14th Feb 2018, 08:22

I too would rather have a spare tyre - full size or otherwise. Re: the comment of a reader about the tyre being padlocked to a tree, many cars do not even have space for you to put in a spare tyre at all, not even a temporary space-saver spare (sometimes called "donuts"). They totally rely on the tyre puncture kit (compressor and a tube of goo) to fix the tyre, which often doesn't work very well at any rate.

14th Feb 2018, 09:31

Maybe it’s been luck for us, but it has been extremely rare having any flats.

I do not like run flats, but if you do pick up a nail drywall screw etc, the very design of them typically gets you home. Then you throw away the tire. My concern is more about rim damage than buying a tire. We have tires ranging from 305 to 335 on factory 20” rims. Rims can typically be repaired however. Not every tire store stocks our tires, which means a 24 hour or more delay. Another option, cheaper with better performance and ride, is buying non run flats. Then you bring a few cans of slime. Most I know call for a AAA flatbed. Or use your Onstar subscription. I’d rather my cars just be delivered straight to my home. I have a low profile jack and an electric impact to remove. And a long snap on tool torque wrench to quickly reinstall. The issue is finding the new tire and a place that has a machine to handle the sizes.

The tree comment, chaining the full size tire, was a joke, but there’s no way on earth these full size tires will fit anywhere in the car. You would have to remove the fuel tank; again a joke. The little donut tires were designed for fuel savings and space. You can buy a new truck, Jeep, larger SUV etc if you want a full size spare. I stay off the shoulders and do buy run flats. It’s never fun replacing a new tire, but it’s safer to replace. On non run flats I never plugged a tire as well. Always an inside patch. If the sidewall ever punctures, it’s a throwaway as well.

If you have your tires nitrogen filled, it minimizes PSI loss. Low or too high a tire pressure can cause tires to fail without ever passing over a road hazard. Always replace worn tires with age or high mileage. I replaced tires that looked great but dry rot was showing. That can occur in as little as several years. I bought tire road hazard insurance on tires I switched to on my truck. If the tire can be repaired, it doesn’t require going to the same place. You have to call a number they provide for other different stores they will authorize. It’s inexpensive to buy hazard insurance.

I do not think you are going to see full size tires again for most cars. At least you have the donut in some. There's a bit more to tires than just turning the key until they fail or go bad. The nice thing today is having the cells.

Good luck.