I just asked my local Honda dealer about this, and he just laughed and said the spare tire would not ad to any structural stiffness. He also said, if it should add to any stiffness, you had to have a full size tire so it would fill the room.
And as other have pointed out here, what if you need that spare? What risk are you doing then? And why is it not mentioned in any manual that you should NOT remove the spare tire because it is a safety feature in case of a crash?

(Maybe THAT is where the orginal poster had read it wrong? It is there for a safety reason, but not to make the car structural safer, but to aid when having a flat tire...)

 

Word. The OP really had no idea what he was talking about.

 

I hate the donut, but I hate even more that I cant fit a full size tire comfortably. it interferes with the trunk floor. but I leave it in. But there is this wonderful service called AAA. I kept mine from California. as PA AAA blows. My membership is a piggyback from my dad's. I have apparently been a member for longer than I have been alive haha. So that entitles me to Premium Membership. Loads better than Plus, which PA only offers as its highest level of membership. Premiere membership allows for a 200 mile tow in one direction. while the rest of my tows are 100 miles.
So really I dont need a spare. but I leave it in to support my trunk floor.

 

Yeah I wish they had a full size spare, my old BMW had one. Made life easy when I finally got a flat. My BMW also had the sweetest jack to go with it and a full toolbox integrated into the trunk. After I switched the tire out I kind of felt a bit spoiled.

In contrast I had to switch to the donut on my Jeep one time when I got a flat (courtesy of a screw driver stabbed into it by stupid flames fans who didn't like my Canucks flag during the play offs a few years ago). The spare was so small my whole Jeep leaned to one side and felt totally unbalanced, after that I started carrying a full size snow tire even though it didn't really fit properly.

When I get the chance I want to go get my donut spare filled with nitrogen so it dosn't go flat on me over time.

 

hahaha im in the exact same situation. ive been a member since 1972 and im only 25!!!

 

You knew what you were getting yourself into flashing a Van-loser flag in Flames territory!!! That really sucks though, stupid drunk people...

Anyways, yeah it's more there for personal safety when you get a flat...not for a collision as stated by the guys from IIHS...I'm sure they know what they are talking about when it comes to crashes...

 

you canadians are crazy! haha it reminds me of those canadian commercials the "its only a game" commercials with the little kids telling their parents to beat people up. hahaha. also those canadian public service annoucements with the people getting killed at work, then getting up and saying that "it wasnt an accident" are brutal.

 

Actually sober people, I was at Futureshop on Mcleod. I came out and found a screwdriver hole in the middle of my rear tire... of my 2 month old Yoko 255/55/R18 Geolander's Grrrrr.... anyway

Yeah we will see how far Mr. Keenan takes the flaming flamers this year you guys have less points than the Oilers do this year.... Bwwwaaa hahahahaha!!

Sorry, I know way off topic...

 

Ohhhh, that's a new low...that's Bertuzzi in a Canuck uniform low!!!

 

i, as a big avs fan, would comment about bertuzzi, but the forum would censor me, so it would be pointless. i was at that game though, season tix my friends!

 

lol, I can't say I blame you. If somebody hammered one of Vancouvers players like that I would be choked.

They were talking about bringing Bertuzzi back to Vancouver next year. He got a standing ovation when he came onto the ice in GM place when the Ducks came to play recently.

 

What's hockey got to do with spare tires???

 

You can use the spare as a sled. YEEEEEEEAAAHH

 

hockey actually has nothing to do with spare tires. sorry, we got a little bit sidetracked.

but what does the spare tire in the well have to do with safety?

 

If you have a flat tire, you can use the spare tire in the well to make the car drivable. If there is no spare tire in the well, this would be impossible and could lead to an unsafe condition (i.e. stranded on an unsafe freeway, in an unsafe part of town, in freezing conditions, etc.).

 

welcome to the thread captain obvious! hahaha jk. <3u

 

Ergh, you guys need to do some homework, this fact has been true for years:

http://forums.vwvortex.com/zerothread?id=2214326

VW: So, the Phaeton is provided with an air pump, rather than a spare. This also gives the driver additional storage in the spare tire well. The foam insert is needed to maintain the crash-worthiness of the vehicle, and to protect the fuel tank from rear impacts.

(note the pix of the damaged insert taken from a wrecked car in Switzerland)

http://986forum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=12323

Porsche: Years ago Porsche issued an advisory that the spare was part of the crash protection.

e36: no spare tire: safety (crash) issue? - alt.autos.bmw | Google Groups

BMW: The spare is most certainly designed as an integral part of the rear crush zones. Removal will change the characteristics of these crush zones. Whether this lessens your chance for survival in an accident is anyone guess. This would depend on a lot of other things, such as severity of impact, etc.

First Drive: 2008 Volvo C30 - MSN Autos

Volvo designed the rear of the car to deform in a downward/inward movement in the event of a crash, which allows the spare tire to rotate upward in a controlled manner, in effect directing the energy of the impact away from the rear passengers. The rear seats and backrests were built to withstand the force of unsecured luggage in an emergency stop.

1996 Viper GTS Venom 550 Hennessey - modifications - Page 9 - Lateral-g Forums

Dodge: Some history: When Vipers were first crash-tested by Fed mandate, it was discovered that the RT/10 TRUNK LID can dislodge in a rear crash. If the spare is not in the trunk, the trunk lid can intrude into the cockpit thru the rear window. The rear sport hoop acts as a blade-guide and the trunklid edge becomes a guillotene. The INFLATED Spare Tire, if BOLTED IN, becomes a great shock-absorber and rear tub stiffener and prevents the decklid from moving forward and therefore prevents head loss.

Mercedes, Audi, etc....

 

I was asking myself that too, but it is relevent

Back during the playoffs I got a flat cause by other fans, luckily I had a spare, but it was a donut so it wasn't balance, would have been nice to have a full size, later on a guy from my fav team (From the playoffs that resulted in my flat) attacked a player on Ritzbury's team, this is related because it was brought up by Illusive who is fan of which team who's other roudy fans gave me the flat.... finally Canucks Rock Rocks cause flats too

...Excellent

 

NICELY DONE!!!

steve moore is still al messed up, took him a few years antul he did an interview about it a few months ago for OLN.

classy guy, said he didn't want to say anything bad about bertuzzi.

class act

 

im glad i have a spare tire in my trunk.