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

[dclpluto]

I'm driving my first car that doesn't have a spare. Yeah, I have to admit, it does make me nervous..

Why would it make you nervous? No need to be nervous about it.

 

[Klayfish]

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

I know a lot of people do that...and I'll admit to not being as diligent as I normally should be. Just know that you shouldn't rely on that sensor for a number of reasons. First, they are battery powered and can fail or not read quite right. Second, they are programmed to alert you when you are significantly low. Running moderately low will chew up your tires pretty quickly, so you'll have to replace them much sooner. It can also change how the car drives/feels.

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).

Yes, roadside assistance is plentiful and quite helpful, I'd agree with that. Nothing wrong with just calling them, that's what they're there for. But not sure I'd agree that because someone had a freak accident that it's a skill others shouldn't have. I have no idea what happened to your fathers friend, so I'm just talking in general terms. It's rather rare for a jack to mechanically fail. However, even if it does, when you're changing a tire you don't need to be under the car so you shouldn't be in harms way no matter what. My kids will all know how to change their own tire, it's really easy...and quick.

 

[Hikergirl]

I know a lot of people do that...and I'll admit to not being as diligent as I normally should be. Just know that you shouldn't rely on that sensor for a number of reasons. First, they are battery powered and can fail or not read quite right. Second, they are programmed to alert you when you are significantly low. Running moderately low will chew up your tires pretty quickly, so you'll have to replace them much sooner. It can also change how the car drives/feels.

I am actually a little paranoid when it comes to my tires, I always think one looks flat LOL so I'm always checking those, even though I have the sensor. I even got myself a fancy tire gauge
Plus dh put himself through college working at a tire shop (pre-sensor days) so he is usually checking them for wear pattern and air out of habit.
I never knew the sensors picked up the spare but on my last car I couldn't get it to turn off after checking and inflating them. I bought it in because I thought it was the sensor itself but turns out it was the spare that was triggering it.

 

[GreatLakes]

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.

I was not permitted to get my temporary permits or even take driver's ed classes until I could demonstrate that I could change a flat. I had to go into the garage with my dad and put the spare on each vehicle we owned then change it back. We had a full size van, mini van, and sedan.

I plan to do that same if cars still have spares when my son can drive.

 

[gotomu212]

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.

I guess I don’t understand why it’s a “needed” skill when it’s one so few people have to do anymore and there are common available resources to do this task. If it’s such a needed skill why do most new cars not even come with spares?

As far as injuries in our city they even have notices on the highway electronic boards not to change your own tire on the highways and to call motorist assistance since there’s a history of horrible car accidents involving people changing tires.

I get if that’s a skill people want to have or want their kids to have, but the last place I want my son or daughter is bent down on the side of a road next to speeding cars trying to change a tire.

 

[gotomu212]

Yes, roadside assistance is plentiful and quite helpful, I'd agree with that. Nothing wrong with just calling them, that's what they're there for. But not sure I'd agree that because someone had a freak accident that it's a skill others shouldn't have. I have no idea what happened to your fathers friend, so I'm just talking in general terms. It's rather rare for a jack to mechanically fail. However, even if it does, when you're changing a tire you don't need to be under the car so you shouldn't be in harms way no matter what. My kids will all know how to change their own tire, it's really easy...and quick.

I understand some people consider it an acceptable risk (and there are things I consider acceptable risks that others wouldn’t). However I don’t think injuries while changing tires are just freak accidents. We’ve had numerous serious accidents and deaths on local roadways when distracted drivers have hit people changing tires, often at very high speeds. I would never want to have my kids on the side of a street for any reason, but I get that others are okay with the risk.

As for jacks I’m not saying this is a normal occurrence but there was a 1998 DOT national highway safety report that estamited jacks were responsible for 5000 injuries a year so not exactly rare. (Yes it’s a 20 year old study but jacks haven’t evolved much since then). Some of that is user error as well and even though you aren’t under it when the car shifts you can find arms, hands, legs, and feet under the side of the car.

On the plus side I’ve had one actually flat that had to be changed roadside in the almost 25 years of driving, and my husband has never had it. So it doesn’t really seem like something i need to worry about.

 

[Klayfish]

I understand some people consider it an acceptable risk (and there are things I consider acceptable risks that others wouldn’t). However I don’t think injuries while changing tires are just freak accidents. We’ve had numerous serious accidents and deaths on local roadways when distracted drivers have hit people changing tires, often at very high speeds. I would never want to have my kids on the side of a street for any reason, but I get that others are okay with the risk.

