No spare tire or temporary spare in 2012 Aveo's sold in Europe

**Steve B** · 05-05-2012, 03:51 AM

Just wondering if it is the same in North America. My new 2012 1.3 litre 75 hp diesel Aveo LT doesn't come with a spare or temporary tire, in it's place in the spare storage area is a GM compressor and can of sealent. My dealer says all new Chev's in europe, and for that matter Volvo's, which they also sell, don't have a spare, but this mini compressor which plugs into the lighter socket and the can of GM tire sealant. I guess anything to save money and lower the weight for better mileage.

**petrified.rabbit** · 05-05-2012, 04:18 AM

vw, audi, bmw are all heading that way..

but to save the most money, they changed the name to sonic.

**Steve B** · 05-05-2012, 05:05 AM

Thanks for the info. Yes, it is the Sonic in North America and other places, but here in Turkey and in Europe, it's the "new" Aveo. With a great service network for a fairly new company, only about 7 years in Turkey, Chevrolet emergency service has no problem in our area, the Aegean, to respond to flat calls if the sealant doesn't work. Also, the car now comes equipped with better tires then my 2010 Aveo, which had Hankook's. The new one comes with Continential Contact 2 tires. A nice change from the Hankook's.

**MoneyMike** · 05-05-2012, 10:59 PM

Yeah, my dad an '06 Acura RL that had run flat tech. His G8 GT had one of those portable air compressors with the slime. When he ordered his custom wheels, he used one of the factory wheels with a random tire as a spare. His Camaro also came with the portable compressor and slime. Only thing is, GM puts the battery in the Camaro's spare tire well, and he has the Brembo brakes, so a compact spare wouldn't fit. And he wouldn't be able to stuff a 20-inch wheel in the spare tire well (which I think would still be too small even if the battery wasn't there).

As for the tires, my dad has Continental Extreme Contact DWS Tuned tires on his Camaro. He said he likes those a lot better than the Toyo Proxes he had on his G8. He also said that the Continentals perform better than those Toyos did. So, a very nice tire indeed.

**Steve B** · 05-06-2012, 05:49 AM

Thanks for the infor about GM and spares Mike, so they have been doing it on selected models for a while then. It appears now over here, all 2012 and on models are like that. As for the Continentals, they seem to be a wonderful tire, apparently they are low resistance. The other thing I noticed is the spare tire well doesn't even have a bracket to put a nut and bolt to hold a spare or temporary in place as well. I guess I will just go with the compressor and sealant, they do respond quickly here when called for emergency service.

**petrified.rabbit** · 05-06-2012, 01:57 PM

my question for you is, how often do you really get a puncture flat or popped tire (versus a slow leak that can just be pumped up). That you really need to have a spare tire?

I ask because I have been driving a long time, i've probable needed a spare 1 time every 5 years. One of which was preventible if i was maintaining the car more properly (cords were showing).

**Steve B** · 05-06-2012, 02:14 PM

So true, really a tire will last if looked after properly. We have a mix of "roads" here in Turkey, but generally, watching your driving, avoiding the bad roads, and checking the pressure regularily will make them last. That being said, the nature of the roads here, the country roads being hot tar and stone every couple of years, plus a lot of cobble stone and paving stone roads, my sister-in-law is on her third set of Bridgestones on her 2006 diesel Corolla with just 65,000 km on it. Roads are hard, but when the tire needs replacing, just do it I guess. Rotation and balancing and alingment of course. The Continental Conti Premimum 2 tires on the new Aveo are shoulders above the Hankooks that came with my 3 2nd generation Aveo's.

**MoneyMike** · 05-12-2012, 10:16 PM

Originally Posted by petrified.rabbit

my question for you is, how often do you really get a puncture flat or popped tire (versus a slow leak that can just be pumped up). That you really need to have a spare tire?

I ask because I have been driving a long time, i've probable needed a spare 1 time every 5 years. One of which was preventible if i was maintaining the car more properly (cords were showing).

True. My dad found a screw in one of his tires yesterday. Luckily, it wasn't too deep in. And even with that little thing, he's driven quite a bit too without needing a spare tire. But, I guess he's just paranoid without one. He recently ordered (and it just came in today) a spare tire kit for the Camaro.

**MetroMPG** · 05-14-2012, 08:36 PM

Originally Posted by Steve B

the spare tire well doesn't even have a bracket to put a nut and bolt to hold a spare or temporary in place

More weight savings.

I removed the spare from one of my cars 4 years ago, since I only ever do local driving with it - I've never needed it (and if I do I'm never far from home). The one I use for highway trips has one though.