Eric Harten

I never gave much thought to a good spare for 30 years of driving. Never going to happen to me. Then it happened to me last year. With the whole family in the car and 10 hours of driving left that HAD to be accomplished that day. 6" long tire weight through my tire in the middle of BFE Oregon. I was darn lucky though. I thought the collapsible spare in my 2011 Q7 was OK, but I was WRONG! Luckily the flat happened right as I was getting off at the one "town" for many miles. Somebody just happened to see me on the side of the road and give me a lift to the 1 tire place in town. They just happened to have 1 used tire out back that fit my car. Getting the picture? Luckily I made it home on time that night, because I was able to find a full-size "spare" for my car. Could have been a whole lot worse. 50-100 miles down the road I would have been stuck on the side of the road all day waiting for help. I personally don't plan to head out of town any more with out a full-size spare. Don't take well to getting caught unprepared. My solution is to build the following. Only cost me ~$120 in parts. Since I have a set of snow tires, I will just mount one of my "off season" tires on it. It even tips out of the way.

Building A Receiver Mount / Folding Tire Carrier : Bronco II Corral

Eric

dohturdima

I had a flat a week ago (not Q7), a tire "swallowed" a nail roadside. Luckily, it was was not the sidewall and I was able to get some air in the tire and make it to my mechanic for a rapid patch. Once RFTs give up the ghost, I will switch to Non-RFTs, buy a used factory 20" wheel and mount a tire to use as a spare for long trips. Will either keep it in the cargo box if traveling with family or throw it in the back (cargo space be damned). Not a fan of inflatable spare, if there is no dedicated space for it.

Paul3.2A4avant

I must have bad luck with tires compared to many of you. I'd really like to trade in my LR4 for a new Q7 but can't get past the lack of a spare tire. I had 2 flats last year...one in a remote area of VT with a bolt through the sidewall. The other was in NYC where I hit a giant rain-filled pothole that blew out the sidewall. A can of fix-a-flat would have been useless with either flat and neither occurred in a convenient location. Thankfully my LR4 has a full size spare. That spare tire carrier would be a must-have if I get a Q7. I have seen X5's with a full size spare mounted on that Yakima roof basket with spare tire holder. Given the weight of 20" tires, that hitch receiver spare tire holder looks more convenient.