The Spare Tire Thread

42945 Views 190 Replies 42 Participants Last post by Dave Z, Jan 23, 2015

TWX

Discussion Starter · May 1, 2013

This thread is to be all about spare tires. Given the age of many of our cars, our spares are probably due for replacement. What have you done, or how have you addressed this? Can be anything from, "I had to add a spare to my SRT car that didn't come with one," to, "I had to buy a new T125/90-18 to replace the old one," or anything else relevant...

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Bob Lincoln

· #19 · May 2, 2013

The original donut spares in both my 84 and 93 Daytonas are in great shape.

The full-size spare underneath my 92 Dakota had deteriorated enough by last year that I bought a new tire. People thought I was foolish to invest in a new tire, especially since I drive it about 3K to 4K miles a year, and don't have occasion to rotate them. But it's crazy to have a spare and for it to be non-functional. It's good insurance. And I winch it down at least once a year to be sure the winch works and I can actually get at it.

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Bob Lincoln

· #23 · May 3, 2013

When my grandmother sold her house in 1992 and moved to a retirement home (where her 66 Newport would be out to the weather for the first time), her front tires were from 1970 and the rears from 1978. They were pristine. I suspect today's tires are very inferior to old bias ply tires as far as ozone and UV resistance, or at least the rubber compound is.

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Bob Lincoln

· #72 · Aug 7, 2013

The last two flats I have had were from a bubble and and an abraded sidewall - both were sidewall failures. No repair kit is going to help me there. If I can't get a spare tire at no cost, I'm not buying the vehicle.

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Bob Lincoln

· #119 · Aug 15, 2013

JavelinAMX said:
Apologies if someone offered this bit before ( I didn't thoroughly read the entire thread ) -

As for jacks, shouldn't cars be equipped with built-in jacks, one at each corner at this point in modern automobile development? The engine - or the electrical system - could power the jack to come down from a column and prop the vehicle up a la' various racing vehicles. A glove-compartment or trunk-located controller would give the vehicle operator the choice of one, two on the same side (left or right; or front/rear pairs), or all four jacks to lift the vehicle for maintenance, including tire changes. That way you wouldn't need a more traditional jack except as a back-up.

I like capable full-sized tires - build the space to carry it. Placed correctly, that could aid rear-end collision protection. But designers would have to be given 'leave' to leverage that sort of thing.

WAY too expensive, and too much liability. I can imagine someone crushing their hand or foot, or claiming it was done and was Chrysler's fault.

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