The diameter of modern spare is the same as your regular tire, but it is not as wide. Teslas can’t use donut tires.
I have AAA (as well as Tesla RA) and having a working spare gives their technician another option, namely to put my spare on if they cannot fix the bad tire on the spot. They'll have the proper jacks, pads, wrenches, most likely even if I, for some reason, do not or don't want to mess with the actual tire change. It could avoid a tow to a strange town and then a wait for a properly-sized replacement tire which could easily be a day or two in a place like Houlton, ME.
My setup:
Not including a spare is not just about saving the cost of the spare. They can advertise more cc's of trunk space and slightly higher mpg/range (weight savings), etc. All a game of numbers to attract customers...which in the end is still about the money, of course.
So every time a nail punctures your tire, you get a brand new tire? Dude, you're a dream customer. LOL. Wish I was near you, so I could take those tires off you and I wouldn't even charge a disposal fee like they do.
Agree. And in “cost of the spare” is the tire and wheel, jack, lug nut wrench, jack pad, maybe a chock, all mounting hardware, extra time welding, maybe another robot to do these welds, just-in-time inventory control of each of these items, an inflation stop on the assembly line, extra QC steps…the list goes on. For a company as focused on manufacturing costs as Tesla is, it is no surprise to me that they chose to include no spare. I just wish they’d engineering a space for an owner-acquired spare as desired that safely and securely stored one.
