To save weight I really want to take my spare wheel out... bad idea right?

What will you achieve? I'm willing to bet you won't notice any difference to how the car drives, handles or uses fuel, but you will notice when you have a puncture miles from home. Using those cans which claim to reinflate your tyres and plug the holes is a waste of time, as any repairable tyre is then ruined, and it'll only work in a minority of cases.

I will admit, I don't have a spare but only because I've been lazy and not made a mount for it anywhere! It's certainly on my list of things to do.

isnt it law to carry a spare tyre, or is that just for trailers?

From what I can recall you don't have to carry a spare but if you do it has to be legal.

I had a tyre blow out on the M20 and as it was the offside one deceided to call the AA out as I did not fancy changing it without the cover of a big yellow van with flashing lights down the hard shoulder. The AA chap fitted the old spare, however he me that they can't fit a bald spare in case you then go on to have an accident.

If space is an issue put the spare under the bonnet?

There's a brand new [OE] spare in the boot of my 1988 spesh.
It's never been on the car ....because I've never needed it in 22 years/90k miles of motoring.
The wheel [being "brand new/squeaky clean"] comes in handy for storing things in to stop them rolling around in the boot.
Although I've never needed the spare on my present car [1988-date] .....I would'nt be without it......I needed the spare several times on my old [previous] Dyane [1975-1995 RIP ]

I also carry "one of those cans" as well .....which btw, do work in my experience,as I've used them on several occassions to bail me outa the poo on my motorcycles [I've never tried one on a car though .....all of my 'bikes have had tyres of the "tubed" variety ].

One other thing to consider is .....how good are the jacking points on your car .... [personally,I never trusted them years ago on brand new "A" series cars] ....so if you are carrying a spare,you also need a decent jack.

just a few thoughts on the subject....
Terry

The can of stuff may work bit when I had the flat on the M20 by the time I got to hard shoulder there was not much of the tyre left to inflate.

Our Berloingo needed a new tyre this year as well as it hit a pothole which ripped out the sidewall and the instant fix would not have helped much there either.

Best just to carry a spare I'd say.

Personally speaking, I would quite happily carry two spares, if I could fit one under the bonnet. I do tend to travel to some quite remote parts of the UK(far north of Scotland), and it would be more comforting to know I can get away with two punctures before I need to worry

When I did Raid Laponie and Raid Poronkusema I did carry 2 spares plus a tube. As you say it is comforting to know I can get away with two punctures before I need to worry especially when out in the wilds.

I'd say carry both .....with my old Dyane I had both a pothole "sidewall-ripper" and a Motorway blowout [in a contraflow system .....the tyre was well fubard by the time I'd driven out of that one ... ]
For the sake [cost] of a fiver [£5] ....which is all "those cans" cost .....its worth carrying both [imho] ......I'll admit that maybe it is a bit "belt & braces" though .....
I dunno wot the spare is like on the B'lingo .....but I'd rather take my chance with a "can" than use the "space-saver" on my C4 "modern" .....and wifey always carries a can in the boot of her Direwoo Matitz" ....[again,a space-saver spare wheel].

btw,I also carry tyer levers,repair kit & pump on my motorcycles,but "one of those cans" has got me home every time on my 'bikes.


best regards
Terry.

Berlingo has a full size spare which is good as I'm not a fan of spacesaver spares either.

On the moiuntain bike tho I do run the puncture seal in the tubes and it has kept many tyres up that have been pierced by torns and flints. Only found out when changed a tyre and found all the places where it had leaked thru the hole and sealed it!