The spare wheel's in the ......glovebox??

My32Doors · 07-03-2014, 05:18 PM

The Mrs is a dyed in the wool Holden driver. Currently she has a VE SV6 ute and thought it was time for a final VF SS ute upgrade. So off she toddles to Kerry Holden for a test drive. Well!! Too much chrome inside the cab. Seats uncomfortable. Couldn't see over the bonnet and the list went on. This was the first time I had heard her bag her beloved Commodores. BUT the thing that really p****d her off!! NO SPARE WHEEL. Available as an optional extra on all models except SSV Redline where it isn't available at all! Instead Holden supply a can of spray and a 12V compressor kit. UNBELIEVABLE!! Too bad if a tyre has a failure!!

Itsme · 07-03-2014, 05:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by onetonfun

The Mrs is a dyed in the wool Holden driver. Currently she has a VE SV6 ute and thought it was time for a final VF SS ute upgrade. So off she toddles to Kerry Holden for a test drive. Well!! Too much chrome inside the cab. Seats uncomfortable. Couldn't see over the bonnet and the list went on. This was the first time I had heard her bag her beloved Commodores. BUT the thing that really p****d her off!! NO SPARE WHEEL. Available as an optional extra on all models except SSV Redline where it isn't available at all! Instead Holden supply a can of spray and a 12V compressor kit. UNBELIEVABLE!! Too bad if a tyre has a failure!!

Sorry to dissapoint you but lot of car manufacturers are doing this including Ford, nothing new here.

poppa smurf · 07-03-2014, 05:48 PM

wife's new car has the kit in the wheel well......where the spare used to be......last new car had a "space saver"

Pepscobra · 07-03-2014, 05:48 PM

All about cost cutting and weight saving.
90% of the time around town its not an issue as help is usually not far away.
Obviously if you were to drive into a remote area you'd want to pack a spare tyre.

commonrails · 07-03-2014, 05:52 PM

Surprised that they even give you a 12v compressor to be perfectly honest. I would say that in the near future if it hasn't already happened car companies will just give you a road side assist number, no jack kit wheel brace etc. Ford didn't give me a wheel brace with my ranger lol lucky for me I found out the easy way as I just wanted to rotate the tyre, at least I wasn't stuck somewhere. $5 supercheap special behind the back seat now does the trick.

Franco Cozzo · 07-03-2014, 06:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by poppa smurf

wife's new car has the kit in the wheel well......where the spare used to be......last new car had a "space saver"

I busted a wheel on my Focus so I was driving my Falcon until it then **** a heater core, so I was getting around on the space saver for about 5000km until I could source another set of wheels.

I only ever did 80km/h on that space saver for about 10 minutes before I decided F that.

Now I got a full sized spare in the Focus.

poppa smurf · 07-03-2014, 06:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Big Damo

I busted a wheel on my Focus so I was driving my Falcon until it then **** a heater core, so I was getting around on the space saver for about 5000km until I could source another set of wheels.

I only ever did 80km/h on that space saver for about 10 minutes before I decided F that.

Now I got a full sized spare in the Focus.

the space savers are speed limited anyway aren't they......at least I thought they were.......would have been as hard as the hobs of hell as well.

common practice now not to provide a spare, good job I have wifey in the RAA, get a flat then it becomes their problem, next I guess is a hefty hike in membership costs.

Sox · 07-03-2014, 06:44 PM

Not having a spare in urban areas is fine.
How many flats do we even have these days with modern tyres?
And who wants to spend 15mins on the side of a busy road changing a tyre?

I'd much rather spend 2mins squirting some goop in the tyre and be on my way.

In the country things are different...

MITCHAY · 07-03-2014, 06:53 PM

Don't they have shortages on Redline wheels? Probably goes some way to explain that.

Plus they have Brembo calipers on the front so I'm guessing a standard spare won't clear. You'd probably have to specific and ask for a full sized wheel.

dragons90 · 07-03-2014, 07:58 PM

Could be to do with the redline having staggered rims.

XR Martin · 07-03-2014, 08:24 PM

I thought the spare (temp) wheel was a no cost option on the Commodore.
And doesnt the Cruze get a full size spare?

MITCHAY · 07-03-2014, 08:37 PM

Seems you need a spare front full size. The standard spare won't work. You can get one just depends on what you ask for and which dealer you go to.

http://www.ls1.com.au/forum/archive/.../t-165515.html

http://forums.justcommodores.com.au/...re-tyre-2.html

coupedup · 07-03-2014, 08:39 PM

No spare wheel, unable to fix the tyre with the kit and in an out of the way place means you pretty much have to stay with the vehicle. I would be concerned about someone breaking into it.

Franco Cozzo · 07-03-2014, 08:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by poppa smurf

the space savers are speed limited anyway aren't they......at least I thought they were.......would have been as hard as the hobs of hell as well.

common practice now not to provide a spare, good job I have wifey in the RAA, get a flat then it becomes their problem, next I guess is a hefty hike in membership costs.

Yeah they're speed limited to 80km/h, but mine was doing 100-110km/h most of those 5000km lol.

mick457 · 07-03-2014, 09:45 PM

in qld anyways I thought it was illegal to not carry a spare tyre of some sort??????

ozpacman · 07-03-2014, 10:20 PM

I'm a bit of an old fashioned old fart I know, however there is no way in the world I would even consider buying a car that doesn't come equipped with a full size spare.

It's all well and good relying on roadside assist in Brisbane. I don't want to be counting on it on a long weekend when I'm stuck on the side of the road between Julia Creek and Richmond with a stuffed tyre and no phone service.

Russ

MAGPIE · 08-03-2014, 07:13 AM

I have only had one puncture in 22 years. It took it a week to go flat in the garage after it's last drive when it picked up a screw.

