teenager afterall.

I am glad to see people here actually get some useful weight reduction tips to save their gas bills from this thread rather than turing this into another meaningless bashing between two individuals

Robin
Modified by Smartidiot at 10:11 AM 5/1/2008