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Spare tire

72K views 74 replies 33 participants last post by  JLDickmon 
#1 ·
I was driving my eco back home after a long week out of town for work, and ran something over on the highway. Unfortunately the object slashed the sidewall of the tire. Needless to say the tire repair kit did not fix it. With no spare and no tire stores open I had to have it towed to the nearest dealer. I was still two hours from home. A new tire cost $200 from the dealer not to mention having to take Monday off of work to go get it. Chevy/onstar were very helpful in arranging a tow.

Now I am going to try and find a spare/jack assembly that will work. Anyone have any insight to which one would work? Do other models of the 13 malibu come with a spare?
 
#7 ·
This model doesn't have the option for the compact spare tire.
Let us know what you find for spares. I don't like the idea of not having one.
You have at times offered to relay things to GM.
This is one that I think deserves to be passed up the line.

A really LOT of people don't feel comfortable not having a spare tire.......for exactly the reasons enumerated in the original post.

I only remember having tire failures on the road 3 times in 40 years.
ALL 3 of them occurred either in the dead of night or on a Sunday.
I will never knowingly drive a car without a spare tire and will certainly not BUY one without it.

I think this is a serious marketing mistake.
 
#6 · (Edited)
What is odd to me is they left the space there for one under the trunk mat where they bolted the small air compressor and fix a flat down.
Seems since they weren't putting a spare in there they could have used that space better for more storage area especially since the battery takes up some space in the ECO. That spare tire space could have been used and actually made the trunk the same size if not bigger than normal which would have been a pretty good selling point with an ECO model and battery in the trunk but more room than some other cars.
I'd have to look at that area again but I think it was uncarpeted. If I could get some carpet to match the rest of the trunk I'd try and carpet it and leave the cover off that spare tire area and gain quite a bit more room.
 
#10 ·
Sorry for resurrecting this thread. I got a flat tire last night, and the sealant went in and right out of the tire. I am going to the dealer tomorrow to pick up a $40(!!) replacement sealant can. I brought up the topic of the spare tire, and it looks like the 2013 Malibu spare tire kit isn't suited for the Eco. Has anyone been able to get a spare/jack kit that works for them with the 2013 Eco?
 
#14 ·
Another option is to get a full size steel wheel and tire to put in there. Buy a small floor jack and a 4-way wrench. You can change a wheel flat changed in 7 minutes on the side of the freeway. With a floor jack and 4-way it is about 4 minutes. I have been timed by several different people at doing this.

Of course I used to work at a tire shop that did roadside assistance for some of our customers. I have had lots of practice.
 
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#16 · (Edited by Moderator)
Spare tire is generally a misnomer, as almost all vehicles actually carry an entire wheel with a tire mounted on it as a spare, as fitting a tire to a wheel would require a motorist to carry additional, specialized equipment..
----------------
CMF Edit: url removed.

You mean you can't just slip the tire onto the rim and keep going? :eek:
 
#18 ·
I ordered my 2013 1LTZ in July, when it finally arrived in September, it too came with a spare tire.
 
#21 ·
Nope, no connection with that site. I should also add that I had to:
1) Haul the box to my car (it's heavy!)
2) Had no time to futz with the box so at work, had to open up the box and discard packing material
3) Remove the compressor kit
4) Install the styrofoam base with the jack, put the wheel and unmounted tire into the trunk for the trip to the tire place
HINT: when you do this, find the valve stem that comes with the kit and keep it handy. You can get a new one from the tire place if you forget it but just tape it to the rim as soon as you find it.
5) Properly install it in the trunk (the tire guy would have done this for me but I wanted to know how it goes in so I did it myself)
Was a real pain in the "you - know - what" but now I have a spare. Hope I never have to use it. Sort of a whiny post but it was completely unnecessary to have to do all this if it were already included.

Shame on GM for not including it. And shame on my dealer for not including it. And shame on me for participating in this entire insane scheme.
 
#22 ·
doing some research shows 215-60-16 tire diameter is 26.1" on girls 2013 LS a 2 LT 225-55-17 is 26.8" diameter, not a lot of difference but could this cause an issue especially in the front drive wheels. i would not have purchased the car without a spare tire + jack but its HER car! her trade an 08 jetta would carry the OE tire in the well correctly where the temporary spare WAS!
 
#23 ·
researching shows the 2008 malibu LS with same 215-60-16 tires and came with a spare, that temporary spare should be a perfect size, prolly fit? called shop chevy parts he said the 17" temporary kit is close enough! even at $350 and 30 to ship price seems high, buying a real tire and wheel would be better if it fit in the well, one poster said it don't, i would have cancelled the sale if stealer didn't include a spare at no cost but it was not my $$, had i read the forum first i would have known but she decided to buy 2 days before end of big discounts!
 
#24 ·
I believe the bolt pattern from Gen7 to Gen8 changed from 5x110 to 5x120.
 
#26 ·
The reason for the air pump instead of the spare tire is cost and weight. The diff weight is about 30# and that relates to the calculated m.p.g. I got a spare for the obvious reasons of needing one; one flat tire in the middle of nowhere could very well cost you what a spare would and if you are nowhere, you certainly are not in a position to bargain...
 
#27 ·
I'm gonna gamble. I have roadside assistance and my only flat tire in the last ten years was on a 2-day old Chevy HHR (thanks tps!). I was on the freeway and had I kept driving I'd've ruined an expensive tire.

I figure I bought the Eco so I'm going to see if Chevy knows best. I'm handy with mech and at one time was the best/fastest tire slinger in 98055 ZIP!!

I do wish, though, that'd Chevy had followed through with designing the trunk for more space. As it is I have used it to store my first aid kit, which is overly thorough, and extra water. Things that aren't needed to be accessible/visible. My way of using the space that could've been more tidily used.

But you can bet your hiney I'll post any/every flat I may get!! :D

Adam
 
#29 ·
I have new Michelin tires. For a period of time I get free flat tire changing and towing if needed. Hmmm, might be time to take that spare outta there and save some green at the pump.
 
#30 · (Edited)
You should have free roadside assistance through Chevy, DrivenDaily. It says on their website when you click on warranty FAQs that it is included for 2007 model years and up. Did you buy your car new?
http://www.chevrolet.com/owners/warranty.html
 
#31 ·
Yes - 9 miles on the odo for the test drive, 21 at time of purchase according to the paperwork.

So I guess I have 3 choices for towing now: GM Roadside, Michelin, insurance. Who do I choose? (Imagine Henny Penny running around all excited and not able to make a decision.) Who do I choose?


:D
 
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