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2012 no spare tire

41K views 28 replies 14 participants last post by  lordkoo 
#1 ·
i was surprised that the new optima has no spare tire but comes with a tire mobility kit which consists of a air compressor and a sealant bottle thats great if the tire doesn't blow out. i wounder what happens if you are in the middle of no were and no cell phone signal.
i made the dealer give me a spare tire and jack from a 2011 but of course it wont fit in the spare tire hole so when i take a road trip in the trunk it will go.
 
#3 ·
Wow, so that is another change from 2011 to 2012. I just can't imagine not having a spare without run-flat tires.
 
#4 ·
The spare tire deletion is a huge disappointment to me. That's one of the reasons that BMW dropped off my shopping list. Run-flats are not an option I would consider. BMW and Mini drivers have expressed many complaints about the ride degradation and difficulty/cost of replacing a run-flat tire that has had a problem.

Guess my 2011 will have to last me a long time (as I planned, anyway).
 
#5 ·
dfrost, I have heard/read the same thing about the run-flat tires and the ride/cost issues. I bet this is a MPG trick as several OEM's seem to be going to no spares....
 
#8 ·
So you can pay for something that came with the vehicle and I can bet the pricing didn't drop for no spare this year vs. last.
 
#10 ·
UPDATE! the Styrofoam case for the mobility kit comes out and the spare tire cavity still has the bracket installed to secure the spare tire so the spare tire and jack i made the dealer give me fits perfect and so does the mobility kit nice and flush just like the 2011's.
I do feel better now that i have a spare and don't have to worry if i have a blow out if i am out of cell phone range.:)
 
#13 ·
I have a 2011 SX and hit a pot hole. The tire was shot. So the can of Cr-p that they give you in the 2012 would never work. I'm glad I have a donut in mine. And when they say u r saving mpg without the spare it's BS. They r saving the money not us. How much does a spare really weigh. What a joke.
 
#15 ·
Don't get me wrong I want a spare also! I would agree 100% with you, about better MPH, total BS. 1 spare tire and a jack what..30LBS. That extra weight would not save any of us a dime!
 
#14 ·
A spare tire/jack weighs about as much as a standard 2 year old.
 
#16 ·
I too wasn't too happy when I saw the flat tire kit either, but I was told by the parts person at Kia dealership that they will be coming out with a compact tire kit.

Depending on how much the kit will be, I may or may not buy it. We've never had a blow out (knock on wood) or any sort of catastrophic tire event (double knock on wood) in the past, have needed a spare only one time when the tire was flat in my driveway once...and a flat tire kit may have worked for that case.
 
#23 ·
I think the SX has the donut tire. If the spare tire really had that much effect on MPG, think of how much less MPG you get with a full tank of gas vs. an empty tank :O
 
#28 · (Edited)
My TPMS light came on last night. I checked my tire pressure and all tires are properly inflated and equal all around. So this means the TPMS system has malfunctioned. Another trip to the dealer. I am starting to hate this stupid car.

But, as I was researching the TPMS in the owners manual last night it specifically said NOT to use any kind of inflation can repair agent on a car with TPMS because it will ruin the TPMS sensor and then it will have to be replaced. The TPMS discussion starts on page 6-7 with the specific warning about using these repair agents on page 6-10 of the 2011 Kia Optima Owners Manual.

So, does your car have TPMS? I wouldn't use the kit if it does. I am thinking this may be the reason some cars get spare tires and some don't, rather than turbo vs non-turbo in 2012. For this reason alone, if you are buying a new Optima with TPMS I would insist they provide a spare tire if one isn't in the trunk already.

OFF TOPIC RANT ON: I really want to love this car, but this is the 6th trip to the dealer for some niggly problem in the 6 months/7000 miles I have owned this car. I have never had a car that has been this much trouble. I am going to go prowling the dealerships for a possible replacement for this thing today. Everything except Kia. :OFF TOPIC RANT OFF
 
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