You can still fit any front tire in the trunk...Tobal said:
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Remove the spare tyre to reduce weight!?! What if you get a flat?
- Thread starter JAYS NSX
- Start date
Once I got a flat on my way to work and since I worked like 40 miles away from home I just called my girlfriend to bring me my extra tire. In my situation that as better than to have it towed and have to pay over 100 dollars. So what I did after that was keep one extra at home and at work so if it happen close to work I could just call a co worker to bring me the tire.
Darkcyd said:Then you call AAA for a flatbed.Not to be facetious but that's really what's done.
Yup. The one time I got a flat (described here) AAA trucked me 74 miles home, where I had a replacement tire in the garage. Also, fix-a-flat is useless on a melted tire.
I keep the spare up front, but I don't expect to use it unless I am more than 100 miles from a proper replacement tire.
Jay, by itself the wght saving is not enough to have performance gains(but if max lightness is desired it is too easy not to do).Other reasons are big brakes,vented hoods or other suspension or body mods that take up space under the bonnet.Some folks keep the spare even if they cant use it believing it will offer additional crush protection in case of frontal impact.
AAA use it if you got it (which I do since owning an NSX and S2000) but also because of my wheels, big brake kit and just prefer a flatbed hitch ride to a drive with a spare.
Tan
Tan
docjohn said:
Do you think removing it lightens the front enough to have an effect at higher speeds? The front of my NSX felt a little light at 110MPH on VIR and I didn't have the spare in...
I removed the spare but added a 16" spare in the trunk plus a bunch of tools, air compressor, and some tire inflator stuff.
NSX/MR2 said:
I guess with the weather in San Diego, it would a somewhat feasible measure. However, unless I am mistaken, you would need the AC to defog the car in the case of getting caught in the rain on a hot day! Provided you get caught, of course.
docjohn said:
Hey Doc, hope all is well in PA. I had never even considered the crash protection factor, I wonder if it helps? I have the stock wheels, so I will be happy to roll on my spare should the need arise. Once I upgrade to 17/18, I wonder if I can even use the spare safely....................oops, nobody answer that until I do a SEARCH!!
Wilsonp,I can't believe that just the absence of your tire would account for your perception.I have been running w/o the spare for years and don't feel that the front is particularly light at >120mph.Folks who have changed from stock to aftermarket tires feel they have less stearing feel or tightness in the steering wheel.fwiw.
I removed my spare tire because I installed the Taitec Lightweight exhaust which about 30 lbs lighter than the stock exhaust. So - I removed about 30 lbs from the front just too keep things even. I know it doesn't really make that much of a difference but what the heck. Besides, I pay for road side assistance with my auto insurance.
I have never really understood why people remove the spare tire on cars that they drive on the street. In all seriousness, very few of us are that talented where that will make the difference.
As far as if you blow out an upgraded wheel / tire combo, here is what you do. Keep a trash bag in your trunk area, and if you blow a tire that will not fit in the trunk area, place the wheel and tire in the trash bag, and then place it on your passenger side of the car. Some size wheels will even fit BEHIND the seat if you move it all the way forward.
In my '91 NSX I have carried an entire set of (4) wheels and tires just by being creative with the passenger seat and trunk areas.
As far as if you blow out an upgraded wheel / tire combo, here is what you do. Keep a trash bag in your trunk area, and if you blow a tire that will not fit in the trunk area, place the wheel and tire in the trash bag, and then place it on your passenger side of the car. Some size wheels will even fit BEHIND the seat if you move it all the way forward.
In my '91 NSX I have carried an entire set of (4) wheels and tires just by being creative with the passenger seat and trunk areas.
No. You're talking about a difference of 30 pounds in a 3000+ pound car. Heck, at the other end of the car, the difference between a full tank of gas and the needle on "E" is over three times that weight, and no one ever notices "floatiness" as a difference between a full tank and an empty one...wilsonp said:
Ken, remember that the fuel tank is located just behind and under the driver. Amidship. It has much less of an effect on wieght distrubution than say, a Porsche, that has the tank in the front of the car. I would think that removing the spare in the NSX has much more of an effect than an emptier/fuller tank of gas.
Maybe that was a bad analogy. But I am still not convinced that removing the spare would create a perceivable difference in the high-speed handling of the car...ChopsJazz said:
JAYS NSX said:....................Once I upgrade to 17/18, I wonder if I can even use the spare safely....................oops, nobody answer that until I do a SEARCH!!
The only reason you would not be able to use the stock spare is if your brake calipers will not allow it to mount. No matter what size wheel/tire combo you use, the outside diameter will still be very close to stock, and that is all that matters.
ncdogdoc said:
Thanks Doc, now I have no fears of my summer upgrade. Long live the spare!!!
Right on ! That is why you carrry a cell phone.Akira said:AAA baby!
re
Very interesting topic, I was thinking about removing the spare myself.
SO, does the ~30lbs weight savings help in performance?
I still have the stock 16/17's and could probably use the spare if and when I get a flat. Would I feel the difference in acceleration without the spare?
The FIx-a-Flat seems like the best option if I were to remove the spare, even though i've never used the fix-a-flat spray.
Noone mentioned anything about taking the car to the local gas station to have them patch it up have they?
Very interesting topic, I was thinking about removing the spare myself.
SO, does the ~30lbs weight savings help in performance?
I still have the stock 16/17's and could probably use the spare if and when I get a flat. Would I feel the difference in acceleration without the spare?
The FIx-a-Flat seems like the best option if I were to remove the spare, even though i've never used the fix-a-flat spray.
Noone mentioned anything about taking the car to the local gas station to have them patch it up have they?
Interpolating Bob Butler's acceleration figures, reducing weight by thirty pounds will improve both 0-60 and 1/4 mile acceleration times by .03 second (three one-hundredths of a second).mul1gan said:
I believe that a difference of .03 second would be imperceptible.mul1gan said:
Anyone who might claim they can feel it would be encouraged to work with a friend to conduct a truly blind test. For example, do twenty acceleration runs, and have your friend remove the spare from the car ten of those times, without you knowing which times the spare is there and which times it is not. See if you can identify which runs were without the spare.
unless you have a BBK or .03 seconds is that important to you 0-60, just keep it with you...If you do a track event just take it out at the track if you think it will make a difference...
BTW, if you ever have to use that fix a flat crap, make sure you wipe it off your rims if you get some on them...If you don't get it all off and it dries, you will have it on there for life....just ask my poor old Integra.
BTW, if you ever have to use that fix a flat crap, make sure you wipe it off your rims if you get some on them...If you don't get it all off and it dries, you will have it on there for life....just ask my poor old Integra.
If you have to use Fix-a-Flat, I think you would be well advised to replace that tire at the earliest possible opportunity. It spreads gunk all over the inside surface of the tire, and I can't believe that would be good for things like keeping the tire in balance, etc...
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