Was reading the edmunds article on the 2009 Fit and they said the spare tire is no more. What is an alternative to a Can of Fix-A-Flat or waiting for AAA. Are there Run Flats in 15"?

 

Big mistake if this is true. I've already gotten a flat in my fit and had to use the spare.

 

wow, the major disadvantage to run-flats is the cost. that sucks.

 

There is no spare in the JDM version of the new Fit, but it's still unknown whether the US will have a spare or not. I could really care less, as I've never needed a spare and have AAA.

 

Well the run-flats is nice but it cost more to replace when you have a flat....I guess i would rather have a spare as backup !

 

Thats a horrible idea, and fix a flat will ruin you tpms sensors in a heartbeat.

 

probably better off carrying a plug kit (like $5) and a small air compressor.

i have no spare on my cooper-s. i dont run runflats cause they ride
stiff, noisy, and most of them dont grip well. car came with SP9000DSST's but they sucked.

 

I heard it was supposed to come with a plug kit. I didn't hear if it came with an air compressor. Would be kinda useless if it didn't

 

At a local car show about a month ago, Smatts and I were able to get a good look at 09 model. Although the car didn't have a VIN # and the rep said that it was considered 'pre-production' we were told that the car would come exactly as we were shown.

We didn't take any pictures, but when we popped the hatch and checked out under the hatch floor, there was no spare tire. There was a round piece of styrofoam with indentations to fit certain items, I assume a jack, etc. etc. but there was a can of something there, I didn't look too closely at it, but I remember seeing S2000 on the can and I remember reading somewhere that a late model S2000 didn't come with a spare tire?? So maybe the new Fit gets whatever the S2K does/did.

 

There are several cars out there these days, it just means a flat = a tow rather then a change. Spare tires in 99% of cars are low on air when you need them anyways so you need to call someone to fill up your spare anyways.
Couple of cars that already have no spare tires.
Newer Mini Coopers (spare tire is an optional feature)
Smart fourtwo
Several Mercedes models
Some Audi's

As cars get smaller, and people want more space for "stuff" you'll find that spare tires will more and more increasilngly become either an optional item or completly absent.

 

That is what I carry.
The cheapest compressor autozone has with a plug/reamer kit. Less than $40 otd

As long as you don't shred the tire or have some other massive failure a plug will work good. I had driven 20k miles on a pluged tire on my Tacoma, even went offroading with it. The Tacoma has a full sized spare too that I never had to use once.

The pump has come in handy a bunch of other times too.

 

Not to get too far off topic, but what were your thoughts on the 09?

 

Thats one of the reasons I picked up an 08, that and I get back $1800 from the gov't for the ecocar rebate.
I need a spare. I live out of the city and I do not want my car on the hook every time I get a flat.
I can change the tire in minutes and get it repaired at my leisure. I won't buy a vehicle without a spare.

 

Yep real bad idea. Infact a clueless idea for USADM Fit, if it's true.

The only part that could make it far worse, is if the do away with the spare tire well.
Typical Japan thinking. Urban driving is not an issue by there standards but here... lots of rural places that you do not want to have a tire failure without a ready to install a spare.

This just makes me appreciate my '08 even more.

 

wait, what? you saw it? did I miss the review? or did you not make one?

 

I doubt that the USDM will be without a spare tire. Americans can barely handle changing a tire, let alone patching one. I can just see some lil old lady's head exploding while trying to figure out a patch kit....

 

This came up a long time ago... still unknown on the US market, but I wouldn't be surprised if it didn't have one.

I didn't have a spare in my last car for almost 10 years (was a show car, had parts of the stereo in the well), and soon enough my Fit will be the same

Missing a spare isn't a killer deal.... AAA is cheap, and well worth it for the discounts, etc. Keep a plug kit and a pocket compressor... it will handle 95% of the flats you may get. Hell, that's what I carry on my motorcycle

 

In Japan ... the spare tire is an Option... but it will more than likely come with the US market 2009.... we will see son enough

 

I was glad I had my spare this Monday. I luckily only made it to the McDonald's a half mile from my house---going slowly. I spent a few minutes putting on the spare, and had the tire plugged today.

The only problem with AAA is the wait time. Seven years ago, I had a Corsica. I had a freak blowout when driving on a bridge. My right rear tire's inner sidewall was torn open by a Toyota wrench. I figure it was somehow wedged in the expansion joint. Anyway, the lug nuts were basically siezed and had to call AAA. My wife and I waited a good hour for triple A to come. BUT, because the steel wheel had basically siezed on the steel axle, it took several good swings with a sledgehammer to get the rim off. So AAA is great for difficult situations, but why waste the time when the weather's nice, and the job is straightforward? Heck, if it had been daytime, and I was alone, I might have even considered walking to the nearby Home Depot and bought a sledgehammer. I would've been on my way faster.

If I need a tow or a battery jump, then it's time for AAA.


Thank God for aluminum.

 

When my Fit had about 7,000 miles the right front tire developed a bubble on the inner side wall. The dealer found it when they were rotating the tires. Honda replaced the bad tire under the warrantee, but my wife had to drive the car on the spare for a couple of days while they ordered the new tire. If the car didn't have a spare, we would have been without the use of the car while it sat at the dealership waiting for a new tire.