Well, you're close. What's the real reason? Market demand. If the market wanted a car with a full-size spare, manufacturers would figure a way to deliver it, even if it meant mounting the spare over the rear bumper, MG-style. Market demand also explains why air-conditioning replaced vent windows and cup holders have replaced ash trays. The ubiquity of cell phones is just one part of market demand.
Understand that women buy roughly half of all new cars. For small passenger vehicles, it's probably 60 percent or more. Most women won't change a flat tire, although they might be willing to use a can of Fix-a-Flat. Also, the market demographic for small cars is mostly urban, and urban drivers are less likely to change a flat than rural drivers. It's a matter of safety and convenience: why risk getting robbed or run over while changing a flat tire when you can drive a couple of blocks to a garage or tire store?
Meanwhile, EPA CAFE standards continue to increase, and the easiest way to improve a vehicle's economy is to take out mass. Although the spare tire might not weigh that much, it takes up space which requires the car to be bigger.
I think the future will be run-flat tires. Some models have them today, and with tire monitoring systems they make a lot of sense: Changing a tire is no longer an emergency but rather a service issue that can be deferred for a day or two until the car can be brought in for service.
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Today's Featured Article - Box Plow Blues - by Tom Schwarz. One of the first implements most tractor owners obtain is the box plow. For very little money, this piece of equipment promises to plow and flatten any hill or vale on your ranch road or farm. At least that's what I thought! As simple as a box plow appears, it can be rather challenging to make work correctly. In our sandy soils of Florida, traction is king. You can never have wide enough tires or heavy enough weights to get all the traction you want … unless you own a monster tractor. U
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