So I just got a nice 2013 Buick Lacrosse hybrid this week and I discovered today that it has no spare. The spare tire well contains a little styrofoam box with an air compressor that also contains a can of temporary leak sealant (aka fix-a-flat) which has an expiration date of April 2018. So that raises a series of questions. First, what the hell was GM thinking? Second, is that expired leak sealant still good and if not, where would I even get a replacement? I'm sure a GM Dealer would charge an arm and a leg for one. Third, if I were to go to a junk yard to buy a spare and a jack to put in the well, what size spare should I look for and in what GM vehicles would I be likely to find one? Thanks.

Don't know if this helps.

https://my.buick.com/how-to-support/...e-inflator-kit

Owners manual. Section 10-72.

https://my.gm.com/content/dam/gmowne...sse_owners.pdf

They were thinking:

- Other manufacturers have been doing this for many years and they've gotten away with it.
- This will help us meet our fuel economy goals.
- This will save us $0.69 on every car'* manufacturing cost.

No, it'* expired.

I believe it is a T175/70R18 . Similar vehicles would be from the 2012-2016 Epsilon platform, so Cadillac XTS and Chevy Malibu. The ones that actually have a spsre tire, that is.

. . . or, you could look at getting a spare tire kit:

Thanks for the information. That Modern Spare kit looks interesting but the price is a bit steeper than I would like to pay. I'm not completely ruling it out but I think I'll check a couple of boneyards first and see what I can come up with.

I definitely understand that. It seemed steep for something we all intentionally try to avoid using . . . but it is ready made and complete.

I'd bet most Epsilons from your car'* generation sold without the spare tire kit so GM could save $0.69 producing every car, but I don't have a way of knowing. You might want to look into what other cars cross over for bolt pattern, then take a measuring tape with you and check for the circumference to be a little over 86-3/4" .

If space isn't an issue, would a full size factory wheel work?

Those things just have the shallow well that just fits the donut . . . unless Human wants to carry a full size spare B-body style in the trunk:

Right, like I said, if he'* not worried about a full size taking up space, I say shove a full size in the trunk.