New Toads without a factory Spare Tire!

Dutch_12078 wrote:

mowermech wrote:

Dutch_12078 wrote:
Our 2011 Toyota RAV4 Sport does not have a spare tire, but it is equipped with run flat tires. The RFT's are rated for 50 miles at 55 MPH.

That's great, if you are never more than 50 miles from a tire store.
I have been on paved highways here in the West when we have been 75 miles in either direction from any town, and some of those small towns don't have tire stores. Oh, yes, there may be a gas station or farm store that has tires, but will it have the tire you need? Probably not.
A spare tire, out in the middle of nowhere, where there is no cell service, and nobody listening to the CB or the 2-meter ham bands, could be a lifesaver.
YOUR safety, first and foremost, is up to YOU.
Good luck.

If you run at slower speeds, it's possible to double the miles the RFT's are capable of. And keep in mind, the mileage spec is the distance/speed the tire is rated for without causing damage to the sidewalls. If necessary, sacrificing the tire will take you a lot further. If that won't get you at least within cell range of your ERS, then you're probably not in the US anymore.

Well, OK. However, there is still the question:
"Oh, yes, there may be a gas station or farm store that has tires, but will it have the tire you need?"
For example, long ago and far away I bought a brand new 1981 AMC Eagle station wagon. It was a great car, but it had an oddball tire size. My then-father-in-law blew a tire in Central Washington, on I-90 (driving too fast, but that's another story). The Eagle had a Compact Spare, so he had to find a new tire to continue the trip. I was told that he had a terrible time finding a tire of the correct size. When he did find one, it was quite expensive! A spare tire of the correct size would have reduced the problem greatly.