Bob Ulrich at Modern Tire Dealer notes something that also caught my eye. More and more cars are eliminating their spare tire to save weight and space, but many are replacing them with inflator kits (and cell phones) rather than run-flats to compensate.
With the announcement that the 2011 Chevy Cruze is foregoing a spare tire in order to improve gas mileage comes a few comments about run-flat tires. Did the Cruze come with them? I found it hard to believe it would, given its less-than-ultimate-driving-machine stature. The answer? No, run-flat tires were not original equipment on the Cruze. It comes with an on-board tire inflator kit. By shedding 26 pounds of tire and jacking hardware, the Cruze has an EPA-estimated 42 miles per gallon on the highway, “the best highway mileage of any non-hybrid, gasoline-fueled, compact available in the U.S. market,” according to General Motors Corp.