Decision on ditching the spare tire - did your car even have one?
I'm curious how effective those roadside kits are, that come with fix-a-flat and an air pump - is that really a suitable replacement for a spare tire?
As you can see from my two photos, I have two possible options:
1) keep the spare, keep building the sub box as-is to the right, and find 9 channels of amplification that can fit in the green area.
2) ditch the spare in favor of one of those fix-a-flat roadside kits with an electric pump. Make the sub box slightly bigger. Free up more room to use for an amp rack. Flat kit would probably fit in the red area.
I'm hoping not to raise the hatch floor more than an inch compared to what the foam blocks and tire place it at now, so it's not THAT much more room for the sub, but it will be sealed and I'm guessing I'm going to be a little squeezed for my 12W7 (or GTi or Brahma - we'll fit something).
Either way, I'm needing to pick up some silent fans to make a hidden amp rack, push pull. I'll probably have to leave an air channel just in front and back of the sub box, though I didn't doodle that in - you know how push/pull racks need to be I'm sure.
The real question of this thread is this:
I'm on the fence as this is my daily driver, and occasionally use it for road trips.
Can I have confidence ditching the spare for a fix-a-flat kit? I see several cars coming that way stock, now.
I'd even consider run-flat tires if they came in my size but that's not a year-round option as I have two sets of wheels, one with (nearly new) snow tires.
Thoughts on "keep it" or "ditch it"?
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...8ba1bc289d.jpg
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...4e7d67fc7a.jpg
Sent from my LM-G820 using Tapatalk
Re: Decision on ditching the spare tire - did your car even have one?
Personally, I don't find the need for a spare. In my 30+ years of driving, I think I've had maybe (1) flat that couldn't be fixed with something like fix-a-flat, if needed.
My current car, a 2018 Challenger, didn't even come with a spare tire - just a tire-inflator that also pumps some goo in the tire to seal it, if need be. So I took advantage of that space for my audio equipment.
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...e8f33d987f.jpg
Believe it or not, those JL amps barely even get warm - even after periods of high volume - even though there are no fans and it's basically an enclosed area. They are class D amps though - don't think you'd get away with that if you have class A/B amps. They are both 600W RMS (XD600/6v2 and XD600/1v2).
Re: Decision on ditching the spare tire - did your car even have one?
So it came with one of those kits, and NOT run-flat tires, right?
I don't experience frequent flats either, but
1) Murphy's Law
2) As a professional IT QA lead and project implementation specialist, it wouldn't look good on me to disregard a spare tire figuratively - even less so literally. [emoji38]
Sent from my LM-G820 using Tapatalk
Re: Decision on ditching the spare tire - did your car even have one?
i aborted my spare and added roadside assistance to my auto insurance. i toss in the spare and jack kit if i'm on the road more than 2h. i've needed it once in 25 years of driving.
my road kit includes a can of fix-a-flat. i'll just be sure to tell the techs it's got goop so they're mindful when removing the valve stem.
Re: Decision on ditching the spare tire - did your car even have one?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
geolemon
So it came with one of those kits, and NOT run-flat tires, right?
I don't experience frequent flats either, but
1) Murphy's Law
2) As a professional IT QA lead and project implementation specialist, it wouldn't look good on me to disregard a spare tire figuratively - even less so literally. [emoji38]
Sent from my LM-G820 using Tapatalk
Correct - it came with the air-inflator thing - no run-flats. I've heard a lot of bad things about run-flats. Like crazy-expensive and they have a terrible ride - so no interest in those.
Most flats can be fixed with an inflator kit. For the very rare chance of a flat that absolutely can't be fixed via the inflator kit, I have roadside assistance.
Re: Decision on ditching the spare tire - did your car even have one?
I’m ditching my spare too. I plan on buying a 12v compressor and have these plug kits:
https://www.amazon.com/Boulder-Tools...NsaWNrPXRydWU=
Very easy to use and no mess.
Edit:
Here’s a kit that looks more like mine :
https://www.amazon.com/Tooluxe-50002...VZQR9M6D38EM6F
Re: Decision on ditching the spare tire - did your car even have one?
Awesome - thanks for the suggestions.
I did some browsing a while back, and besides trusting Amazon reviews - not really sure how to shop for them.
If I ditch my spare tire, I definitely want a legitimate kit.
Thanks.
I'm still going back and forth - if you look at the green area, I'm not sure I'm gaining too much overall space.
Either way, I could fit a RF T1000X5ad and T400X4ad and a DSP...
...and not too much besides those (a few other compact candidates I'm considering).
So I have to see if I'm really gaining anything or opening any new doors, other than a slightly bigger sub box.
Re: Decision on ditching the spare tire - did your car even have one?
Piece of advice on the fix-a-flat can option, don't use it if you've got a car with tire pressure sensors! The sealant gets into the sensor port and ruins it, not to mention the mess it makes inside the tire. The sensor won't be covered under warranty and they'll charge you extra to clean that stuff off the wheel. Use the air pump if you've got the option and if needed use a plug kit. Personally have only had a couple flats in my 35 years of driving and thankfully never had a situation where I couldn't top off with air and drive to be able to fix it or plug it myself. Those sensors run anywhere from$80-200a piece plus install and programming. Just finding to consider.
Sent from my HD1905 using Tapatalk
Re: Decision on ditching the spare tire - did your car even have one?
04 Z06-no spare-came with kit-4 years never needed
04 GTO- ditched spare- 4 years never needed it
12 GMC truck-came with spare-6 years never needed
08 MB SL550- came with spare-1.5 years never needed
16 Ram-has spare-so far not needed
I keep good tires on and rarely go where there's no cell service so I don't sweat it.
Re: Decision on ditching the spare tire - did your car even have one?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Thx0849
Piece of advice on the fix-a-flat can option, don't use it if you've got a car with tire pressure sensors! The sealant gets into the sensor port and ruins it, not to mention the mess it makes inside the tire. The sensor won't be covered under warranty and they'll charge you extra to clean that stuff off the wheel. Use the air pump if you've got the option and if needed use a plug kit. Personally have only had a couple flats in my 35 years of driving and thankfully never had a situation where I couldn't top off with air and drive to be able to fix it or plug it myself. Those sensors run anywhere from$80-200a piece plus install and programming. Just finding to consider.
Sent from my HD1905 using Tapatalk
Ooch. That would suck. I mean, in an emergency it is what it is - but I agree.
Fortunately - the Civic (all Hondas?) uses a unique tire pressure monitoring system that has no sensors, fortunately. It uses the ABS sensors as counters, to compare rotations between the tires and throw a signal if any one has more rotations than the other.
So that's one really good consideration - fortunately not a roadblock.
Sent from my LM-G820 using Tapatalk
