Removing rear tire

This is purely a guess - as I haven't gotten that far yet either, but my MGB was that way and when you jacked up the car the rear suspension 'drooped' enough that it would clear.

 

I wouldn't worry.

Google a 1950 Nash Ambassador

 

This is correct. And what I noticed when I had the stock tires and rims replaced with snow tires mounted on new rims.

 

Ditto on the jacking to get the suspension to drop low enough to get the rear wheel/tire off. I had my dealership’s Service dept demonstrate this for me before I bought the car.

Still a little nervous about not having a spare. Am I correct that roadside assistance will change a tire but not “fix” it for you, so all you get is a tow? Has anyone verified that the included jack will indeed lift the rear corner high enough for the droop to allow a change?

 

I drive on some pretty sketchy roads and have picked up lots of nails, but have not had a flat tire that needed a spare in decades. I realize it could happen, but am gaming the odds and not worrying about a spare.

 

Yes, I too am surprised by the focus on a spare. I drove my Nissan Altima for 9 years and never once had a need for the spare. I can understand in the "good ol' days" where being stranded without the ability to drive could have caused huge concern, but with the widespread availability and use of cell phones today, I don't see how carrying a spare is efficient at all.

 

Ok, I'll ask the question. Is there a jack that comes with the vehicle? I can find nothing in the manuals and have looked around the car and so far haven't found one (it's not behind the inflator). KentuckyKen mentioned included jack, but I don't find one.

 

I haven’t found the jack either. I just mentioned that you had better test whatever jack you’re planning on using to make sure it will raise the car high enough to droop the suspension enough to allow removal of the rear wheel.
I think we are all just totally dependent on the roadside assistance if we have tire problems.

 

I swore I wouldn't buy a car without a spare, or at least a cavity under the cargo area sized for a spare. But here I am with a Clarity. There were just too many good things about this car. My thinking, regarding having a spare, was this:

1) If I had a flat I change it in 15-20 minutes and I'm on my way. Rain or shine it's no fun to change a tire though.
2) We live in a rural city. Driving around in the city is no problem. If we had a flat calling home or a tow truck or some other service wouldn't be quick as changing a spare but it wouldn't be too long.
3) If we were on a rural road where there is cell service then response time might be in hours, and it's quite possible the car would be towed to a tire store rather than to our destination. This could cause major problems.
4) If we were on a rural road without cell service our best bet would be to flag someone down and ask them to call for us when they got into cell service area. This is quite possible around here.

Looking back on the past 10 years I've had several flats. But none of them required changing the tire. So I guess I'm going to have to be okay without carrying a spare.

One poster on a different forum said he doesn't carry spare engine computers, or many other items that could cause the car to fail. But tires are different. The problem is road hazards.

 

There’s no jack b/c there’s no spare, and nowhere to put one, but that’s what the inflator pump with sealant is for. It’ll be enough to get you to the tire shop for most punctures.

This is my 4th Honda Corp. hybrid (first plug-in) and none of them had spares...think weight has something to do with it, and have only had to use the pump/sealer once, and it worked perfectly.


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