Omitting the spare and carrying tire inflator? (Page 2/3)
theogre APR 20, 07:36 PM

quote
Originally posted by 2.5:
Yes, Id only be interested in wired ones that can plug to cig lighter or 12v, not battery operated. I have one old one, but its kind of large and could fail any day.

Compressors and related Plugged in to Cig Lighter and Aux based on them often have problems.
Many come w/ "battery clips" because eat too much power for Cig Lighter plugs.
Other have Cig Plugs but I don't use them. I cut off that for a cheap unit had years ago because plug broke and use spare small "battery clips." Think still have it but have not used in 10+ years.

Some have Cig plug w/ adapter w/ clips... But Most adapters suck too.

⚠️ Note: If you cut off Cig Plug... Most plugs have a fuse. So need inline fuse and clips to replace it.

Even if the sockets can handle the Amps, the plugs often don't grip and stay tight causing sparks etc. that can heats the socket. Many plugs break and can short out the socket. Either might blow a fuse or start a fire. I hate most Cig Plugs for this reason for Phones, dash cams, etc.

Cig Lighter itself draws a lot of power but only heat up and pops in a few seconds to ~ 1 minute max so socket etc won't heat up too.
Fiero Cig Sockets have "Crow bar" but most don't have anything to prevent big problems.
(See my Cave, Lighter)
no2pencil APR 20, 09:41 PM
After relocating the battery I removed the spare. Got AAA. Not the brightest idea, however of all the issues/breakdowns that I've had, a flat hasn't been one of them.
Kitskaboodle APR 20, 10:28 PM
Live my Airhawk inflator. 😊
It is more than up to the task to inflate 4 or more tires that are a good 5+ pounds down or more.
And it was less than $45.00
See pic of it.....
Kit
robymon APR 27, 10:57 PM
I purchased a Viair 70p from 4wheelonline because it was cheap. This portable compressor can inflate my tires pretty quickly. It comes with a long power cord, and the pressure gauge is accurate.
fierojp APR 28, 12:58 AM
I immediately removed the spares/jacks on all 3 of my Fieros mainly for the weight savings. I mounted the battery up there on 2 of those cars.

I didn't carry fix-a-flat and I also got lucky with no flats in over 100,000 miles of driving! This was before everyone had cell phones. Now, if you get a flat, just call someone to bring your spare...
theogre APR 28, 10:59 PM

quote
Originally posted by fierojp:
I immediately removed the spares/jacks on all 3 of my Fieros mainly for the weight savings. I mounted the battery up there on 2 of those cars.

I didn't carry fix-a-flat and I also got lucky with no flats in over 100,000 miles of driving! This was before everyone had cell phones. Now, if you get a flat, just call someone to bring your spare...

True but mean calling a Tow Co for many and that can cost a lot of $...

Could join AAA et al but that cost $ every year = or > then a Tow Bill in the end. (Yes, I know... AAA offer other things like TripTik to plan trips or AAA discounts for other places but almost no-one uses them or very rarely.)

My Car insurance have a Towing option that cost far less then AAA and others.
I can use whatever service and send bill to I-co days to month later to get 100% payback.
I once lost a bill, found ~ 2 years later and I-co still paid. Agent Did have to call national office to check had this option at the time but took ~ 10 minutes.
Dennis LaGrua APR 30, 10:07 AM
After reading all the posts here, I feel a good solution would be to carry a tool bag with a plug kit. Many of the 12V compressors sold today can inflate a flat tire to full pressure in 5 minutes or less. As long as you have your jack, get the tire off the ground, slowly spin them and try and locate and remove the offending object. Then fix the hole with the rope type plug. Many of these kits are self sealing. Obviously this won't help with a blowout.
One issue is that if you retain your spare, are traveling long distance with another, and your trunk is full where do you store the flat tire while you drive to get the flat fixed? Those with baggage racks have the idea setup but those that don't might want to carry a few bungee cords and a small blanket to cover and fasten the flat to the deck lid. I say this because I do not believe that a standard tire will fit where the spare is or will it?

------------------
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theogre APR 30, 12:11 PM

quote
Originally posted by Dennis LaGrua:
After reading all the posts here, I feel a good solution would be to carry a tool bag with a plug kit. Many of the 12V compressors sold today can inflate a flat tire to full pressure in 5 minutes or less. As long as you have your jack, get the tire off the ground, slowly spin them and try and locate and remove the offending object. Then fix the hole with the rope type plug. Many of these kits are self sealing. Obviously this won't help with a blowout.
One issue is that if you retain your spare, are traveling long distance with another, and your trunk is full where do you store the flat tire while you drive to get the flat fixed? Those with baggage racks have the idea setup but those that don't might want to carry a few bungee cords and a small blanket to cover and fasten the flat to the deck lid. I say this because I do not believe that a standard tire will fit where the spare is or will it?

None of the OE tires will fit in the Spare Tire well. Is covered in most or all of Fiero OM and also a problem in other vehicles.

Besides "Doughnut spares" that Fiero uses, other "space saver" spares have been used and OE tires often don't fit in the spare tire well/spot either.
AMC had a space saver spare for Gremlin and others that was stored totally "flat" and Inflater Can to use it. Very weird to see it "grow" to be a full size spare. Ford GM and Chrysler used same for some cars in ~ 1970's too. (B.F.Goodrich Space Saver Tire) (Warning: Ebay etc sell them @ Gold Prices for a 50+ year old tire... Good help any dumb enough to actually use them.)

Many new cars don't even have a spare or even a place for them if you try to buy one. That's w/ or w/o "run flat" tires on a car.
Big reason It affects car marker's bottom line because any weight added/removed will affect CAFE points from EPA and related in other Countries. Because a change in Total CAFE points can mean car makers can loose or add Millions of $ in the US alone. (That's ignoring whatever cost to design and install a spare.)

[This message has been edited by theogre (edited 04-30-2021).]

Raydar APR 30, 02:11 PM
Since I have big brakes and moved my battery to the front, there doesn't seem to be a viable option for a spare. I bought a deluxe kit with plugs, a compressor, and Slime (to be used as a last resort.)
I figured that if that was good enough for most new cars, it was good enough for my application.
I'm not going to jinx myself and say that I've never had to use it, but I've sure used it for other cars that I've had around, that happened to pick up a nail or (usually) sheet metal screw.
Jake_Dragon MAY 01, 02:05 PM
Wasn't the spare also part of the impact zone? I have never had to use one but all of my cars had one.