Leaving the spare behind...

[AWGD8]

This is really a silly question, but when I go to work (13miles one way)I`m thinking of leaving my spare tire at home to save weight for better acceleration performance and a bit of fuel saving (I have AWD journey no package). I check the spare tire today and it is really heavy maybe 30IBS or more?

From my driving experience I only had 2 flat tires since 1995. My question is does infiniti road side assistance can help me if ever I have flat tires with no spare? or what about AAA? I`m also considering this:http://www.slime.com/product/4....html The slime is a water base fix a flat tire and the link says won`t damage TPMS sensor. Obviously, when I go out of town I`ll put the spare back in the trunk.

Any thought guys? I heard that 1 ibs loose in weight will have improvement in acceleration how much more 30 IBS. Summer time is coming and I`ll be putting in my 17 IBS rims (each).

I also forgot, I`m leaving the jack and lugnut tool also


Modified by AWGD8 at 12:44 PM 3/21/2009

[gloa2000]

I am not so sure if that is a good idea. I have never experienced my tire getting flat since i started to drive(13 years) but i heard few of my friends waiting 2+ hours for the Roadside Assistance to arrive at the scene. I would rather loose 30 lbs of my fat and keep my spare with me for piece of mind than waiting for RA/AAA to come help me on a curvy mountain road.

[AWGD8]

My next question is how often do you experience a blown tire?

I`m just thinking of getting a lightweight 12V heavy duty tire inflator in

replacement for the spare tire. I`ve seen one inflator that can pump 35

psi in a standard tire in 6 minutes.

Majority of the time, flat is caused by a nail

or screw that causes slow leak. I would think a good tire inflator would

be helpful to get to the nearest tire shop or gasoline service station.

Remember I`m not driving it out of state. I believe tire technology have

improved for the past decade and automotive tires aren`t like those

bicycle tire of the old technology.

BTW, I have a dedicated winter rims/tires and dedicated Summer rims/tire.

Do you think the probability of blown out is slim?

My experience having a flat tire was caused by a nail and it didn`t leak

that fast and I had a chance to drive around to service it. I think with this

kind of flat, a good tire inflator will do a good job.

BTW, I live in the city...
Modified by AWGD8 at 5:15 PM 3/21/2009

[gloa2000]

Many flat tires happen when there is a nail/screw on the tire and its kind of impossible to check all 4 tires everytime before we drive. With a good back up, you will still be safe when something happens and these days tires are so well built there are way less possibility of blowout. The air leak of the nailed tire gets worse when you park the car with the nailed side on the ground.

The chances of getting your tires flat could be different by the owner of the vehicle/where you normally drive around, When i used to work at a Bodyshop, i was getting nails on my tire every couple weeks. I do check my 4 tires by poking sidewalls with my thumb everytime i drive and if i feel one or more tires with a lower pressure i let my friend move my car little by little and bingo! Always there is a Nail/Screw on my tire, I did even have my own tire patch kit in my car all the time.

and dont trust the Fix-a-Flat cans, they sure say it wont void the tire/tpms warranty but when your dealer finds out you used those stuff on your tire, they WILL NOT COVER it under warranty, you would have to deal with those people who made those cans.

[gloa2000]

My question is does infiniti road side assistance can help me if ever I have flat tires with no spare? or what about AAA?

They normally dont carry extra spare tires or tire patch kit with them, they can remove your flat tire and switch it with the spare or they will tow your car to nearest shop you want to go to and if its late and all shops are closed, you would need a cab to get home.

[AWGD8]

Since I brought this topic up. I tried to google other car forums an I found out that most new cars nowadays don`t have spare tire - most didn`t come with run flat tire either. It only comes with tire compressor and either fix a flat can or tire kit patches. That sucks when you drive long distance.

http://www.g8board.com/forums/...=1658

http://www.m5board.com/vbullet....html

[ayap888]

I also had not had a flat in 8 years ... but last year, there was a big wood debris on the road and it punctured my tire. This was on a very busy highway undergoing construction.

So I went to get my spare ... ONLY to find out that ... the upgrade from 17 wheels to 18 wheels meant that my tools to remove the tire nuts were not adequate.

I called Tow and said it will take them 45 minutes.

Gladly, NC roadside assistance came and said someone called in about that wood and wanted to see if it didn't hurt anyone. They got my spare at the back and changed the tires in 10 minutes.

Glad I had a spare ! You know ... just when you least expect it to happen .. s*** HAPPENS !