[MoparNorm]

Jeepers learn early on in life, to rely upon no one but yourself, to get out of a bad situation, so we've always carried a full size spare, sometimes two , tire repair kits, extra belts and hoses, extra fuel and a full tool kit.
A full sized spare would be a part of your normal tire rotation, a temporary spare should be treated as perishable after 5 years.

Bean counters and marketeers don't get you home, preparation does.

 

[MoparNorm]

I don't want what I said earlier to be taken the wrong way. I fully believe cars should have spares.

In the past, the donut spares have been more than enough for my needs. Obviously, if you drive 250 miles away from anything, a donut spare won't cut it.

That said, if you want to be paranoid, by all means replace your spares every five years. I have not found that to be called for yet. The donut spare in our Escort was well over ten years old (and near its 250 mile lifespan) when we got rid of the car, and it still worked fine. But you do need to take out the spare and check it at least once a year, I think, after the car is five years old.

If I lived in the desert, I'm sure I'd feel differently.

It's actually not paranoid, Michelin and others state right in their fine print, that tire life is 4-6 years. The date code is on the sidewall for a reason and that reason is the life expectancy of the rubber compound when exposed to UV, ozone and other environmental effects.
I've seen many tires with perfectly good tread, but dried out and cracked sidewalls.
From Goodyear's website:

"Weather cracking is a naturally occurring condition that results from exposure to heat and sunlight. Goodyear's warranty for weather cracking is four years from purchase date (or four years from manufacture date if proof of purchase is not available)."

Goodyear also recommends keeping no tire in storage as a spare for longer than 6 months, without including it into the tire rotation.
EDIT: also note that chemical use voids the warranty. ( Armorall)

 

[MoparNorm]

Norm, though, you'd be proud of me for this: I replaced the early-1980s spare tire on my Valiant with a brand new tire! even though it held air, it just didn't look long for the world. (I think I bought the only 1974 Valiant that still had two of the original tires on it, along with two snow tires from, if the receipts are accurate, 1983.)
.

:lol:
Every 30 years or so, just to be safe......

 

[MoparNorm]

That's part why I wonder if the shelf life of a donut spare that's kept protected is better than a conventional daily-use tire or not.

According to the Goodyear info I posted (either here or in the other spare thread) the spare lasts longer if used and not stored for over 6 months. The rubber must stay pliable and in better shape when run through the heat/cool cycle, rather than sitting stored, but that's just my extrapolation of their suggestion.

 

[MoparNorm]

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.

I use to notice the same thing in regards to German cars, from the '60's and '70's, their wipers, window gaskets and tires simply fell apart in SoCal's environment. A restoration of a German car always needed to include all new rubber.

 

[MoparNorm]

I think ultimately "run-flat" is the way to go. More and more cars are coming equipped with them these days and it is just a matter of time before the concept of the old "spare tire" becomes a thing of the past.

Except on Jeeps.

 

[MoparNorm]

I have AAA!

AAA is great, however they will not leave the pavement.
It's not uncommon for a Jeep to lose two or three tires on a single stretch of trail.
Gimmicks don't work in the backcountry.
Offroad tires are already over $400 each, if the tire companies go to an alternative it will raise our prices even more.
Same for pickup owners.
Not a complaint, just an observation.

 

[MoparNorm]

Well, ... they are here to stay ...until there is a drop in tire sales...

 

[MoparNorm]

I'd rather not worry about spares at all and just drive on run-flats.

Yeah...we all got that...and there are situations where nothing substitutes for a real spare.

 

[MoparNorm]

And the other 99.9% of the time run flats are a better solution for the vast majority of drivers. :

One thing that Allpar prides itself upon is accurate and factual information.
Please provide your source for that 99.9% number, otherwise it's simply your position and your opinion...and far from 99.9%
In fact reading the posts here in total, it's less than 50%.

 

[MoparNorm]

You guys want to poo-poo run-flats based on a tiny segment of the market and half the posters in this thread, non of which seem to have any actual experience or current information on them?

Okaaaaaay, then.... Enjoy your spare tires!

