I get what you are saying, but 99% of buyers don't have your issues. They don't drive in those conditions (especially in a CX-5). Personally, even though I am outside of the Atlanta metroplex, I can get to multiple tire stores in 5-10 minutes. This makes a space saver spare a non issue for me. It can get me to the repair shop to replace my bad tire which is what it was designed to do. I think this why manufacturers use them. Sure it saves money for them as well, but it also saves weight for fuel efficiency while still giving an option for a flat tire.

 

Having a temp spare is better that no spare. My Wife's 14 MX-5 has no spare, just the fix-a-flat can and air mattress pump. She's only had one flat on it and the "repair kit" wasn't much help.




We have an extra full size tire for her now.

 

If any of you guys ever come out to Australia to drive the Northern Territory in a rental car, don't expect a Ford F350 king cab waiting at the airport. It will be a small Asian built car, and today it will more than likely be the kind with a skinny spare wheel.
So yes people are having to go virtually anywhere in Australia looking for someone to change that blow out.
In fact my wife and myself have driven all over the Northern Territory in a rented Toyota Corolla out of Catherine airport including the crossing at Alligator River. But in those days one automatically expected and received a matching full size spare unlike today when the car companies are worrying about saving us space.

 

When these airless tires first started appearing in magazines, I thought no way would I ever use them. Years later I got to drive a car at Laguna Seca Raceway with them. I was really surprised first how quiet they are and also that the handled predictable steering adjustments at various speeds just like regular air tires. They did get slippery when you pushed them hard in corning, but I think in a few more years these small flaws will be ironed out and we will see many more of them on the raod. Good news no more needed to carry a spare tire or the gummy fix-o-flat. BTW to repair or change tires that have used fix in a can it totally garbage up the wheel and are a PIA to clean all that crap off . Most shops will either charge extra for the cleaning or ignore it and then you can live with the slight imbalance it does cause on a new or plugged tire. Carrying a spare what ever the size regular or space saving is still better in the long run.

 

The air less tire has been around since the 1920's. It never really got much development until the 1960's. The lunar rover had a version. Most of them look like regular tires but are not hollow. I had them on my equipment at the salvage yard as they never go flat. Those were foam filled regular tires, but when I drove a lift truck, we converted to solid rubber tires about 25 years ago. They rode and handled like regular tires but never went flat. We did run into the problem of them failing. Instead of going flat, they would develop faults inside. I actually had one explode on me once. To use them, you have to have wheels to accept them. Similar to combat or severe off road rims with bead locks. They slide on from the side and aren't anything like the safety rim that came out in the 1950's. They can be a real stinker to balance and when they break down inside, you can't see anything outside, but you feel it.

 

I was talking about the newer versions for auto's on the current highways. The one in the picture I provided was similar to what I tried on the track. When I said they got slippery I was talking about speeds up and more then 90mph on some of the turns on the Track. (Iam very familiar with Laguna Seca/Mazda Raceway having raced many times there) . There are street tires I would not have attempted those speeds on. While I did not have a accelerometer on board to measure the G force I think I can tell from experience and many of my cars are equipped with a D-Pic what approx. the G forces are that the airless tire was not a bad performer. They have come a long ways since I first took notice of them in the early 80s until now regarding a street version for use on a daily driver.

 

I notice page 6-44 of my 2016 CX-5 owner's manual shows a rotation of moving fronts to rears, then moving the rears to opposite sides on the front.

 

The tire manufactures will first state to follow the manufactures guide to both tire rotation and tire pressure when it's their tires on them. If it is not what came with or was an option, then you could follow the tire rotation recommendation of the tire manufacture, but it is important to ALWAYS follow the tire pressure recommendation from the auto manufacture.

Declaimer: this is not necessarily accurate or to be followed if you are using other aftermarket wheels and sizes not normally used on a specific platform and specialty tires other than specific for highway use road tires.
I
Got use common sense, be safe with you conclusions and thoughts.

 

The airless tires on the red car depicted above were tried in Australia a few years ago and were announced as the new wonder of the age. They lasted five minutes and I don't think I ever actually saw one.
They were in fact laughed off the road.
It is now fashionable in Oz to have the prettiest wheels possible. Two tone alloys in 17 inch, 18inch and 20 inch with other embellishments like machine surfaces and coloured accompany parts.
Like the latest fad below, red caliper and pad sets that can be seen through the alloy spokes to give the guys hard ons in the cars next to you at the lights..
No one wants airless tires.

 

Thats what they said about electric cars.....

RED caliper's has been a trend or FAD as you described it on many street and performance vehicle's since the 80's maybe even late 90's and still is today only more colors are added like Zombie Green and PINK.... LOL ..... Not really a good example to compare what you think is a FAD and airless tires. .LOL

OH and btw Australia Coal Association has been working with companies to develop the airless tire to be used in your country for heavy duty work equipment. that pretty "mean-as" eh Mate, what you think about that!