Prior to buying my 2020 V90 Inscription T6 AWD, I also seriously considered the 2020 Benz E450 Estate Wagon. One huge deficiency, IMO, was the E's use of run-flat tires, and the lack of a spare tire. After conversing with a current E450 Estate owner, I ventured back onto a Benz owner forum I previously belonged to. Nothing has changed there. Benz continues to push run-flat tires with no spare, and owners continue to express concerns, particularly with the lack of a spare tire. Reinforces one of the primary, at least to me, reasons why I elected to purchase my V90.
Trend to run flats and no spare
maggs
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2020 V90 Inscription T6 (all options except upgrade stereo and rear wheel air suspension)
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Prior to buying my 2020 V90 Inscription T6 AWD, I also seriously considered the 2020 Benz E450 Estate Wagon. One huge deficiency, IMO, was the E's use of run-flat tires, and the lack of a spare tire. After conversing with a current E450 Estate owner, I ventured back onto a Benz owner forum I previously belonged to. Nothing has changed there. Benz continues to push run-flat tires with no spare, and owners continue to express concerns, particularly with the lack of a spare tire. Reinforces one of the primary, at least to me, reasons why I elected to purchase my V90.
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Our 2014 S60 had no spare so I bought the Volvo one in a carrying bag to keep in the trunk. A nuisance since we had to load cargo around and next to the spare in the trunk. I was thrilled to find my 2015.5 V60CC came with a spare. Even more thrilled to find a spare in my 2021 V90CC.
Yes, lack of a spare in my ‘11 S60 along with the effects of Philadelphia streets on comparatively low profile tires has resulted in me calling AAA more times in the last two years than the previous 20 - although a couple of times one spare would not have been enough and I would still have needed a tow
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I had run-flats on my 2005 AWD Toyota Sienna. They deleted the donut spare as space was needed for the rear transfer case. While I thankfully never had any issues with flats or punctures, they wore out prematurely due to the sheer mass of the vehicle. Toyota replaced the tires once at 15k miles due to a plethora of owner complaints. My take is with smaller, lighter vehicles they are a decent option for most types of drivers, but on heavier vehicles they will wear out quickly. Will be interesting to see how they perform on heavy battery-laden cars.
It's funny, I went the opposite direction. Ours came with the spare, and associated bits, and I removed it and fitted our V90 with everything as it would have come without it. I mean everything down to the foam air compressor holder, the air compressor, the sealant, etc. Even bought the correct lower carpeted liner. I enjoy having and using the MUCH larger underfloor storage space.
My previous car was a Mercedes diesel and in place of the spare is the AdBlue tank. In Canada, the tires were not runflats - just regular tires and an air compressor and sealant were included. I liked the increased underfloor storage which was very handy. In over 8 years of ownership I got 2 flats - one slow leak in the city, where I was able to pump the tire up and drive to a local tire shop to get the tire repaired (nail in tire). The other was a high speed tire failure - so had to pull over and get towed. Where I was able to pull over, I would not have wanted to change a tire (on a part of the Highway 427 through Toronto, where there are twelve lanes and very narrow shoulders). I got a tow to my tire dealer who stayed open late to change over my tires to my winter set. Side note: Both times the indirect TPMS system gave a warning before I felt any significant vibration.
In 45 years of driving, I've only had a handful of blowouts. So given these odds - I'd opt for increased underfloor storage (which is sadly lacking in the V90). I'd love to convert like nbvolks did (above), but haven't had any luck finding the lower storage liner (there was one available on Ebay but the shipping from Europe was ridiculous). If I ever took a long road trip I'd simply put the spare back in.
In 45 years of driving, I've only had a handful of blowouts. So given these odds - I'd opt for increased underfloor storage (which is sadly lacking in the V90). I'd love to convert like nbvolks did (above), but haven't had any luck finding the lower storage liner (there was one available on Ebay but the shipping from Europe was ridiculous). If I ever took a long road trip I'd simply put the spare back in.
2020 V90 Inscription T6 (all options except upgrade stereo and rear wheel air suspension)
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IMO, run flats tires have their place, particularly if you travel in areas where tire replacement services are readily available. If not, perhaps non RFs with a spare might be a better choice. However, as DFRANTZ said, as time goes on, RFs, w/o a spare, may be the only thing available.