Never poo-pooed run flats I said they aren't for everyone. Your deflection of the question still doesn't answer where you pulled the 99.9% number from.
There is a definite use for them, in some applications, maybe many applications, but neither all or even most.
The posters here certainly have actual experience and application of flat tires and their opinions shouldn't be dismissed so easily, simply because you fail to see their point.

Example: how good does that run flat work when the wheel is damaged beyond use?
I've had three flats, not with Jeeps, where the wheels were destroyed in the process of going flat, one was a slick roadway where the wheel slid onto a railroad track, cutting the tire in nearly half and bending the rim beyond it's ability to hold air, or hold the tire to it. The other incident was when the vehicle in front of me lost its bumper and cut two tires and again bent the wheels.
Freak accidents, sure and in my annual 20,000, not likely to occur again...I hope, but a lot of my driving is on remote roads and cross country and frankly, as good as AAA is, they aren't worth the wait, the lost time, the cost or the uncertainty of finding a tow at 2 AM in Western Montana, or central Nevada.

 

[MoparNorm]

Funny, but not infallible, especially if you have changed a road wheel, or added a track link at 3 in the morning...

 

[MoparNorm]

Seriously. I mean, take a poll, I'll bet 90% of respondents haven't had a flat in 20 years.

Since both Aldo and I have had flats in the recent past. I think a Poll is an excellent idea!
Let's find out from the members of Allpar, how many have had a flat in the last 12 months.

Remember this is NOT an opinion poll about the change, in spare policy, simply a fact gathering poll to see how many folks do get flats.
In the last 6 months, my daughter has had a flat while driving in her Journey.
My other daughter has had a flat while driving her Patriot.
My Son-in-law had a flat while driving his Jeep.
I've had a flat while driving my Wrangler.
My wife had a flat while driving her Liberty.
Several friends have had flats while driving their trucks to work.
My father in law had a flat on his Ram.

 

[MoparNorm]

Thanks for the Poll, it however has a bug and won't let my vote be placed.

 

[MoparNorm]

Thanks!

 

[MoparNorm]

You only think it's a bug...

:lol:

 

[MoparNorm]

You will get a spare track curled up in that empty cavity :glare:

:lol:

I think the poll was a good idea. It disproved the assertion that flats no longer happen and nearly 50% of responders have experienced a flat in the past year, to year and a half, many with multiple flats.
The manufacturer with a good marketing department, could reap a benefit by offering a spare tire and touting that fact.

 

[MoparNorm]

Agree.

And like some on here have stated: a tow is not a solution (1) if you get a flat after hours, (2) if you get a flat on your only vehicle, or (3) if you get a flat when you are out of cell range.

Or..get a flat off pavement. Most tow companies either refuse to leave the pavement or charge a hefty premium for doing so.
$250 cash being the quoted price by some.

 

[MoparNorm]

I wouldn't even consider going offroad without at least a full-diameter tire rated for full-duty. It's okay if the tire is narrower for me, I'm unlikely to try to cross the same kind of terrain that many serious offroaders will attempt so it's not as critical if the tread width is a little narrower...

I can see why it's good when multiple-vehicle trips have the same kinds of vehicles. When I was a kid our friends had an Izusu Trooper one year newer than ours, basically the same vehicle. We went four wheeling with them a few times, and while we never got so stuck or broke down that we couldn't pull one out with the other with a strap, there would have been two spare tires that would fit either truck so long as only two tires in total failed. With a caravan of Wranglers of the same era, there'd be more spares than any one vehicle could mount on all four corners if it came down to that, just to get back out to the road again...

You just brought up a MAJOR irritant that Jeepers have with Chrysler, Daimler and now Fiat.
For decades all* Jeeps were on a 5 on 51/2" bolt pattern.
*The FSJ used Chevy axles, so they were 6 lugs, but all alike.
Then came TJ, which was 5 on 4.5", too small, but matched XJ, but not Grand which was 5 on 5".
Then came JK, which is 5 on 5", so tire matching and vehicle type, is critical to getting the spares matched.
With wheels getting bigger and bigger, they never should have stopped using 5 on 51/2".
To make mattes more confusing, the J8, which is JK based, uses 5 on 51/2" wheels, just like the old CJ.
I've been on many trips when a vehicle had 2 or three flats, or failed tires and borrowing was required.