In today’s automotive manufacturing industry, spare tires are no longer a standard. Many newer model vehicles do not come with a spare tire, which can sometimes come as a surprise to new car owners. If you are a driver of a vehicle without a spare, it would be wise to consider having a flat tire plan. In the case of a roadside emergency. But this plan does not necessarily have to include an actual spare tire. There are many other options available that can deliver an equivalent level of security.

Continue reading to learn the top alternatives to having a spare tire, plus where you can get twenty-four-hour roadside emergency assistance in Central Indiana.

Why the Missing Spare Tire?

Why are newer model vehicles not being designed to come with a full spare tire? Auto manufacturers are looking to be space-efficient and taking out a full spare tire from a car trunk can greatly increase the interior square footage of the vehicle, plus make room for more innovative undercarriage and mechanical design.

Furthermore, automotive manufacturing companies are forgoing the full spare because it’s cost-effective. By eliminating the addition of a full spare tire, auto manufacturers can produce the car at a cheaper rate, and in turn sell the car at a more economical price to the public. Removing the spare tire also improves fuel efficiency because it reduces the overall weight of the vehicle.

Filling the Spare Tire Void

If you want to have a spare tire in your vehicle or a flat tire emergency plan in place, you have plenty of options to choose from. Not only can you purchase a full spare tire and keep it in your trunk, but you can choose from some other alternatives as well. The top choices that work as an effective substitute to a full spare tire include space-saver spares, run flat tires, tire sealant inflation kits, self-sealing tires, and roadside emergency carriers.

Space-Saver Spares

Space-saver spare tires are colloquially known as donuts because they are a miniature version of the full spare and therefore, resemble the morning breakfast pastry we know and love so well. Donuts spare tires are a perfect solution for someone who wants to have a spare on hand but lacks in space. You can purchase these at any local automotive shop or tire shop. These donuts are only intended as a short-term solution for a flat tire and should not be driven on for more than 50 miles.

Run Flat Tires

When putting a spare tire inside of your vehicle is not an option at all, regardless of its size, you might want to consider run flat tires. Run flat tires are a specialized tire safety system designed with reinforced side walls or internal support rings that will sustain a vehicle’s driving ability for short period of time in the case that the tires are damaged. When a tire is damaged or loses air pressure, you cannot exceed 50 miles an hour nor drive more than 50 miles on run flats.

Self-Sealing Tires

Another tire safety system that has been designed to mitigate the hassle of a sudden flat tire is self-sealing tires. Self-sealing tires do just that; they self-seal. They contain a specialized coating on the inside of the tire wall that will immediately gravitate toward a puncture or foreign object and cover it up.

Tire Inflation Kits

It is always encouraged to have a roadside emergency kit inside of your car. One such item to add to your roadside emergency vehicle kit is a tire inflation and sealant kit. These are wonderful alternatives to having a spare tire or costly specialized tires like the ones mentioned above. These tire inflation in ceiling kits can be purchased at any department store with an automotive section or at any automotive shop or online retailer. They are simply a kit equipped with all the materials needed to patch up a hole in a tire and get you back on the road for a short period of time.