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According to AAA Northeast, more than 30 million drivers are at risk along the roadside since more than a third of new cars are sold without a spare.
In place of a spare tire in the new cars are inflator kits to improve fuel efficiency by lowering car weight. Despite the higher cost—up to $300 per use—the functionality of kits is limited, and even a temporary fix is impossible for some common problems.
AAA claims that the savings in fuel consumption are negligible, and the costs of kit replacement are high. In a series of tests, the club found that the kits only work well in some scenarios and not at all in others. A puncture must occur in a tire's tread and remain embedded in order for a kit to work.
AAA Northeast is a not-for-profit auto club with offices in Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Jersey and New York providing more than 5.2 million local AAA members with travel, insurance, finance, and auto-related services.
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