Do we really need a spare tire?

[Flyin6]

OK, allow me to ask a good question:

Do we need a spare tire?

So in all my days off-roading and on several different continents, in Jeeps, Land-Rovers, Hummers, Chevies, Fords, Dodge and Ram trucks and Ramchargers, in Blazer K-5s and Broncos, in a Tundra and a Tacoma, in a Landcruiser FJ-40 and some Hap thing I can't pronounce. Well in all of those in all "adventures" I have had, I have had almost no flats, and none that I didn't fix, and I never once had to bolt the spare onto the vehicle to be able to drive out.
So, with all this weight savings, I am asking myself, why carry that huge chunk of rubber around when the chances of my ever needing it approach zero?
I have popped a bead, just like most of you, but I just reseated it. Actually, three times in one day once. I even gashed a tire and I just loaded it up with tire plugs, like a dozen of them and the lumpy thing held air and drove to the tire store.
So why do I need anything other than a mini compressor and a good tire repair kit?
Opinions?

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[BLK HOLE]

Wheeling on rocks...shaving a stem is a thing, splitting sidewalls is a thing.

There's just very little cons for keeping a spare and only risk for leaving it at home. You can get a 37, even 38, under the bed. I run a larger tire than that on the ground but I'm OK with a 37" spare. I have open diffs.

 

[carmigo]

OK, allow me to ask a good question:

Do we need a spare tire?

So in all my days off-roading and on several different continents, in Jeeps, Land-Rovers, Hummers, Chevies, Fords, Dodge and Ram trucks and Ramchargers, in Blazer K-5s and Broncos, in a Tundra and a Tacoma, in a Landcruiser FJ-40 and some Hap thing I can't pronounce. Well in all of those in all "adventures" I have had, I have had almost no flats, and none that I didn't fix, and I never once had to bolt the spare onto the vehicle to be able to drive out.
So, with all this weight savings, I am asking myself, why carry that huge chunk of rubber around when the chances of my ever needing it approach zero?
I have popped a bead, just like most of you, but I just reseated it. Actually, three times in one day once. I even gashed a tire and I just loaded it up with tire plugs, like a dozen of them and the lumpy thing held air and drove to the tire store.
So why do I need anything other than a mini compressor and a good tire repair kit?
Opinions?

Couple weeks ago you could have caught me questioning the same thing but then one day something slashed my tire and it completely aired out before I noticed it. In my case, I needed a whole new tire and couldn't drive on it, but it sounds like you've been able to avoid that. I wish i had a spare tire on me that day. I think if you have the space, it can't hurt. That's just my humble experience though.

 

[sharpsicle]

Like any piece of recovery gear, it's useless until that one moment that you need it. I have never used my winch or traction boards while off-roading (yet), but I still carry them. Same goes for the spare tire. Nothing's worse than needing it and not having it, especially when it has a specific designated home that's out of the way of everything else.

We aren't building racecars here, where every ounce matters. The weight reduction you get from losing the spare is, in the grand scheme of things, minimal. Especially when you consider you're giving up a valuable recovery tool in the process.

 

[JeepOfTheseus]

"when the chances of my ever needing it approach zero?" - because that's still non-zero. It's the classic "you won't miss it until you need it".

 

[CoachA]

To quote Clarence Worley, Christian Slater’s character in True Romance, ”It’s better to have it and not need than to need it and not have it.” I, like you, am a plug it, inflate it and go guy. How about this: with a proper spare, you can do proper 5 tire rotations so you don’t have to buy new rubber as frequently.

 

[Gvsukids]

OK, allow me to ask a good question:

Do we need a spare tire?

