Probably a stupid question: Will the elise have a spare tire?

I don't believe it's required. My friend just picked up a new RX-8 and the spare tire was optional. He chose to go without as it took up most of the available trunk room. I'm guessing the spare will be a can of tire inflator.

This issue has been discussed before. Please use the search feature to find the information. Oops, sorry, that's another forum!

No room for a spare tire, so none is provided. Lotus may have a waiver for this. A can of run-flat may come with the car or you can get one.

My Miata has a tiny spare, which takes up too much room in the trunk. Only used it once in 14 years. Tend to leave it at home when I need more space.

Here's the other thread where this topic came up before: http://www.elisetalk.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=561

The jist of it is you get a can of fix-a-flat (seriously) - supplied by Lotus - and keep your AAA card handy in case you have a serious blow out. We will almost undoubtedly NOT get run-flat tires on the Elise.

Have on board a cel phone and a AAA card !

Thanks everyone... exactly what I thought

A spare tire would add like 20 extra pounds. Spray can adds only a few ounces. I'll take the spray can.

Plus, how common is a flat tire in modern times? When I was a youngster, changing tires was a ritual.

I have had one flat in 15 years.

Flats tend to happen to those that dont take care of their tires. We are not those kind of people.

We manage our tire pressures, check that we have good tread depth, and because we keep an eye on the tires, we notice if any screws may have gone in, etc.

What we look for prevents the largest causes of tire failure. Occasionally we may hit something in the road, but if you are as obsessed with your cars as I am with mine, your probably looking out for potholes anyway.

Since I have had my MR2 (11 years) I have never had a flat tire, my spare has never been on the car, still has its nubs. I have spray cans in my car that are almost as old as the car.

But of course you never heard me say any of this.

A flat is pretty uncommon these days for sure, but have you ever had one at night in the middle of Eastern Montana?

I will bet you that not one tire store in the entire state of Montana will stock the tires that go on the Elise.

It sounds like AAA will be a must.

hmmm... it looks like many of you guys are in Cali

Last winter I hit a pothole that was literally 5" deep, about 2' wide, and 6' long. Snuck up on me because the car in front of me obscured my view of the road. Needless to say, my right front Hakka Q didn't take that too well and it was nice to have the spare.

Flats are much more common up North, unfortunately. That being said, there's no way I'd be taking up precious trunk space in an Elise with a spare even if I ended up needing it every couple years or so.

Speaking of such things... it's looking like I'll be putting the snows on this weekend

Yeah, I could see that it would be different here. It would be interesting what the min donut tire one could get that could enable you to limp home. But then you would also need to have a jack and tools with you.

P.S. Had the A/C on all day. It's hot here! Looking forward to some cooling.

Welcome to the forum!

Randy Chase said:

P.S. Had the A/C on all day. It's hot here! Looking forward to some cooling.

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Cant remember the last time I went outside and didnt see my own breath. Missing SoCal already

Although, you cant beat the cars here I saw a TVR passing by on my way to work.

Modern Wedgie said:

Although, you cant beat the cars here I saw a TVR passing by on my way to work.

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Yeah bit all those cameras now make it a pain to use any of them. Last time I was back home (erm, my other home ) I swear there were traffic cameras on every traffic island.
It would be nice if more of the exotics reached these shores though...

Spare tire? Mine will come equipped with one. Unfortunately it is permanently installed around my mid-section....

There are two rules I follow:

1. No fix-a-flat in my car. Every time I put one in my car I *WILL* get a flat tire in 2 weeks. That has happened 3 times.

2. No camcorders in the trunk. 2 accidents for over $30k. Camcorder always travels in the passenger areas.

Definitely no room for a spare in the 'Lis. Cell phone weighs less.

mapes said:

Spare tire? Mine will come equipped with one. Unfortunately it is permanently installed around my mid-section....

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We can call you then.. if we get a flat? How good are you at rolling? hehe

Modern Wedgie said:

Flats tend to happen to those that dont take care of their tires. We are not those kind of people.

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You must have really good street sweepers and no road construction.

I've had a 5" bent steel rod impailed in my left rear tire at 75MPH on the freeway that required the spare tire (120 miles from home at 10pm Sunday night). I also had 4 punctures within 3 weeks from driving through a freeway construction area that couldn't realistically be avoided. One leaked so bad, I had just enough air to fill it up and rush to the local tire shop.

AAA is the way to go, but be prepared to be even more inconvenienced by the longer wait and hassle of relying on someone else. I also tend to travel with friends when driving long distances.

Hmm.

In the last 5 years I've had 6 flats and a blowout in LA. I blame the 101 freeway which seems to wind up with an insane amount of debris on it.

Luckily the alternate route to work is through the hills, lots of twisties