Citroen XM Forum

I doubt Nissan are paying £200 for a wheel, tyre and jack combo.

Quite...at the end of the day, how different is it getting a supply of steel wheels, jacks and braces, to getting a deal supplying air compressors and tubes of gunk.

It's lazy design..making cars look 'good' ( debatable with the juke!) and not concentrating on proper packaging....or more cynically, it's a great way of making more money on spare wheels in an aftermarket deal.

I think its terrible how a spare wheel has become an optional extra, should be compulsory.
Has anyone else noticed how it has shrunk over the years from a full size wheel to a 'space saver' then to a just can of silly string and a comedy air compressor.
A spare tyre and some basic tools shouldn't cost the manufacturers much and should be included with every new car.

The answer is simple. If a decent spare is not included in the price of your new (or dealer-used) car, then WALK AWAY. This needs shouting from the roof-tops, and the idiots will eventually respond.

That could be an interesting list of cars. Who does still supply a full or space saver spare?

And I totally agree. Having a spare wheel should be mandatory. A law the EU should implement and I'm surprised that they haven't.

russ92xmsed wrote:
And I totally agree. Having a spare wheel should be mandatory. A law the EU should implement and I'm surprised that they haven't.

Absolutely. Saw a nearly new Fraud Fester running on a space saver yesterday. Doing a good 70 and oblivious that there is a maximum speed for these and it's not 70... That's why all cars should carry a full-sized and rated spare because the average driver will not use a space saver correctly.

Funny this thread comes about just as I bought a classic foam tyre inflater can, and ready to leave my spare in the garage. The foam cans work fine in my experience -just be warry of the expiry date-, and I've decided it's a shame to carry with me 15-20kg (steel wheel) on a daily basis -I've never had a terminally flat tyre since 2004, only a few slow leaks.

Actually I'm going through a mini streamlining exercise -I got rid of all the clutter in the boot too -no more oil, LHM, water, ropes, tools, wires, umbrellas, nothing. On average there's none of that you will need *immediately* as long as your travels are around the city boundaries. And there's always a store somewhere nearby to get them. I couldn't remember one case where I've actually used any of the liquids I've learnt to carry in the boot.

All the above, say about 30kg off the car? You can well feel a passenger in driving a 21td. 30kg is >2% of the car's weight.

All that and the spare, will accompany me only on long trips off the city -a rare occurence. That's the only reason I'm not ditching the spare wheel cage too (or should I , looked quite heavy when I was under the car the other day). In the city, I accept it'll be rescue service if it's so bad I'm stuck on the spot.

Then, I never put more than 22 liters of fuel in it -my weekly standard.

Next step is block the large front bumper inlet to see how it behaves temp-wise. I doubt I'll see any difference in the TD, especially in the freezing months that are coming. If it passes the test, a semi-permanent plastic piece will be made. These holes at the front contribute largely to the Cx of a car. In this case I'm mostly worried of the effect of assymetrical cooling of the radiator -could it lead it to break?

Also, the front undertray is to go in soon -further help on the Cx -and noise. I'm looking into streamlining the rear part too, it's quite lending.

Most playful bit is I bought the parts to cancel the driver's mirror (camera and screen). Have yet to test if they work in any acceptable manner whatsoever in real conditions. One mirror is about 1-2% of the car's frontal surface. Not even looked into the legality of such a mod.

Be interesting to see what performance improvement I'd feel if I implement all that. Surely to be well felt if I did it all overnight. Mpg improvement I can reach...Maybe a 3 or 5% overall? Doesn't really matter, just playing, but why not if it's so cheaply possible...

All good fun, George! Don't forget that, on the "spare wheel?" front, Murphy's Law* (aka Sod's Law) applies - the moment you ditch your spare is the moment you'll get a significant tyre problem!

Happy Christmas!

* The tendency of inanimate objects to behave with malice.

I don't do boot clutter either George, in fact I don't do clutter at all but my boot always contains a bottle of LHM, a high-viz jacket, a small bag containing a tow rope, triangles and spare bulbs and a small kit of emergency tools in a small 'pellicase'.

Both Vince and Will knows how useful that little ensemble has been in the past...

The high-viz jacket serves two purposes. It's both warm and waterproof and will act as a groundsheet to lie on..

Oh, and I also have a can of tyre foam in there along with a serviceable spare in the carrier...

I won't go anywhere of any distance without that lot. The little gets moved between cars as necessary.

It sounds a lot but takes up very little space really.

On an extra long journey I'll also carry a spare V6 ignition coil - they are a bit prone to failure...

you do not want to look in my boot then!!!