Space Saver Vs a can of puncture foam?

[Tunner]

I was having a chat with my brother, he works for Honda UK within their H.Q at Colnbrook.

Last week he was able to view the pre-production new Civic. He seemed quite impressed with it. We got talking about the lack of a spare wheel inc a Space Saver in the new Civic. According to Honda, hardly anyone has need to ever use the spare, I disagreed. Twice within the last 12 months I had cause to use the Space Saver in the TT to get home and the steel full sized spare in my wifes Meriva. Both punctures would, or could have proven lethal if the alternative was a can on foam, simply beacause the damage to both tyres involved part of the side wall. The foam may have inflated the tyre, but the repair could have failed with potentially eveil concequences?

Both tyres were unrepairable, I understand that if you use the foam stuff that the tyre must be replaced?

I would be interested in your views. I would rather have a 40 MPH Space Saver, than a can of foam, sod the weight?

[RedRobin]

I agree with you Tunner (for a change!) - Safety First - It's a no-brainer!

[DanAdams]

Think your both missing the point. Can you imagine a 73yr old pensioner with bad hips changing the tyre at 11pm at night on a dark road? Exactly - foam every time

[RedRobin]

Huh? Why not carry a can of foam as well? The point is not to dump the spare a la Honda.

[aswall]

I agree too. I've only ever had one blowout, last year travelling north in the outside lane of the M1 at 90mph! Thankfully it was Sunday morning and thanks to an intelligent driver behind me, who moved across to block people from stopping me getting to the hard shoulder, I stopped without too much drama. The tyre however was comprehensively fooked and effectively in two halves - fat lot of good tyre foam would have been!

[R32North]

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Think your both missing the point. Can you imagine a 73yr old pensioner with bad hips changing the tyre at 11pm at night on a dark road? Exactly - foam every time

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Foam is hit and miss and doesn't always work, so that pensioner should call the RAC in all cases!!

[Tunner]

Red, you are so right. Safety first.

I would rather a narrow steel spare than be stranded and be towed home.

I think Honda have got it wrong, their reasoning is that there is now more space in the boot, room for a laptop or briefcase under the hardboard floor in the boot where the spare was.

From my own experience, an initial foam inflation, could have caused me to think that the intergrity of the tyre was sound, whereas in reality, damage to a cross section close to the wall of the tyre, if it blew, could be fatal?

[R32North]

R32 has foam...... I'd not use it!! I have a spare alloy / tyre in the shed at home. If I get a flat I'll call out bruv, nip home get spare wheel and pop back and sort it.

No way I use foam in a low profile tyre in a car with 260hp, even if I was driving slowly and under 3000 rpms. R32 has 240lbs coming in at 1800 rpms and I don't like the idea of all that power and a tyre full of untrustworthy foam.

[OzGTI]

It's not just Honda. In Aus BMW have supplied the new 1 series with run flat tyres, I guess this is part of the compromises made for the relatively poor packaging of this car. I believe the new BMW 3 (just released here) has run flats and no spare of any sort. It seems the trend for spares, space saver or otherwise seems to be on the way out.

Lot's of critisism here for the BMW move. Journo's saying that ride has been compromised and its not as if we have the opportunity to stop at the next village a mile or so up the road!!

I'll happily stick with the space saver - though would have preferred a full size spare.

[Mook]

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Think your both missing the point. Can you imagine a 73yr old pensioner with bad hips changing the tyre at 11pm at night on a dark road? Exactly - foam every time

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That's what the RAC and AA are there for. Space saver every time for me