need a jack and spare...

How big is the compressor? Can't imagine it saved that much weight over those donut tires. Prolly saved more space though.

Here's the kicker. The tire sealant gunk will require you to replace the Tire Pressure Monitor for the tire which costs about $30. Better to just use that roadside assistance while you can and have your car towed to a dealer. One of the used 2011 V6 Premiums I was looking at came with a spare tire. It must have been a fleet order or something originally but the window sticker online said that the spare tire & jack was an extra $100 option. I wonder if you could find a dealer that could sell you just that.

OkieHick said:

This afternoon I needed to remove a back tire on the 2-week old 2012 Mustang because of a metal thing that was piercing my tire. When I opened the trunk lid and lifted the deck cover to get the spare and jack, I found a tire compressor and a can of tire sealant in place of a spare tire and jack!!!

I called the dealer and stated WTF!! He said that if the sealant and compressor didn't address the problem, I have free roadside assistance for towing. OH BOY!! The tire and jack were eliminated to reduce weight hence increasing gas mileage. Can you believe it!! I'm still steaming....

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OkieHick,

I am very sorry you are angry your Mustang did not come with a spare tire and a jack. the V6 and Boss 302 series came with the Tire Mobility Kit which is the portable compact air compressor and a can of tire sealant, while the GT and Shelby series came with the mini spare tire. I apologize that you were not made aware of that prior to having to use it. We do not currently have a mini spare available on Ford Parts but I will mention the demand for it.

~Natasha

I think most people are the opposite and are to lazy to do anything themselves. They'd rather wait for a tow and make it someone else's job.

Why the anger? I don't understand one bit.

I wonder just how much extra MPG's the V6's are really getting by not having the spare tire. I don't suspect that it would be very much. If they were looking for every possible way to reduce weight then why not get rid of the useless back seat too.

Posting to keep this thread going, in the hopes that Ford will rectify the situation

I , too, feel that a "cars come with a spare tire and jack". I couldn't believe it when we opened the trunk AFTER BUYING THE CAR and saw that goofy pump and can of slime.

None of the dealers we looked at cars at ever said a word about it. We found out after the money was exchanged and we owned the car. Dealer just shrugged their shoulders and said it was done to save mileage.

SO when my wife breaks down with my kids in the car some early morning what is she going to do? Normally, AAA will come out and change the tire for her.....but now she either has to try (and I say TRY) the sealant and air pump, which if it works will ruin the in tire pressure sensor, or have the car towed to a DEALER to have the tire repaired or replaced. Thats ridiculous. The car has the place in the trunk for the spare..and even the rod and wingnut I think.....just no spare.

I say they did it to save $$$ producing the car and frankly, while we love the car, we feel we were ripped off as far as the spare. If we want to "save mileage" by taking the risk of not having the spare, we can make that call and take it out ourselves.

I prefer full size spares and have replaced a few donuts in cars with them on my own. But even a donut would be a huge improvement to the current deal.

I noticed the trend of having to pay for a spare and a jack when shopping for a family car recently.

I want the spare so I can rotate my tires without having to use a separate jack stand.

The well for the spare tire is still there. While I agree a spare should come standard, couldn't you go to a junkyard and pick up a spare and a jack?

FordCustSrvc said:

OkieHick,

I am very sorry you are angry your Mustang did not come with a spare tire and a jack. the V6 and Boss 302 series came with the Tire Mobility Kit which is the portable compact air compressor and a can of tire sealant, while the GT and Shelby series came with the mini spare tire. I apologize that you were not made aware of that prior to having to use it. We do not currently have a mini spare available on Ford Parts but I will mention the demand for it.

~Natasha

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Natasha,

I am the webmaster for the Oklahoma Mustang Club. We had a general meeting yesterday and I had to show some members the non spare in my new 2012 V6 coupe. Some people were totally in shock that there was no spare. After the research over the last week concerning this, it is obvious that this is the direction many manufacturers, i e GM, Chrysler, etc, are going. One of the members is often in touch with Alan Mulaly through emails concerning various issues. He told me that he will definitely be forwarding the displeasure of this situation to Mr. Mulaly. Many of our members drive long distances to car shows and events across the country, MCA National Shows, etc, and having no spare tire is extremely discomforting to them. One member stated he was thinking of a new Mustang to replace his 05 but is now thinking better of it. I would suggest these sentiments be forwarded to the powers that be at Ford and explain to them that having a spare tire for emergencies is not only expected but the drop, however large or small it may be, in gas mileage is way more palatable than being stuck on an interstate with 60 miles either way to go for help or waiting on the side of the road for assistance in 105 degree heat. It would be appreciated if these sentiments for passed on.

