Spare tire alert

[gkhashem]

I do have AAA and Hagerty but for a simple flat in my area I would put the spare on for a 5-10 mile drive to the nearest garage to get a plug in the tire if that's all it needs.

So I wonder if I should buy a new spare for $60?  But like I said mine all hold air and look new.

The reason I posted this thread was because I had never given it much thought. Shame on me, I usually think of this sort of thing.

No one has commented on the 41 year old 1978 CDV with the tire inflation scheme in my trunk. Do you think that would still work?

[bcroe]

I have no time for crawling to a service station for a repair, try that in
Montana in the middle of the night (where I have been).  Then the station
in MN says they will not have time, for a day.  I have driven across several
states (at max speed) on the spare. 

6 cars here ALL have full blown spares (previously driven and rotated in
to keep fresh/safe).  The bumper jacks are gone too, a frame jack is
so much better/safer.  I sold some of it to an owner for authenticity. 

[gkhashem]

If the station does not have 10 minutes to plug a tire, that's not a place to ask them for anything and they deserve to go out of business.

Never in my life have I ever had someone refuse to plug a tire if that's all I needed.

You must live in quite an area of the country. Plus who ever said to drive 6 states on a doughnut spare?

Plus most people are not six states away in a classic car. If that's what you use as a driver OK put in a spare.

[bcroe]

Plus most people are not six states away in a classic car. If that's what you use as a driver OK put in a spare.

I put a real spare in my 80 the day after it was delivered, currently at 325,000 miles. 
My 1982 in this century has been to Canada, Florida, California, and New Hampshire
with no problems thanks to a dead reliable drive train.  They have all been to the coast
over the years.  Bruce Roe

[gkhashem]

I put a real spare in my 80 the day after it was delivered, currently at 325,000 miles. 
My 1982 in this century has been to Canada, Florida, California, and New Hampshire
with no problems thanks to a dead reliable drive train.  They have all been to the coast
over the years.  Bruce Roe

Fantastic, congratulations! 

The point of the thread was if you do not have a full spare, check the doughnut spare since it most likely is flat after 30+ years. The thing is out of sight and out of mind. Even if it's never been out of the trunk. I was never intending to debate full spare v doughnut. Of course I would rather have a full spare, but smaller cars have kind of made it very inconvenient. That's for another thread I guess.

[cadman56]

Quite gald you brought up this issue.  I had forgotten to check mine.  I took it to  my tire dealor yesterday to check it out.  Looks like it was just installed.  They pressured up the tire and said I was good to go.
Now, it is a 1991 vintage tiere so if I have to use it  it would be at a much reduced speed and short distance.
Thanks again.

[bcroe]

Those tiny spares are another example of mfrs cutting corners to the detriment
of the consumer.  Paying for a car with 5 useful wheel/tire units, suddenly only
delivering 4.  The savings to the mfr is pretty small, but the consumer will
eventually have to spend an extra $100 or so for a tire, and perhaps a similar
amount for a rim.  Inconvenience to the consumer on the road , or the dangers
of driving on one of those not even considered.  Just slap a 50 mph label on it
and assume the owner will not get rear ended, lose control, or drive faster. 

Ultimately the public is at fault for not screaming bloody murder.  They only see
FIRST COST, and never WHAT IF (something goes wrong).  If they were all like
me, there would have been a class action suit over value, convenience, and
safety.  Bruce Roe

[gkhashem]

Quite gald you brought up this issue.  I had forgotten to check mine.  I took it to  my tire dealor yesterday to check it out.  Looks like it was just installed.  They pressured up the tire and said I was good to go.
Now, it is a 1991 vintage tiere so if I have to use it  it would be at a much reduced speed and short distance.
Thanks again.

Your welcome. That was my point to maybe save someone a bit of grief. I do not intend to drive cross country on a doughnut.

Now as to whether car makers are being cheap. They sure are. But also with smaller cars, smaller trunks too. So at least the spare does not take up the whole trunk.

So there is some benefit I guess.

[The Tassie Devil(le)]

........Now as to whether car makers are being cheap. They sure are. But also with smaller cars, smaller trunks too. So at least the spare does not take up the whole trunk.  So there is some benefit I guess. 

The biggest benefit is size and weight.

Anything the car makers can do to reduce weight, improves fuel consumption figures.   Multiply the savings over the number of vehicles being made, and the figures are astounding.

Don't forget that some car makers don't even bother to include a spare at all.   Just an inflation kit.   And one day, weight will get less when they don't even supply a jack.   Remember when a tool kit meant that, tools in a kit, that the operator could actually do things to their car.

As for consumer complaints, these days the consumer hardly ever complains.

Bruce.

[Maynard Krebs]

Bruce, I believe that one reason why "the customer hardly ever complains" is because the manufacturers and/or suppliers provide only an "800" telephone number, answered by someone with poor English, a half-a-world away.

If I ever get to take my dream trip of 3250 miles, I'll be carrying a full-size spare AND a 'donut' spare..... as well as other valuable / useful stuff that takes up little room in the trunk or wherever.   And, yes, a better-than-OEM jack, too.

[Scot Minesinger]

Before I set out on my drive to KY from VA to GN2109 I checked my 1970 DVC thoroughly.  The only adjustment was to add air to the spare tire (which probably had not been done since last long trip in it to NY in 2014 or so.  Was at 25 psig, and with a full size Diamondback radial, like to run at 32 psig, so inflated it up.  In traveling, I bring a floor jack in the trunk along with jack stand, blocks of wood and etc. as may be needed.

I think the original point of the post was to keep your 100% authentic classic that is in good mechanical repair and roadworthy with a space saver spare fully inflated.

On this issue of a shop not willing to perform a $5 tire plug repair, well that is all to common and a trend.  Frankly with my own business, low revenue, low profit jobs are only undertaken if necessary by a great client that rewards me with high revenue high profit jobs.  Consequently I try and do all the very important low cost, low revenue car work myself (plus of course the high dollar stuff too), such as oil changes, tire balancing, tire rotation tire plugs, and the like myself.  You cannot run a business performing $5 services that take quarter of an hour when you consider the greeting, accounting, risk goodbye, and all.  Then later the $1,000 repair is not given to the $5 service shop, but to the low bidder who was not lowering profit by doing small jobs. 

Just read the self starter article on page 4 of the SS this month about the 1965 SDV - mechanic forgot to tighten distributor clamp nut in timing adjustment, forgot to change alternator, and etc. - a subject for another post.  Modern mechanics are not in business to work on older cars.

Check your spares everybody, space saver of full size and abide by the published operating instructions issued by the manufacturer.