Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
For all the spare tire fans, I wonder how many of you have actually pulled out the spare, (annually to check the psi, right?!), and tried to use the 'jack' that came with the car. And, be sure to let the wheels cool at the side of the road, as that 'tool' they supplied is not gonna break heated up lug nuts.
All fwiw...
GL, mD
I generally check the spare tire about every 10-16 months.
As for factory equipment, I have changed my far share of tires and run cross some interesting jacks for sure. The last one I used was on our 04' Tahoe. It had some hook containing everything and all you did was unscrew some plastic wing nut. Well the ears on the wing nut broke offend it was actually a metal nut coated with a plastic wing nut. It took me about 20 minutes jacking with the nut using my multi-tool to finally free the jack. Thankfully it was over cast that day and I was just outside our son's Taekondo class.
It's also a real good ideal to double check you lug wrench fits the lug nuts on your vehicle. Don't just assume it does!
One my friend's dad's passed away out in El Paso. So me and another friend loaded up in his recently bought Jeep and headed out west. We got out side of Van Horn close to El Paso when the Jeep had a flat tire. It wasn't no big deal we thought, we had a new tire/wheel/jack and have both changed our far share of tires. It was going great until we ran across a different size lug nut! Our factory jack came with a one size only lug wrench! we tried everything in the book but that lug nut wasn't coming off without the correct size tool. We sat out there all day until some old timer stopped to help..this was before cell phones was popular and before cellular towers in this area. Anyhow, thankfully this old timer stopped and had a selection of four ways!
Anyhow, I hear a lot of these on country road trips by people and doing okay. I just think you guys get lucky is all. I have driven all over this country and in general, done pretty good my self but flats do happen.
I suggest everyone carry a spare and working jack set up:
I'd rather have a spare but have owned vehicles w/o a spare.
True that. Very few motorcycles have any sort of spare tire, I typically pack along some fix-a-flat. If you have that and some sort of tire pump, 99% of the time that's enough to fix the flats you actually get anymore.
If you are hardcore, get a "string" type tire patching kit and small 12V compressor, short of a blowout or a cut to the sidewall, or a big cut, this will fix any flat, frequently without taking the tire off the car.
If you end up with a car with no spare, you *can* usually get at least a "donut" compact spare and put it in the trunk. You will have to find a place for it yourself, you may or may not want to carry it all the time (although Murphy provides if you leave it home, that will be the day you need it).
Also depends on where you live and drive. If you are in an urban/suburban environment, you can generally get mobile service up to and including mounting a new tire (not sure about balance) for a reasonable price. Out in the Boonies, not so much.
How many of you Vette or hotrod owners replying actually use your vehicle as a daily driver? I'm talking 15,000-20,000 annual milage and it's your only mode of transportation. Weekend cruisers don't count.
Odds are that spare tire you are relying on will be flat when you need it after laying in the trunk for years. No one ever checks the spare until they need it. The people who need a spare are the people who drive around on tires that should heve been tossed years ago. Keep good tires on your car and it would be extremely rare to need the spare.
Odds are that spare tire you are relying on will be flat when you need it after laying in the trunk for years. No one ever checks the spare until they need it. The people who need a spare are the people who drive around on tires that should heve been tossed years ago. Keep good tires on your car and it would be extremely rare to need the spare.
The replies to this thread are comical.
My truck wasn't a year old and got a nail in a tire...it's now 14 months old and has another nail...tires still look brand new! The flat in my wife's Tahoe and friends Jeep was also new tires. Yes, the less tread you have, the less protection you have but to say new tires don't have flats is simply not true. I also check my spare tires about 10-14 months...it only takes a minute to pop on a gauge and add if needed.
That's what AAA is for. everyone these days has a cell phone. I have always had a spare but have never used one, on two of my cars it's still brand new after 9 and 4 years. Still, I'd feel funny without it.
Do not know if it is true - but I was advised to use my spare that came with the car as a new tire because spare's can deteriorate after many years and use one of the tire I replaced it with as a spare
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