Thank You.
Lance A. Morgan, webmaster
Oklahoma Mustang club

07vistavert said:

I noticed the trend of having to pay for a spare and a jack when shopping for a family car recently.

I want the spare so I can rotate my tires without having to use a separate jack stand.

The well for the spare tire is still there. While I agree a spare should come standard, couldn't you go to a junkyard and pick up a spare and a jack?

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Its a trend alright....its a trend that consumers are allowing.

Not sure if anyone else here is old enough to remember, but back when cable TV was first being marketed they said "zero or reduced advertisements". The concept was that if you paid for the cable TV, part of that fee was to make up for reduced advertising.

Well, we all pretty much have cable or sat now and "programming" is at least 1/3 advertising.

SLowly but surely over the years they snuck it in til no one remembered or cared enough to make a stink.

Same with taxes.....they say they will repeal the tax once this or that emergency budget shortfall is addressed...but have YOU ever seen a tax repealed? I havent.

Ford and the other manufacturers are doing the same thing.

It save them MONEY to not have to offer a spare tire and tools....just like it saves them money in having to offer outsdie keyholes for locks . "No one uses them anymore since the car has electric locks and keyless entry." Til one day when your battery is stone cold dead and you cant even get into your car.

If Ford were more up front on this and said that they did it to cut costs I would be much more OK with it. Of course I would still expect a reasonably priced alternative.

Instead many of us learned of this change AFTER we bought the car, then we are told it is to save weight and increase MPG. Then, for those of us who want to be prepared on the road and not have to worry about dead cell phones or bad coverage, and who actually know how to change our own tire, we are told it will cost over $500 for a donut and tools, where the option when ordered with the car is like $100.

Someone here asked "why are you so angry? I dont see the reason.".

Well, I ask the question "Why AREN'T you angry?"

Maybe you are OK with relying on your cell phone to work out in the sticks, and maybe you are OK with waiting for roadside service to get to you after an hour or more and maybe you dont know HOW to change your tire in less than that time, or maybe you are disabled and cannot. If that is the case, thats fine.

But those of us who expect the basics of a new car to be there when we buy it have the right to be upset and demand action from the folks we paid thousands of dollars for a new car to so that we as drivers can take some responsibility for ourselves. I know that is a dying thing these days...taking responsibility for your own wellbeing...but some of us still do it.

Just saying.

As for going to a junk yard..........That was my plan actually....But tehn I read that the tire well doesnt allow for a full sized tire/wheel and that the spares out there may or may not fit depeninding on what car you have. I prefer to run full sized spares...those "50 mph only" spare donuts that are about 4 inches across are almost as dangerous as sitting on teh side of the road waiting for roadside assistance in the middle of no where. But at least it would be a start.

Plus, there is a principle here. I just paid $25k for a BASE V6 and have to spend another $500 (2% of the vehcile cost) for a spare tire, something that has always been assumed by the consumer to be part of the package of a new car? And if you spent $50k for yours its even more a point. There is a principle involved here.

If a spare isnt technically feasible, then upgrade the cars at least to run-flats.

But that wasnt done.

Instead we get a dollar store compressor with a can of goo that forces us to return to the dealer to buy refills (free in the 1st 3 years I am told) and a new pressure sensor.

Ford like to tout how they didnt take bailout money and stayed alive.

I am starting to think that they did it on the backs of the consumers they are relying on to keep them afloat.......and I am wondering where else they skimped on the car and aren't saying.

I have 2010 GT with track pack (19in rims) my car also did not come with a spare and If I remember correctly Bullets (18in rims) did come with one either.It is my understanding that putting 2 different diameter tires on the rear of a car equipped with a traction lock (posi) differential could damage the differential clutches. Our mustangs now come with 18 & 19 inch tires as opposed to the 16 & 17 inch tires that came on the mustang back in 05. Maybe the reason isn't this gas mileage and weight reduction bull. Is it possible that the reason is something as simple as the spare tire well being too small to accommodate a large enough tire ?
I'm would prefer a spare and a jack, but I'm not too upset about it. However I do think that if tire sensor is damaged by using the factory supplied sealant then the sensor should be covered by warranty.

Svtpilot said:

I have 2010 GT with track pack (19in rims) my car also did not come with a spare and If I remember correctly Bullets (18in rims) did come with one either.It is my understanding that putting 2 different diameter tires on the rear of a car equipped with a traction lock (posi) differential could damage the differential clutches. Our mustangs now come with 18 & 19 inch tires as opposed to the 16 & 17 inch tires that came on the mustang back in 05. Maybe the reason isn't this gas mileage and weight reduction bull. Is it possible that the reason is something as simple as the spare tire well being too small to accommodate a large enough tire ?
I'm would prefer a spare and a jack, but I'm not too upset about it. However I do think that if tire sensor is damaged by using the factory supplied sealant then the sensor should be covered by warranty.

