When was the last time you checked the air in your spare tire?

[GreatLakes]

Every time I check my 4 on-car tires I check my spare. I saw that recommendation years ago and it always made sense. The garage that rotates my tires also checks the pressure in the spare if you ask.

 

[Squirlz]

I have a temporary spare that stows behind the driver's seat of whichever MINI we are driving. The back seats have been removed from both of them. I check the pressure when we make the seasonal change from one MINI to the other.

 

[aprilgail]

Every time I check my 4 on-car tires I check my spare. I saw that recommendation years ago and it always made sense. The garage that rotates my tires also checks the pressure in the spare if you ask.

that would be never then for me LOL- I don't check the air pressure- my dashboard tells me what the pressure is in my tires and it notifies me if it is low but not in the spare so that never gets checked.

 

[pahoben]

Wait a second here-you are supposed to keep pressure in the spare tire?

 

[Klayfish]

A related question. Even if the spare tire does have air, how many people actually know how to change a tire? It's surprising how many don't.

 

[Aimeedyan]

I don't have a spare. It has a fix a flat contraption, instead, which was a disaster to use when a tire went flat overnight in my garage. We had to call USAA roadside to tow my car from the garage to the tire place 2 miles up the road. Such a nightmare.

I can change my own tire, and have on a couple of occasions, back when I had a car with a spare

 

[dclpluto]

A related question. Even if the spare tire does have air, how many people actually know how to change a tire? It's surprising how many don't.

Isn’t that what aaa is for?

 

[kdonnel]

Isn’t that what aaa is for?

If you have the skill and your spare has air, most can change a tire and be one their way before AAA shows up to help.

 

[GreatLakes]

that would be never then for me LOL- I don't check the air pressure- my dashboard tells me what the pressure is in my tires and it notifies me if it is low but not in the spare so that never gets checked.

I have that light too but still check my pressure monthly.

 

[DVC-Don]

Check three cars spares every spring. My fourth car is a Mazda Miata and no spare (it came with a can of stop leak and a small compressor).

 

[fla4fun]

that would be never then for me LOL- I don't check the air pressure- my dashboard tells me what the pressure is in my tires and it notifies me if it is low but not in the spare so that never gets checked.

I have that too, but I still check before any road trip just to be sure. This is my first car with the light so I don’t fully trust it yet.

 

[Hikergirl]

My sensor tells me when it's low so I don't have to check it

 

[EveDallas]

A related question. Even if the spare tire does have air, how many people actually know how to change a tire? It's surprising how many don't.

I can, but I don't. I'll happily wait for roadside assistance to do it.

 

[DLgal]

Never, but I don't worry about it because if I get a flat, I'm calling AAA and having them put the spare on. I imagine they have an air compressor. The one time I tried to put the spare on a car the size of mine, I failed miserably (it's an SUV with a full size spare and those things are HEAVY). I can put a spare (the little donut kind) onto a compact car just fine, but that's not what I drive.

 

[aripantaloon]

It’s under my vehicle and I have no clue how to get it back on if I could even remove it. To access it, you have to remove the middle seat, pull back the carpet, and unbolt it.

I have AAA, so if they came to change the tire and it was low, I’m guessing they could put air in it for me. In the alternative, I’d have them tow me.

 

[gotomu212]

A related question. Even if the spare tire does have air, how many people actually know how to change a tire? It's surprising how many don't.

My father had a friend who lost the lower part of his arm when a jack failed when they were teens. It affected him so much that he never changed a tire again and he got each of us kids roadside assistance 10-year plans when we turned 16. In the 20+ years since then I’ve only had one flat tire. It just isn’t a skill people need anymore given the improvement in tires and the relatively low cost of roadside assistance plans (my car purchase includes it complementary now).

 

[jaybirdsmommy]

A related question. Even if the spare tire does have air, how many people actually know how to change a tire? It's surprising how many don't.

I can - if I can find the key for the hub caps. Last time I had a flat it was nowhere to be found.

 

[kdonnel]

My father had a friend who lost the lower part of his arm when a jack failed when they were teens. It affected him so much that he never changed a tire again and he got each of us kids roadside assistance 10-year plans when we turned 16. In the 20+ years since then I’ve only had one flat tire. It just isn’t a skill people need anymore given the improvement in tires and the relatively low cost of roadside assistance plans (my car purchase includes it complementary now).

I would disagree, it is definitely a needed skill.

I made my daughter change the tire on the car she drives while in our driveway, I will make my son do the same.

People get injured all the time doing necessary or optional tasks, definitely not a reason to never learn that skill yourself.

 

[WDWBarb]

That was a deal breaker for me when shopping for a new car a couple years ago. I have a 50 mile commute, and I go to work before dawn and I work weekends. No way was I going to rely on a can of Fix A Flat. I know you can always buy a spare wheel and tire, but there’s nowhere to store it in the car without losing a lot of cargo space if the car doesn’t have a designated storage space. I also like to take road trips and wouldn’t want to be in unfamiliar territory without a spare.

Perhaps most people get a flat from a little nail that is easily handled with Fix A Flat, but I have had two flats and they were both catastrophic. One, another car picked up a wrench lying in the roadway and sent it through the sidewalk of my tire, leaving a six inch gash, and the other was a blowout that left the tire in pieces.

I check my spare when I check the other tires.

I was REALLY hesitant to buy a car without a spare. I know it's becoming more common, but I've had my share of flat tires and getting a haul for a flat is not my idea of a fun. But I had my heart set on the Prius Prime and with the size of the battery, there wasn't room for one. So I'm risking it every time I get behind the wheel. I purchased it a year ago and so far, so good. And I really do love that car...

 

[fla4fun]

I was REALLY hesitant to buy a car without a spare. I know it's becoming more common, but I've had my share of flat tires and getting a haul for a flat is not my idea of a fun. But I had my heart set on the Prius Prime and with the size of the battery, there wasn't room for one. So I'm risking it every time I get behind the wheel. I purchased it a year ago and so far, so good. And I really do love that car...

I wanted a wagon with good mileage and ended up with the Prius v. I came close to the CMax because I had driven Ford wagons for years, but the CMax didn’t have a spare and had an awkward battery placement that took up a substantial amount of cargo space. If I had bought a spare wheel and tire, it would have filled what cargo space was left and I wouldn’t have had any. The Prius v has the spare under the cargo area and the batteries under the back seat, so I didn’t lose cargo space with either. Mine is sea glass pearl and her name is Ariel (of course). I have some issues with blind spots in the conventional Prius body, but the Prime is a nice car.

I hope your travels are flat tire free!