As for jacks I’m not saying this is a normal occurrence but there was a 1998 DOT national highway safety report that estamited jacks were responsible for 5000 injuries a year so not exactly rare. (Yes it’s a 20 year old study but jacks haven’t evolved much since then). Some of that is user error as well and even though you aren’t under it when the car shifts you can find arms, hands, legs, and feet under the side of the car.

On the plus side I’ve had one actually flat that had to be changed roadside in the almost 25 years of driving, and my husband has never had it. So it doesn’t really seem like something i need to worry about.

First, you're mixing apples and oranges. I was referring to being injured from the actual process of changing the tire, not by another car coming along and hitting you as a pedestrian. People are hurt and killed that way sitting in their broken down car (they usually take their seatbelt off and just sit there...then get plowed at 60mph). That's a different discussion. I'm talking about an injury occurring directly from the act of the tire change.

If 5000 injuries occur from jacks, I'd bet 4990 of them are due to improper use. A jack actually failing is quite rare. User error with them isn't...because too many don't know how to use them or use them properly. When changing a tire your arms, hands, legs and feet should NEVER be under the car...even if it were to shift and fall off the jack. Even if the car falls off the jack, it doesn't shift very far at all, so your limbs should not be in the way. So many injuries occur because people get under a car with just the jack, which is a huge no-no.

 

[Cogswel_Cogs]

I see it everytime I look down. In fact I need to let a lot of air out. Only thing is it seems really heavy for air.
As for my car, I really hope they installed one when it came off the factory lot.

 

[Cogswel_Cogs]

My car will display the tire pressure, which is nice. It doesn’t, however, have a spare.

Your car doesn't have a spare?
If it does it probably displays if that tire is low as well.

 

[fla4fun]

Why would it make you nervous? No need to be nervous about it.

I would use the word anxious. The flat I had where it was a blowout happened at 3:00 am on a Sunday morning on a rural road with little traffic. One call to AAA and the spare was on. No spare? AAA would have towed it to a tire shop but the shop probably doesn’t open until 7:00 at the earliest. So instead of getting to work just on time I would have been several hours late.

 

[Fireline]

Whether you’ll ever have to change a tire or not, it’s definitely a skill worth learning. Many aspects of the process transcend into other aspects of life. From using simple tools, understanding how the mechanics of your car work, roadside safety and the mindset of self reliance. Knowing how is better than not, and having a service to do it is just a bonus if that’s what you want.

As for the nitrogen in the tire. I saved some money and went with the 80% Nitrogen fill.

And in leu of checking my spaire tire pressure I have a small or pump in the trunk.

 

[DLgal]

Your car doesn't have a spare?
If it does it probably displays if that tire is low as well.

Many new cars nowadays don't come with a spare. The manufacturer includes a can of Fix a Flat instead. It's a space issue as well as weight, especially on fuel efficient models.

 

[DLgal]

The general public does not NEED to know how to change a tire. That is what AAA or roadside assistance is for. Call them. Let them do it. That is their job and the cost is negligible for the annual membership. When (if) my sons get driver's licenses (they are both autistic), I will tell them to NEVER try to change their own tires. It's just not safe to be on the side of the road doing so where we live, at all. It's mostly freeways and very busy side streets. I would not attempt to change my own tire, nor would I teach my sons to do so.

I also don't know how to jump start my battery. Never needed to do it myself. Called AAA the times my battery was dead and they came out and jumped it for me, or simply replaced the dead battery on the spot. Saved me a trip elsewhere to have that done.

 

[mrodgers]

Mine actually set off my tire pressure sensor a month or two ago. (I didn't even know that one was hooked in to the sensor!)

The nice man at the service station checked and fixed it for me.

Our 2010 Rav4 is the first vehicle we had with sensors and it was driving me crazy trying to find which tire was flagging the TPMS. It finally dawned on me to check the spare which was easy enough mounted on the door.

 

[kdonnel]

I guess I don’t understand why it’s a “needed” skill when it’s one so few people have to do anymore and there are common available resources to do this task. If it’s such a needed skill why do most new cars not even come with spares?

Car manufacturers have ditched spare tires primarily as a weight saving measure to eek out a tiny bit more fuel economy at the expense of greatly inconveniencing those that have a flat.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/growing-number-of-cars-no-longer-come-with-spare-tire/

Nielsen said AAA answered more than 450,000 calls from drivers without a spare tire last year. If the repair kit in the truck can't fix the flat, those drivers are facing a long delay and a tow to a tire shop.