Probably worth the risk imo unless you do lots of high mileage trips away from civilisation.

2011G6E · 08-03-2014, 07:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ozpacman

I'm a bit of an old fashioned old fart I know, however there is no way in the world I would even consider buying a car that doesn't come equipped with a full size spare.

It's all well and good relying on roadside assist in Brisbane. I don't want to be counting on it on a long weekend when I'm stuck on the side of the road between Julia Creek and Richmond with a stuffed tyre and no phone service.

Russ

I hear you there.
When we were car shopping in Rocky before buying the G6E, both Ford and Holden dealers there said the same thing: they automatically fit full sized matching spares to all thier cars, as they accept the reality that, like we did, many buyers will be coming into town from a fair way out in the country, where a money saving (don't go on about the "weight"...a spare wheel here or there will be literally unmeasurable to your fuel economy) can of goo is next to useless.

Not to mention that even in coastal and regional areas...much less further inland and out west...the way modern cars are getting bigger and bigger low profile tyres means it's a gamble that the local tyre fitter will even have anything close to it in stock and you could be stuck a long time waiting for one to be ordered in if you have no spare.

Yet another "it's a great idea in Brisbane and the Gold Coast", but useless for the most of the rest of the state. It's purely a money saving measure by car companies, nothing more.

MAGPIE · 08-03-2014, 10:28 AM

My only concern with the squirty cans is the effect on the TPMS.

I imagine it wouldn't do them any good.

2011G6E · 08-03-2014, 12:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MAGPIE

My only concern with the squirty cans is the effect on the TPMS.

I imagine it wouldn't do them any good.

Any tyre fitters here? I've heard that the tyre goo stuff makes changing a tyre a nightmare to clean up.

In Focus · 08-03-2014, 01:48 PM

When I read the title of this, my initial thought was, "Wow, that's a big glove box".

noflac52 · 08-03-2014, 02:09 PM

The lower the profile the tyre the more chance of a flat on our roads. With wheels getting bigger and tyre profiles getting smaller I thought it would be the other way around where a spare is becoming more important to have, not the other way around.

89.SVO · 08-03-2014, 04:03 PM

Just option up to a full size spare. Don't see what the issue is. And the VF is a far superior car compared to the VE. Visibility is fine. Interior is nicer.

dawsman · 08-03-2014, 04:14 PM

I was impressed and happy to see a full size spare factory alloy/tyre in the boot of my FG GT 335 after picking it up. Didn't even check before buying. Does anyone know if the VF HSVs offer this? Probably not if they have staggered wheels?

Edit: And what about the R-specs with their staggered wheels?

2011G6E · 08-03-2014, 05:47 PM

Low profile damage...? Tell me about it. We had 19" wheels on the G6E, and you become paranoid about potholes and normal road ridges that are part of life on the Bruce (north of the divided four lane), and especially, the Capricorn highways.
I know three people here at work who destroyed 19" wheels (all Fords coincidentally) on the highway after the last floods. One woman literally broke two wheels on the same side of the car hitting one hole.

No wonder people are moving to SUV's and twin cabs and vehicles fitted with that old fashioned idea of "a tyre sidewall", and away from steam-roller-tyred things with licorice strips for rubber...

pottery beige · 08-03-2014, 05:54 PM

wow, three people that drive with their eyes closed....

Rodge · 08-03-2014, 06:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MAGPIE

I have only had one puncture in 22 years. It took it a week to go flat in the garage after it's last drive when it picked up a screw.

Probably worth the risk imo unless you do lots of high mileage trips away from civilisation.

I'm with you on this one. This trend towards fitting a can of goo is cost and fuel economy driven BUT there's also a small performance enhancement as a freebee to be had too.

2011G6E · 08-03-2014, 06:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pottery beige

wow, three people that drive with their eyes closed....

At 100 to 110kph on a wet road, potholes don't exactly jump out and announce themselves...not to mention the road edge which drops off by about 2" or more in a lot of places out here and down on the Bruce.

The only place our G6E felt quiet, refined, and smooth was when we would go down and visit Brisbane and the Gold Coast on those glass-smooth highways. It was rough as guts out here, and that's sad for an Australian car, that it's limited to perfect roads in cities, instead of everywhere in the country as Australian cars of the past were.

Back to spare wheels...is it just me, or do you notice a lot of cars running around on those space savers and wonder "How long has that been on there...?" A neighbour of ours in Bundaberg had one on her car, and I noticed it was there for maybe a month or more. I asked her "shouldn't you get a replacement tyre on that?", and she said "At the price of the tyres it takes, it can fricking wait".
Guess the first some people think about these things is if they have an accident with it or if a policeman questions them about it.

pottery beige · 08-03-2014, 06:50 PM

now i know youre talking ****, i've done half the Oodnadatta track and back in a G6 E and it was quite a pleasant experience

and no busted rims or flats

XR Martin · 08-03-2014, 07:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 2011G6E

Low profile damage...? Tell me about it. We had 19" wheels on the G6E, and you become paranoid about potholes and normal road ridges that are part of life on the Bruce (north of the divided four lane), and especially, the Capricorn highways.
I know three people here at work who destroyed 19" wheels (all Fords coincidentally) on the highway after the last floods. One woman literally broke two wheels on the same side of the car hitting one hole.

No wonder people are moving to SUV's and twin cabs and vehicles fitted with that old fashioned idea of "a tyre sidewall", and away from steam-roller-tyred things with licorice strips for rubber...

Its not just unique to Fords.
I was talking with a guy with a Touareg, he said he's bent something like 5 of its 19" rims (at over $1000 a pop)
Put a set of 18s on it and no more issues.