Hi,

I was poking around in my truck and noticed I don't have a tire iron for my bumper jack. Starting thinking I'm not a fan of the bumper jack even if i did have an iron. I also don't itrust scissor jacks. Bottle jack?
My tires are near the end of thier life but i will be installing disk brakes up front next year and ant to make sure I'm covered. I have a full size spare in the trunk that takes up a lot of space as does the convertible top.
What's in your trunk?

 

I have a full size spare and a scissor jack.

Back in the 90s I carried a bottle jack until one day I had a flat and discovered the bottle jack was too tall to fit under the vehicle when the tire was flat. Doh!

No reason to dislike scissor jacks as many vehicles have them as OEM equipment. The ones in my vehicles work very well (I use them every tire rotation along with my floor jack). They are short enough to fit under the lowest part of the control arm when the tire is flat, which as noted above the bottle jack was too tall.

You can get an OEM one from the salvage yard or the online auction site for a reasonable price.

 

A fully functional spare and an 80s b body scissor jack that works off the stock lug wrench.

 

I have a full size spare, a small hydraulic floor jack, and a 4 way cross lug wrench.

 

My '66 Toro has a full size spare and one of those big *** bumper jacks. I figure I better bone up on using that thing! Can't say I've ever used a bumper jack.

 

Put it together once, with a towel, to your bumper so you know how. Then, put it away properly and get a real jack for actual use to go in the trunk. They bend bumpers, do not use it.

 

That B-body jack is actually pretty slick.

 

Not only bend them, but if the frame bracket bolts aren’t tight enough the entire bumper can shift. That happened to me in the 80s and I got a different jack afterwards.

 

I use a G body jack. Simple to use & works great.

 

Same here on the G Body jack, I like it enough that I frequently use it to jack the “A” body cars while on my drive on lift. I did however go with a scissors jack to keep in my el Camino due to its smaller size. I’m able to stuff tools, spares, jack & spare tire into the “smuggler’s box behind the seat.

One part number for the jack is 14030628 (82-90 B (Caprice)), G Body 78-88 is similar or the same. For me, I have no interest in using a bumper jack in an emergency or otherwise.

Spare Tire & Wheel
Vision 55-5461 Rally Wheel-Silver (for my el Camino, but sizing would work generally work on Cutlass/442 if a compact spare were desired)

15x4 5x4.75 81.7 Bore 2.5 Backspace

Americus Touring Plus 165 80R 15 (pretty much an early Beetle tire)

AMD0440 25.4” Diameter

T 87 500 A A

I have full size spares for the Oldsmobiles but don’t keep them in the car, only put them in if going a good distance from home base. There’s always AAA or road service through American Collectors Insurance, both of which I have, but who knows whether I would want to wait for them in a given situation.
​​​​​​….

 

Tire iron, bottle jack, and a C4 Corvette aluminum spare donut.

Weight savings is my number one priority, closely followed by space savings. Has come into use over the years and worked well. Highly recommend.

 

In my 1994 Cutlass Supreme, I carry a full sized, matching wheel/matching tire spare tire. Tucked underneath the tire are both a scissor jack designed for the W-Bodies and a shortie lug wrench. I also bought a tire cover for it. I used this set up to go to the Nationals. Space was tight but it all worked out nicely. Good piece of mind, knowing if I got a flat, I stop, I change it, I'm on my way and can deal with the flat some other time.

 

I think in half a century of driving (got my license in 1974), I've needed to use the spare exactly once when on the road, and that's because I didn't pay attention to the date codes on my tires.

 

I suspect that is similar to the majority of drivers, and why manufacturers quit putting spare tires in new vehicles.

 

Exactly. Well, that and the need to eliminate every excessive ounce for CAFE mileage ratings. Yeah, I realize that power everything these days is the antithesis of this.

 

In my personal vehicles, I have needed to plug one tire, the TPMS came on and said so, so I went to a truck stop on the way home, parked by the air, bought a plug kit and did it. I have had one tire blow a belt enough to break the rubber after 50 miles of driving on it with another two of them on the way because these tires were 20 years old. The spare I put on was 40 years old and it made it 5 miles and had a rapid disassembly. Date codes mean things.

 

I was originally replying here but somehow it swap postings on me. Lol sorry for the other very dated posting. It official I am getting old.

In my 52 years of driving I have use a jack exactly 1 time on a brand new Michelin Tires. We replaced the tires on our vehicle before going on vacation back in the day. With a whopping 700 miles on them the entire tread separated on the right front tire at full pressure in it. After pulling to the side of the freeway and changing the tire while the curtain climbers were sleeping I walk back the 1/8 miles to retrieve the tread. The next day at the place where the tires were purchased they made the comment that this was the 8th failure that they had personally seen.

