2011 spare tires???
 

I had decided to buy a 2011 Mustang but was still comparing the V6 Premium and GT. I discovered the V6 does not come with a spare tire even as an option. Can anyone explain why? The GT does come with a spare and that would be enough to make the decision for me.. Any opinions on this. Is there anything to watch for with the spare in the GT. Is it a full size or one of those mini-spares?

I believe its a full size. I'll have to check my trunk

Mine came with an aluminum rimmed spare.

Same

My GT vert has an 18" alloy wheeled spare tire (I have the optional 19" wheels). The wheel, disappointingly, has "CHINA" stamped on it. :shame:

spare wheels
 

OK if the spare is not the same diameter I have heard using it on the rear can damage the clutches in the trac control. One suggestion was to , if you have a flat on the rear, take the rear tire off, take a front off and mount it on the rear and then the spare on the front. Can this be the answer?

yep. and i know this should be a duh thing but make sure you take the front tire off first and put the small spare on the front BEFORE you take the tire rear tire off.....dont ask me how i know.

wow what a pain in the ***...

I've got two nails in the rear tires already but luckily I was able to drive to the tire shop still. Can't wait to actually change a tire on the side of the highway.

With the Brembo package, even the GT doesn't get a spare.

Actually you should always put the spare in the rear, having a spare in the front affects handling and could be dangerous depending on the road conditions, I would choose steering over anything if I get a flat.

So....How can this be?? Are these cars that come without spares equipt with runflats?

I ordered the Brembo package assuming that it it came with a spare like usual... but this sure makes a guy think twice about where and when he drives his car. Perhaps a late night trek through the mountains isn't a good idea after all.

No spare = tire inflation/fix a flat kit

Ahh yes. I relied on Fix-a-Flat in some of my cars to save the weight of the spare in the past...only helpful in the case of a small puncture but I suspect this covers the vast majority of flats. :dunno:

Maybe spare tires are less important in the era of cell phones but I still find it disturbing.

spare tire thoughts
 

I am actually doing some hard thinking about my purchase and am having a hard time believing a spare tire may change my mind on a decision. I drive 30K per year and have had about 5 flats over the past few years. I do not want to go through any of these options that often. Maybe I'll just stick with my 210,000 mile Sable.

The whole problem is the majority of the people out there today probably should NOT attempt to change a tire themselves as they have no common sence or mechanical ability ... most of these people would call for roadside assistance anyway. The rest are the ones you see driving around on their temp spares for weeks or months as they don't notice or care that it is for temporary use only. Occasionally I'll see a car running 2 temp spares, so you know there is nothing "temporary" about this.

As I've got a V6, I'm going to try and find a 17" spare and jack set from a wrecked '05-10 GT.

However, since you can use the compressor as a normal compressor (without the fix-a-flat stuff), I bought a decent Tire Plug Kit. A properly installed plug will fix any leak that the slime will and you don't trash the tire and the TPMS sensor like you do with the slime. A plug also does not effect the balance like the slime can and if done right can be considered permanent. It is however best to get it to a service station when convienient and have the plug replaced with a professionally installed permanent patch or plug/patch combo.

Doug

This.

And no, the above ^^ is wrong. You are better off having the spare on the front, to keep the most traction on the drive wheels. Same as if you only replace two tires; the new ones go on the rear to keep you from spinning out in the wet, no matter if it's FWD or RWD.

Yeah the 08 Bullitt guys went thru this (235/50x18 - 27.2" diameter). No spares - only the kit and an 800# like the GT500's. Many bought used full size from 05-08 GT's (knowing 17" were the wrong size for the rear), a few of us found 18" Marauder mini-spares (27.7") on ebay. I got one for $50 bucks. And a jack for $10. I still carry the compressor because I haven't had to change a tire in years - usually its a nail or screw and I can pump the tire up and drive 30 miles or so to a shop. But I keep a regular check on my tires even before silly TPMS.

Ford's solution of roadside assistance and fix-a-flat assumes: a) I can get cell service in the rural areas I go play, or b) that I want to ruin a tire with fix-a-flat (assuming the hole is small). Fix-a-flat tire's can't be rebalanced and the TPMS is ruined too. That $UCK$ as a solution!! :bad:

Shame on Ford for not making a proper sized spare available for each of the wheels (17, 18, 19, now 20) they've had on S197's - even as an option. :shame:

However, would I let a little challenge of sourcing a spare stop me from Mustang Heaven???

more than likely... thats how i've seen a lotta staggered fitment cars work (though the mustang isn't)