Spare tire location and Storing Flat tire

[Vdev]

If you are driving the car full with passengers and full baggage in the cargo area (3rd seats folded down) and you experience a flat tire, it seems a cumbersome thing to get to spare tire location and then where to put that huge 20 inch tire. I am not sure why Mazda chose that location for spare tire and then you can not store the actual tire in that same location. They could have put that spare tire outside (under the cargo area) like Pilot's have - it so easy to change the flat and store it
Has anybody experienced this situation?

 

[negusm]

Yes. This is common across nearly all cars.

They also assume that the spare will only be used to go DIRECTLY from the place you have a flat to the repair shop. So you should only be awkwardly storing it in the car for 1 trip.

 

[sm1ke]

I prefer having the spare mounted inside the trunk versus on the underside of the rear bumper. I imagine it makes changing the tire in inclement weather a little less terrible. That said, Mazda really should have given us a full size spare along with the room to store the OEM flat.

BTW, the manual explains how to store and secure a flat OEM wheel in the trunk. Basically, the wheel is stored upright and you use the included tie-down straps to secure it so that it doesn't bounce around.

 

[Vdev]

Yes. This is common across nearly all cars.

They also assume that the spare will only be used to go DIRECTLY from the place you have a flat to the repair shop. So you should only be awkwardly storing it in the car for 1 trip.

But if you have luggage in the cargo , where to store this flat tire. I find this very hard to believe it is common across the SUVs. Honda Pilot's storage of spare is great - no messing with cargo area inside the car. I know this should be a rare situation but should it happen, it is going to a problem storing that flat tire - this is my point

 

[youri]

This is common across a lot of SUVs. There are 2 trains of thought with regards to spare tire location, with advantages and disadvantages for each. I know at least in Canada after a few years of winter salt and rust getting spare tires from underneath the car is usually a real mess. I prefer it mounted inside, but there are the obvious drawbacks of luggage space you mentioned. If you are concerned about it, you can go with the 3rd option that a lot of manufacturer are doing nowadays of removing the spare tire and replacing it with a puncture sealant kit instead.

 

[youri]

Also forgot to add: In the Honda Pilot (and most other cars that I know to have the spare under the vehicle), you still have to empty your cargo compartment and go under the cargo floor cover to gain access to:
1. the jack; and
2. the tire lowering mechanism (the hoist shaft).

So you still have to empty your cargo area to do the work and the only real advantage (but still a nice one to have) is the storage of the full size flat tire outside of the cargo area after putting the spare on.

 

[Vdev]

I plan to buy the green SLIME puncture kit and keep it with me. In fact I keep it in all my cars and hope it should be enough to remedy the flat tire.

 

[sm1ke]

I plan to buy the green SLIME puncture kit and keep it with me. In fact I keep it in all my cars and hope it should be enough to remedy the flat tire.

I have the same puncture kit in my trunk, just in case.

I'm not sure if this is offered in other markets, but in Canada we get Mazda Roadside Assistance as part of the 36 month Basic Warranty Coverage. So I could remove the spare and keep the puncture kit in the car instead, and in the event of a tire blowout, I could use roadside assistance.

 

[negusm]

I plan to buy the green SLIME puncture kit and keep it with me. In fact I keep it in all my cars and hope it should be enough to remedy the flat tire.

Ugh. This often destroys the rim. Many Tire Shops won't deal with a rim that has a Run Flat injected in. Don't do it.

Better, is a cheapo battery powered air compressor. RARELY does a tire get a puncture so bad that adding some air to it won't get you to where you need to go to get fixed.

I have even limped home after using a friend's bicycle pump. (yes, it took a long time to pump).

-Mike

 

[Martino]

I absolutely get what you're saying and every time I load up the cargo space in my car for a trip, I think about what a pain it would be to have a flat and have to unload it.....however, I live in NY, no way I would buy a car with the spare tire location being underneath the car. I would not look kindly to laying on top of salt encrusted semi-melted slush/mud in 30 degree weather at night along side an interstate while learning new swear works trying to get my rusted spare out.

I was just looking at a Hyundai a friend has that in order to get the spare out from underneath the car, you first had to lift the cargo floor cover and then access a large slotted plastic screw to lower the tire. Well, in order to lift the cargo floor cover, you have to remove most of the luggage and once done with that, if the rust is preventing the spare from lowering, you will end up fighting with it between going into the cargo area trying to turn and probably strip the plastic screw because the rusted tire/wheel mechanism won't lower, then back under the car to see what's going on and try to wiggle the tire down and then back up into the cargo area to mess with the screw and back and forth, back and forth...fuggetaboutit. Give me a full size spare located inside the car.

Now, the issue with the actual tires being bigger than the spare located inside the car is something I have not realized but you bet that will now be on my list of things to verify when looking at cars....ugh!

 

[Vdev]

I guess you have to remove some luggage from the very last part of cargo (if your third seat is folded) area to get to the mechanism to lower that tire but it is so easy to put flat underneath there and put back in your cargo and you are back on the trip. I would rather have my dirty flat tire out of my cargo space then to deal with it inside of the car. I guess these are preferences people have and I get that.
If Mazda had given a full spare in that location, no qualms here at all