We were given the option to replace the 1 tire or replace all. We went with Goodyear tires. I use either a scissor jack or a mini floor jack. If looking for a light weight spare the 2004 to 2006 GTO Spare weight next to nothing and I would assume the later cars built on the same platform would be the same but haven't checked yet. The Syclone still has the original spare complete with the tire nubs and no I would never use it.

 

One of these.

 

I keep a factory bumper jack in my ‘66 big cars with the instructions on the deck lid underside like Olds intended.

This is a good time to mention to check the tire pressure on your spare sometime soon. When I check pressures of the 4 on the car, I try to remember to check the one in the trunk too.

After that, well - brake fluid, oil, a few tools, extinguisher, disposable gloves and a straw mat to lie on in case it’s necessary.
And yup, that AAA card with a cellphone can’t be beat. I go for the middle membership in CA to get longer tows included if necessary - which it has been on one or 2 occasions.

If you have a larger Olds these days go out of your way to ask for the flatbed truck. Tow trucks these days ain’t as big as they used to be. Also saves on bumper damage.

Chris

 

I recall seeing a vehicle on the side of the highway with a fella standing on the shoulder, talking on his phone. An hour later, I was heading back home and saw the guy still standing on the side of the highway as a AAA truck was pulling up behind him.
Last time I had a flat on the road I changed the tire and was on my way again in 15 minutes.

 

Definitely some truth to this!

AAA isn’t what it use to be. I let my membership expire for exactly this reason. About 4 years ago I got my car out of its winter “dry dock” and took it for a drive. Normally, I either fill the tank completely, or run it low before storage, depending on what the winter plans are. When the fuel gauge showed 1/2 a tank should have been my first clue things weren’t right.

My second clue things weren’t right is when the engine started sputtering and the low fuel pressure light came on, with the fuel gauge still showing 1/2 a tank. Of course, we weren’t exactly halfway between nowhere and someplace else. Called AAA, 2 hours later still waiting.

Daughter #1 punctured a tire on my truck while on spring break last year. Luckily, this happened 1/4 mile from the hotel they were staying in. The tire went flat just as she parked it. Called AAA, it was the next day before they came out to change it. I canceled it after that. I have the exact same coverage thru my insurance, why pay for lousy service when you can get it for free?

 

You guys are a bunch of frikken jinxes.

Today my wife calls and says that one of the tires on her 1985 D88 is nearly flat. Turns out she picked up a screw in the tread. Fortunately she was next door to a service station and limped the car there so they could put on the donut spare for her. Now I get to fix the hole.

 

One thing I really like about ralley wheels is that they are mounted right side up in the A body trunk. I know that the jack base fits in the inside side of the hub hole so a steely is mounted face down in the trunk, but it makes checking the air a bitch.

 

Actually, the PIM shows the steelies mounted right side up also. Yeah, I know this is a 1968 PIM. The 64-67 cars are the same.

 

Couple cans of Fix-a-Flat. G body jack, cheap tire repair kit and a bag of tools. I have gotten lazy in my old age. Head to the first tire shop. And tell them, they need to clean out the Fix-a-Flat with a rag, paper towel, or soap and water. If dried, odorless mineral spirits can be used to remove it.

Just in case, 1/2'' breaker bar with socket to fit the aftermarket lugs locks. Old Ridgid 1/2'' impact with three bay charger. Full charge. And spare for long trips. But the Fix-a-Flat and cheap tire repair kit has worked the few times i had a flat.

Oh, I knocked on wood. To avoid frikken jinxes.

 

Matt,
I found the hard way that if I rely on my insurer for a tow, they count that against my driving record and my premium goes up. Check with your agent before your first tow.
Gary

 

Should have specified, my gripe was about a Chevrolet.

 

This is a very true statement. We had AAA for years and always had the same price forever. Then when we turned 55 years ago the price started going up for our insurance. When I questioned it, the reply was " You are getting older ". I asked what did that have to do with it when we had no tickets, accidents or claims. The reply was " It’s just a matter of time".

We dropped them like a hot potato and now much better insurance for the cars and house for less than 1/2 the cost of AAA vehicle insurance only.

 

What company(ies) did you switch to?

…

 

Being a veteran, I looked into USAA after researching other companies and all of them said that they couldn't even get close to them or offer the services that USAA had.

 

 

You. Are. READY.

 

My Hagerty roadside assistance card. I'm 80

 

WOW surprizing to hear! Guess al companies make boo boos.

I had a set of custom wheels on a car that were hard to balance..

I was going to college in Akron Ohio at the time.

I went to a race car place, while there the owner told me the only tire he'd have on his car is a Michelin, after racing for Firestone for 20 years Go figure!!

before I but new tires I look at the reviews on TireRack.com to see what people say.

Guess any compny can have a bad run.. or some are just bad.. Think Firestone 500.......

 

I was about to say close to the same thing. I have a full size spare, bumper jack and wrench. But that is mainly for the "stock" look. What I would rely on is...AAA. I don't trust bumper jacks. I'd rather be towed home for free, then use the floor jack in the garage to replace the flat.