"Our numbers show that it is pretty rare that an inflator kit can get a car back on the road," Nielsen said.

As for why learn a skill when there are common available resources you could say the same thing about many other skills. I would much rather my kids know how to be self sufficient and one way is knowing how to change a tire. They also both know how to drive a stick. That seems totally unimportant until you go to rent a car outside the US. When an automatic rental is even possible it comes at a much greater cost.

 

[EscalatorKid]

I haven't bothered for two reasons:

1. I bought my car in January and it's practically brand new.
2. I pay for an AAA membership and will take advantage of that as needed.

Of all the problems I've had with vehicles, dead batteries, alternators, or the occasional seized up wheel bearing have been the most common issues, and without AAA, I'm not going anywhere with any of those anyway.

I always travel within range of AAA or my family or friends to come help me, so it isn't like I'm so far off the beaten path that I really have to worry about it.

Actually, I just thought about it, and I could get a miniature air compressor that runs on the 110v plug that I have inside my new car. It might be murder on the battery, but I would be able to inflate the flat donut if need be.

 

[Hikergirl]

The general public does not NEED to know how to change a tire. That is what AAA or roadside assistance is for. Call them. Let them do it. That is their job and the cost is negligible for the annual membership. When (if) my sons get driver's licenses (they are both autistic), I will tell them to NEVER try to change their own tires. It's just not safe to be on the side of the road doing so where we live, at all. It's mostly freeways and very busy side streets. I would not attempt to change my own tire, nor would I teach my sons to do so.

I also don't know how to jump start my battery. Never needed to do it myself. Called AAA the times my battery was dead and they came out and jumped it for me, or simply replaced the dead battery on the spot. Saved me a trip elsewhere to have that done.

We have AAA, but my kids were still taught the basics of owning a car and taking care of things like charging a battery and changing a tire.
The last time I used AAA it took an hour for them to get to me, and I wasn't in some remote area either.
My kids can manage to figure out whether it is safe or not to get out of their car and do the work. 15 minutes to change a tire and they are on their way as opposed to an hour wait on the side of the road. I'm grateful to my dh for making sure they are capable of taking care of themselves in those situations.

 

[DLgal]

We have AAA, but my kids were still taught the basics of owning a car and taking care of things like charging a battery and changing a tire.
The last time I used AAA it took an hour for them to get to me, and I wasn't in some remote area either.
My kids can manage to figure out whether it is safe or not to get out of their car and do the work. 15 minutes to change a tire and they are on their way as opposed to an hour wait on the side of the road. I'm grateful they are capable of taking care of themselves in those situations.

That's cool. Where we live, people are constantly killed on the shoulder of the freeway when they are pulled over. Freeway driving is about 85% of what is done here. Even most of our side streets have 55-60mph limits. I will teach my kids how to check the air level in the tires, how to fill them up to the right psi, how to check oil levels, and that's about it. In the 25 years I have been a driver, I've had no need to know any more than that. My dad taught me how to change the oil. I've literally never done it myself since.

 

[Hikergirl]

That's cool. Where we live, people are constantly killed on the shoulder of the freeway when they are pulled over. Freeway driving is about 85% of what is done here. I will teach my kids how to check the air level in the tires, how to fill them up to the right psi, how to check oil levels, and that's about it. In the 25 years I have been a driver, I've had no need to know any more than that. My dad taught me how to change the oil. I've literally never done it myself since.

There aren't a lot of freeways here but dd drives back and forth to school 4 hours away on the highway. Luckily its through rural areas and there are plenty of very large shoulders plus flat grass along the way to pull off it. I wouldn't want her doing it if it was unsafe, but I am glad she knows how. I would rather her safely pull off and quickly change her tire and get back on the road than wait an hour on the side of the road for someone to show up and do it.

 

[DLgal]

There aren't a lot of freeways here but dd drives back and forth to school 4 hours away on the highway. Luckily its through rural areas and there are plenty of very large shoulders plus flat grass along the way to pull off it. I wouldn't want her doing it if it was unsafe, but I am glad she knows how. I would rather her safely pull off and quickly change her tire and get back on the road than wait an hour on the side of the road for someone to show up and do it.

I agree with you in your situation. We live in a very densely populated, urban area of southern CA. AAA takes all of 5 minutes to show up, every time. They won't even change the tire on the freeway shoulder...they will tow the car off the freeway if you breakdown there. I can't really go anywhere without jumping on the freeway.