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First off, you have to define "angry". Is it enough to have a stroke over? No.

But is it enough to make someone who just bought a new car from Ford feel like they got screwed out of something they expected to have and weren't told or given the option to get until after the sale? Is it enough to make that person feel like they are being taken advantage of?

Yup.

At least in my case. Your mileage may vary.

Keep in mind that while the wheel sizes have changed, I would bet that the overall height of the tire is going to be close for any given model car. The widths are gonna be the most off wider versus .

Ok....I am sure that SOME of it has to do with the folks who get Brembo brakes and/or very large/crazy wheel/tire combos as an option. So, in that case there could be issues.

But on a base model v6 or GT there should not be this issue.

Maybe they undersized the spare wheel well back when they built the tooling and they were using donuts only so it is sized for a donut....that would be a limitation too now. But no reason to not provide a donut at least.

Different sized donuts for different cars, yes.

More for Ford to keep track off and make sure they get right? Less lick-and-stick at the factory? Yes.

(I use the example of the base model audio system having a "sirrius" button even though the base unit can not be upgraded to use sirrius...it was easier/cheaper to keep the same buttons/front panel regardless of sound system...less hassle and tracking issues for Ford)

As far as LSD and tire height....true, you are not supposed to run LONG TERM with two different height tires on any corner of the car...but I dont believe that the diff, whether LSD or not, would be affected that much, especially for short term use.

The whole POINT of a differential is so that each wheel can turn at a slightly different speed, as in when going around a corner. SO having one tire taller or shorter would simply make that wheel/tire spin (slightly) faster or slower than the other side.

Would the LSD (if the car is equipped) be affected? Well, all I can suggest is look back at he numebr of cars over the years that have been equipped with limited slips and spare tires and you tell me.

In fact, one of my toys -- a 72 Barracuda -- could be equipped with either a inflatable spare or a full size spare....and many of those cars had limited slip . The inflatable spare (temporary spare) was shorter.

Even now, I carry a "full size spare" in that car, even though the spare i have is shorter than the tires on the car right now.....it will get me off the road and home or at least to a service station at my convenience.

shadango said:

First off, you have to define "angry". Is it enough to have a stroke over? No....

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First off, the word "angry" does not appear anywhere in my post.
Secondly I was asking a question " Is it possible...." I wasn't saying that was the reason I just was asking.

Apparently this isn't a Ford thing. I did a quick search and found many manufactures beside Ford such as GM, and Hyundai are also leaving out the spare:.
New cars sold without spare tires: Automakers sell more cars without spare tires - WJW

Svtpilot said:

First off, the word "angry" does not appear anywhere in my post.
Secondly I was asking a question " Is it possible...." I wasn't saying that was the reason I just was asking.

Apparently this isn't a Ford thing. I did a quick search and found many manufactures beside Ford such as GM, and Hyundai are also leaving out the spare:.
New cars sold without spare tires: Automakers sell more cars without spare tires - WJW

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Dont get defensive....LOL...another poster said "angry"...you said "upset".....in this context, generally means about the same thing......but yes I should have typed "upset". Ok?

And yes I saw that you were questioning those things...I just responded with my thoughts.

Anyways, yeah I have seen that too....more brands are doing this.

Doesnt make it right in any way shape or form.

They are pushing the envelope as to how far they can go before people get "upset" about stuff like this.

It started with no cigarete lighter, just the outlet......saves the manufacturer money. Cars coming with no way (keyed door locks) to get into them if the battery were to be 100% dead...saves the manufacturer money. Today its no spare tire or tools...saves the manufacturer money...and all of this under the guise of "adapting to customer needs"....LOL

Tomorrow maybe we will have to supply our own stereo or sun visors....LOL

By the way, someone else suggested one could use a tire plug kit and the compressor....thats great...so without a jack you will have to move your car to the point of being able to get to the offending piercing object and then hope that the compressor they provide is able to push enough volume at a pressure enough to fill the tire with the weight of the car squishing down on it.

Yeah, I guess you could say *I* an upset and or angry. LOL

FordCustSrvc said:

OkieHick,

the V6 and Boss 302 series came with the Tire Mobility Kit which is the portable compact air compressor and a can of tire sealant, while the GT and Shelby series came with the mini spare tire.

~Natasha

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Natasha,

You have a PM

FYI, the GT model does come with a spare tire standard unless you get the Brembo brakes package as the spare tire won't fit over those larger brakes. Maybe they did it so the guys would have an extra point in their argument with the wife to get a GT over a V6