So in all my days off-roading and on several different continents, in Jeeps, Land-Rovers, Hummers, Chevies, Fords, Dodge and Ram trucks and Ramchargers, in Blazer K-5s and Broncos, in a Tundra and a Tacoma, in a Landcruiser FJ-40 and some Hap thing I can't pronounce. Well in all of those in all "adventures" I have had, I have had almost no flats, and none that I didn't fix, and I never once had to bolt the spare onto the vehicle to be able to drive out.
So, with all this weight savings, I am asking myself, why carry that huge chunk of rubber around when the chances of my ever needing it approach zero?
I have popped a bead, just like most of you, but I just reseated it. Actually, three times in one day once. I even gashed a tire and I just loaded it up with tire plugs, like a dozen of them and the lumpy thing held air and drove to the tire store.
So why do I need anything other than a mini compressor and a good tire repair kit?
Opinions?

Further reading,
https://www.jeepgladiatorforum.com/forum/threads/do-i-need-spare-tire.48966/

 

[Barnaby’sdad]

I’ve lost track of how many times I’ve heard the “I’ve never known anyone that needed a spare tire, so why should I carry one” type argument.

Right off the top of my head, I can think of two times that I’ve used a spare over the years. Granted both times I could have plugged it and gotten home if I had a compressor (I do now).

The way I’d put it…if you’re convoying to a wheeling site, everyone doesn’t necessarily need to lug along a full size spare. That being said, are you expecting a stranger to fork over their $500+ spare if you need it?

‘Cause that’s what someone rolling without a spare says to me “someone else will have one if I need it.” If you’re rolling with buddies, that’s one thing. Strangers?

I’m not gonna lie…If I ran into that situation…I’d expect a Venmo/PayPal F&F payment before the wheel and tire got mounted up. Just like I wouldn’t feel comfortable bouncing with someone else’s setup “for the price of on the house.”

Personally…there’s no argument that’s going to convince me to not bring a spare. I view it as an insurance policy. Sure, I might never need it, but then again…I might use it someday.

 

[Killroy Was Here]

You don't, ,..........until you do.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

My wife had a bolt that went through the edge of the tread and out the sidewall. No way to repair that. She had a broken Mountain Dew bottle rip a good gash in the sidewall in another car.
There's all sorts of ways a tire can go.
Odd that it's asked - do you need health insurance or vehicle insurance or home owners insurance?
I haven't had a flat recently unless you count the lawn tractor (those aren't cheap tires, either) but when I did, I was sure glad to have a spare.

LOL - loading it up with plugs - not all holes can be plugged and the more plugs in one spot, the more the risk of the whole thing blowing out on the highway.
There's a reason tire stores refuse to fix some damage............ things happen.
Hope when one of your tire repairs blows out on the highway no innocent people are hurt.

 

[dcmdon]

A good friend of mine with 37s who does only mild off roading removed his spare. The risk for him is mostly on-road. He says the chance of getting a flat in big gnarly mudders is next to zero. He's probably right. But he removed the spare from his JK. Just seems sketchy to me with the fact that he does regular 120 mile family trips to go skiing.

 

[Mash5]

In 30 years of wheeling all over the West, I have used my spare five times that I can think of. Of those, maybe only one would have been a trick to repair if I had been motivated. The rest, a simple plug could or did fix them to get me going. The one was on Fordyce trail and it opened that BFG like a can of beans. Three were on my JT with the POS tires that came on it. No further problems after going to WildPeak ATs.
In the end it is a risk reward situation. Sounds like you have the experience to make the call for yourself.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

In the end it is a risk reward situation. Sounds like you have the experience to make the call for yourself.

Yeah, so why ask?

 

[HooliganActual]

@Flyin6
Twice in my wheeling career I have bent the lip of the rim and evacuated the tire...tout suite. On those occasions I was glad to have my spare because I was alone and in the middle of nowhere. I have a compressor and tire plugs, etc. and have used them many times (for others on the trail), but they were next to worthless to solve the bent lip (side note: they were alloy rims so I couldn't poung them back with a hammer, which is a testamnoil for going with steel wheels).

 

[Gvsukids]

Yeah, so why ask?

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