TimR wrote:
I've changed one tire since 1986 (it may be longer than that).

I think the advantage of a spare tire is overrated.

YMMV, if you drive a lot of miles over bad roads.

I've lost track of how many tires I've changed just in the past year.

On my daughter's car alone I've had the spare on at least 6 times since we
bought the car (used) in April.

In the first month, 3 of the 4 tires went low because of the aluminum
wheels. I'd throw the spare on, drop the low tire off at a local shop, have
them clean the wheel and fill it up. Over the summer she ran over a nail
and a screw with a week of each other. She doesn't drive any place "bad" -
just normal roads and parking lots. She works at a YMCA, so it's not like
she parking in industrial areas with trucks, construction vehicles, etc.

We bought her new tires for winter and she hit a pothole within the first
week, damaging a sidewall. It was covered under the road hazard warranty,
so I threw the spare on, drove it over to the shop and they put a new tire
on the rim without making me wait. If I had left it on the car I would have
had to wait my turn until a bay was open.

With a floor jack, my cordless drill and a pipe to use as leverage, I can
put the spare on in under 15 minutes, less than half hour total on and off.
If I leave the tires on the vehicles when they need service, it's hours of
waiting to get into a bay. I don't have that kind of patience.