This weekend my father got a flat tire where we work. Not a big deal take it off and put the spare on. Spare had 20 psi in it. Again not a big deal because we had a air compresser handy. It got me thinking I went and checked the spares in my cars. All were low, 3 were very low. I guess it is one of those things that gets forgotten until you need them.

Larry

 

Very true. I check them every time we head out of town. But at this point my spare rubber is 27 years old... even at full pressure I don't trust it. Really outta get that changed but like you say... one of these days...

 

Indeed good advise! Had the spare tire cover off in the wagon yesterday routing wires for a sound system and discovered the tire, fully filled in the autumn, was almost void of air. Well, as soon as the roads clean up a little more, off to the shop to see where the leak is, that should not have happened so fast. Better to have found it now, then on the road somewhere, new tires or not, anything can happen.

 

Unless you have a full size spare, good luck. I cannot find (and neither can Belle Tire) a replacement for my 25 yo 16" compact spare.

 

I found in times past that a chronic slow leak may be the stinking Schrader valve. More than once a slow leak has been fixed by just replacing that pesky valve.

 

I try to check the spare's air pressure a couple times a year, spring and fall (cause the one in the wagon is a PITA to get at and will make you break sweat in summer and freeze in winter fooling with that side cover).

I've had a couple that literally blew up after pumping them up to recommended pressure. The original Goodyear Polyglas in the Hurst/Olds blew the tread off 5 years ago, as well as the General in the Ninety Eight. Sure, it's nice to have the original tire in the car so you know exactly what it came with, but a separated tire is no damn good at all for a spare.

I even replaced the 93 F150's spare a couple years ago. The original Firestone had dryrot cracks all in the tread so I knew it would have been iffy had I needed it. Exxon garage up the street had a Cooper in correct size with about half tread left on it, so I changed it out.

 

Shame on all of us that don't check the spare regularly!
OK, I'll come clean, I hadn't checked the spare on a Riviera I had a few years ago. It was a space saver and the pressure was down to 25psi from the recommended 60.

I have removed a layer of paint from the trunk floor taking the spare out to check it on a few customers cars where it had stuck down over time.
When I told them they should replace it they think I am trying to rip them off as all they see is plenty of tread on their 10 year old tire, it might have never been used on some of them.

Tire rotation used to be part of routine maintenance, of course this can't be done with a space saver or in the case of a mk6 Lincoln I used to own or my fiances Peugeot the spare is full size but on a steel wheel but the others were alloys.

I don't like space saver tires, I want a tire I can fit and carry on as normal in the event of a puncture, especially if I am towing my caravan, then I have a dillema; do I fit the space saver to the rear where it has extra load or the front (it's fwd btw)?. I had to find room in the trunk for the road wheel anyway.

I didn't enjoy the 80 mile trip home at 50mph when I had a tire failure recently. I'd like it even less if it happened late at night on the I10 in west Texas or somewhere similar.

Roger.

 

I've had a couple cars now that didn't have spares at all, and one where the spare was a $100 option.

The ones that didn't have spares had a little tire machine that is supposed to pump the tire up. I don't know if it has fix a flat in it, or if it's just air. I wonder how well it works when a piece of fod or metal takes out the sidewall.


Mike

 

I-10 between Fort Stockton and El Paso is desolate except for Van Horn (such as it is), but even far worse is 1-10 between Deming, New Mexico and Wilcox, Arizona since Lordsburg was by-passed by several miles. Might as well be on Old Route 66 between Needles and Barstow. Nothing, but nothing, and more nothing!

 

When checking the air in your spare, verify the tire is not coming apart like this, and do NOT pop the huge bulge (not seen, as i deflated it FAST)!


I am glad it did not blow when I was on the road.
This was the original Firestone spare in my 97 Caddy. When they say "Temporary use only", they mean it.

 

Checked the spares today. This is how I roll , If one is good two is better

 

my spare is toast like Rob's , so I don't have one right now . I have to take a trip to Mr. P's Tire's in a rough neighborhood , they have a used P21570R14 there.

 

Toast, to say the least...
Since then I have happily upgraded the spare to new-car standards. I tossed a plug kit and an air compressor in the trunk and pray I will never need it...

 

Yea , and it's hard to beleive I got away with that tire I had on my car for so long ... I thought my rim was bent , but in reality the tire was buldged on one side that made it feel like the rim was bent . Like you , the minute I seen that I let all the air out of it . Now I have a 20yr old tire with good tread on there .

 

Remember Dalton (Patrick Swayze) in "Roadhouse" carried 4 spares...

 

This is actually a great reminder for me because I'm due for my tire rotation this month. (My front left tire wears down the fastest) I was lucky because a friend of mine bought a new air compressor for his tires so he gave me his old one which is working just fine - so I'm also covered on that front.

I hear you on the space saver tires, I need to have a spare that can handle any load.

-Nate

 

I need a space saver spare tire , so I have more room for junk !