Yep, you and I went through the exact same thought process. I ordered my under floor carpeted tray from a parts recycler in Sweden. Shipping was expensive, but the part itself was super cheap, so it worked out in the end and they did a really nice job of packaging it up. I went through Bildelsbasen.se - Used auto / car parts , which is sort of a Swedish used parts aggregator.
So much more room for activities!!! hahaha....
And in all seriousness, because we have an Ocean Race, the extra underfloor space fits all the extras (seat covers, bag, net, bumper cover, etc) perfectly. Only thing it doesn't fit under there is the portable K'Archer pressure washer.
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1,133 Posts
My 2011 Saab 9-5 was the first time I encountered this.
Of course it was during the ownership of that car a spare tire would have come in handy, when some debris in the road cut through the sidewall...
I actually cant remember right now if my S90 has a spare donut in the trunk or not...
Of course it was during the ownership of that car a spare tire would have come in handy, when some debris in the road cut through the sidewall...
I actually cant remember right now if my S90 has a spare donut in the trunk or not...
Thanks very much for the link! I would never have found that on my own. They actually have an underfloor storage panel from a 2017 V90 and I've made an inquiry. Very cheap (1/5th the price of any I ever found on Ebay - so have made an inquiry about shipping cost). I would love to have bin space to keep things like my hitch parts, various trailer and boat towing tools/accessories, bike tools and other odds and ends that clutter up the back of my car (things that I need at random times and might forget to pack).
Was thinking that if I ever went on a really long road trip - I might carry a full size wheel/tire on a hitch based spare tire carrier.
Yep, again, same thought. If I ever planned to go on a really long roadtrip into the most rural and remote parts of the country, then I'd take the 5 minutes it would take to toss the spare and all the other bits back into place. But day to day, yeah, I definitely prefer having the extra storage.
One time I hit a nasty puddle-hidden pothole which damaged a runflat. Didn't lose any air but there was a not very nice side bulge so I replaced it. Living 30 miles from the metroplis of Portland, ME, I still had to wait 3 days before my local tire shop could get a replacement. I make several trips to downstate NY a year and usually take back roads, avoiding the Mass Pike. Were I to have a similar situation in one of those small towns along the way I'd proably have to get a motel room.
The other issue with runflats is the affect on the ride. The CLS I lease has a relatively comfortable ride, except when you hit a bad road repair, or even a pronounced pavement seam. That impact is sharp, with the low profile runflats being almost like riding on solid rubber tires. Very harsh. Riding the same roads with the V90, there is zero harshness.
Don't like 'em. But I think only Volvo and Audi still equip their cars with spares.
The other issue with runflats is the affect on the ride. The CLS I lease has a relatively comfortable ride, except when you hit a bad road repair, or even a pronounced pavement seam. That impact is sharp, with the low profile runflats being almost like riding on solid rubber tires. Very harsh. Riding the same roads with the V90, there is zero harshness.
Don't like 'em. But I think only Volvo and Audi still equip their cars with spares.
2020 V90 Inscription T6 (all options except upgrade stereo and rear wheel air suspension)
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I think Subaru still uses non-RFs, and they provide a spare tire. However, you are correct that most now have RGs and no spare.
2020 V90 Inscription T6 (all options except upgrade stereo and rear wheel air suspension)
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I had one customer surprised Volvo didn't have run flats from the safety standpoint and there is something to be said there. Others shared there experiences. From a safety #1 perspective you could easily say that run flats get you out of a bad situation better. The inconvenience, ride, and cost being secondary concerns. Volvos sometimes method of a can of fix a flat and regular tires gives you the worst of both worlds. I hope we switch to run flats but I'm sure that affects range of electrics since they are heavier.
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I hear what you are saying, but I feel like the type of leaks run-flats protect against are the slow, controlled leaks that the TPS system warns you against, and you can slowly pull over.
The types of tire damage that results in sudden blowouts in a regular tire to me seem like they would still result in sudden blowouts in a run-flat tire, and for what? A worse ride and handling, more unsprung weight, things that can affect safety in other ways.
Personally I'd rather never have run-flats again.
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Run-flats are certainly better than what I got with my S80. No spare and a can of fix a flat was standard
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