"Spare" me the doughnut!

Automobile technology is constantly changing, adding features supposedly for our enhanced comfort, and convenience. As an afterthought, safety.

Why is it always just lip-service to safety? Take the case of the spare tire, sometimes called a "donut". This is an "innovation" to better all innovations: 

(a) It reduces the size of the spare, which means it costs less to manufacture and boosts profits. Ca-ching! Ca-ching!

(b) It takes up less space in the back of the car. "Look how spacious the storage area is! Definitely worth the price-tag!"

(c) It marginally increases fuel efficiency due to the infinitesimal drop in weight. That's (a) and (b) combined! 

Throw on a few more buzzwords like All-Wheel Drive (AWD), Anti-lock Braking System (ABS), etc., and you've got yourself a cash cow. Who wouldn't pay upward of $30,000 for such a high-tech gizmo, especially in snowy places like New England and Canada?

Rewind to just a few days ago. A tire on our SUV unexpectedly blew out on a paved street. AAA swapped it out for the spare. And then it started snowing. Heavily.

All the AWD and ABS in the world did not help keep the car from slipping and sliding along the highway on the way back home, in poor visibility. So much for safety. 

From the Merriam-Webster dictionary:

Definition of afterthought 

1: an idea occurring later

2: something (such as a part or feature) not thought of originally : something secondary

But the saga continued. We kept driving the car with the donut while we frantically looked to have the regular tire replaced. Here are some of the challenges we faced:

1. The replacement tire had to be similar to the other three on the vehicle. Many places were back-ordered for this item.

2. Because of the AWD, the replacement tire had to be similar in wear to the other three. Worse, if the other three tires were worn beyond a certain level, I'd have to replace all four tires!

3. The weekend intervened, putting paid to any hope of a quick fix.

Through a minor miracle, the above three aspects were navigated come Monday. The tire, which had been ordered the previous Friday, showed up at the tire center. The staff mounted it onto the rim despite their super-busy schedule. "You do know this is the busiest time of the year for tire work?"

But as the day wound down, they could not find five extra minutes to bolt the tire onto the vehicle! A bizarre situation in which the staff were willing to spend more than five minutes explaining why it could not be done that day!

They don't call it the service industry for nothing!

I had to drive the car back home with the donut on. And back to work the next day. But not to the tire center this time. The friendly mechanic around the corner found the elusive five minutes within half an hour of my dropping the car off, and saved me from more unhealthy donut-eating.

What a surreal experience all around! Pay good money for a safe car, only to be disillusioned when you need it the most.

Off with the donut, I say! The spare should be a regular tire and rim. We already know that donuts are not good for our health. Now I know it also includes my mental health.