Tow Vehicle Spare - Have you checked it?

[WayneAt63044]

We all talk and read about trailer tire issues but when is the last time you considered your tow vehicle spare? The spare under my 2009 Ram 1500 has never been on the ground and at 12 years old I'll be replacing it. I'm not sure of it's condition but at that age, even though the sun has not gotten to it, I figure it's time for a change. I've ordered 4 new tires and will move the best of the removed tires to the spare. What good is a spare if you cannot rely on it?

Just food for thought as we all plan our travels for the new RVing season. Be safe out there!

[ZINGERLITE]

hussbuss wrote:
Funny this came up today. Putting 4 new drive tires onto my Dually on Wed. Not worn out just aged out 14 years old. shop owner, long time friend asked about the spare tire. How old it was. Original 25 year tire from 95. said well guessed he will have to put a new lift cable on it to. Never been down.

I think the problem with those is you don't think about it until you need it. Then its too late and your on the side of the road with a spare you can't get to. Sooo frustrating lol.

[hussbuss]

Funny this came up today. Putting 4 new drive tires onto my Dually on Wed. Not worn out just aged out 14 years old. shop owner, long time friend asked about the spare tire. How old it was. Original 25 year tire from 95. said well guessed he will have to put a new lift cable on it to. Never been down.

[ZINGERLITE]

I ended up ordering a new spare rim from rock auto and the local tire shop had a used tire with good life left in it that matched the 4 on my truck. spent under $100. Good to GO!

Also, always check the spare when your checking your tires pre-trip. its part of my routine now. If you have an older tow vehicle in the salt belt id also recomend trying to remove your spare and greasing/replacing the mechanism. Ive gotten burned a few times by my chevy spare latch. On your back in a slushy/snowy/wet parking lot is not the time to fight with it lol. Its so rusty that it wont work properly. the cable comes out all the way and the latch wont release. The tire stays stuck hanging from the latch. The last time i got it off i cut the tab off. No issues since lol.

[valhalla360]

CharlesinGA wrote:
If the tire you are removing from the ground to spare is 6 yo or more Discount tire will not remount it.

This is the difference between truck and trailer tires.

It's nothing to see trailers with 6-10yr old tires, most people simply don't wear them out. They age out. So when you get new rubber, putting one of the old ones on the spare, doesn't make as much sense.

With the truck, most people are swapping out every 3-4yrs as the tire wears out (tread wears down), so there is lots of "age" left in the tire. Again, I wouldn't recommend using it long term but it's a cheap way to keep a decent spare available.

[frisco_dave]

Very thing happened to me last year. taking the camper out for spring break, and my Expedition hit a fairly small wood block on the highway. Didn't think anything of it, until the next day in the campsite, when I saw the front suv tire flat.

Pulled the spare out, which...was still original to the suv- 9 years old. Put it on, and drove to Discount Tire, 40 miles away. Was a little nervous the whole way out.

Got the original tire replaced, and also replaced the spare with a cheaper tire, for the reason others have said- no need to spend money for a Michelin LTX if it isn't ever gonna see the ground. Also adding to my checklist to check the psi in the spare a few times a year.

Great topic OP- you're right, nobody ever thinks about the tv spare.

[CharlesinGA]

If the tire you are removing from the ground to spare is 6 yo or more Discount tire will not remount it.

I had a 2007 dated trailer spare, brand new, very nice, that I was replacing. I normally don't deal with Discount Tire but they gave me the best price on the trailer tires. I wanted that spare mounted on a wheel for my utility trailer that most of the time doesn't leave the yard, or go very far if it does. They refused, I took the tire to my usual family owned tire shop and had them swap it over.

Charles

[mbopp]

I used to work in a tire shop. If we weren't busy I'd check a customer's spare air pressure when they got tires. And +1 on lubing the cables, more than once I had to point out to the customer that the cable had broken (rusted) and they had lost their spare tire.

[CavemanCharlie]

theoldwizard1 wrote:
Anyone who lives in an area with snow, especially if the road crews use salt, should lower the spare at least once a year. Not only to check tire pressure but to spray some lubricant on the mechanism. Fluid Film is good !

Good advice as is this whole thread. Check the air in the spare once and awhile too. Sucks to take it all the way down and mount it to find out that it is almost flat.

I had a 2005 Chevy pickup and that truck has some sort of convoluted way of lowering the spare. You had to use the jack to push up in the middle while lowering the outside down. (Or something like that). I ended up needing to cut the spare off with a torch and then adding a aftermarket spare tire holder underneath that actually worked.

[valhalla360]

theoldwizard1 wrote:
Anyone who lives in an area with snow, especially if the road crews use salt, should lower the spare at least once a year. Not only to check tire pressure but to spray some lubricant on the mechanism. Fluid Film is good !

And to figure out the mechanism. Had a heck of a time as Ford put in an antitheft device and when my brand new tire leaked, it took some nice guys stopping by in the parking lot before we figured it out.

[theoldwizard1]

Anyone who lives in an area with snow, especially if the road crews use salt, should lower the spare at least once a year. Not only to check tire pressure but to spray some lubricant on the mechanism. Fluid Film is good !

[valhalla360]

I've had the dealer put one of the old tires on the spare tire rim if it's significantly newer. Of course, I this presumes you don't wait until the steel belts are showing thru before replacing your tires.

Throwing a 3yr old tire on that is light on tread (vs 12yr old with full tread) keeps a reasonably fresh set of rubber available and they haven't charged me for it when I'm buying a set of 4 with installation.

If I had a blowout, I would only use the spare until I could get a new tire.

Seems like a fair tradeoff compared to $200-250 for a tire that is likely never to touch the pavement.

[Beverley_Ken]

Actually good advice for any spare tire. A friend had a flat yesterday on her car yesterday, and had to put the donut spare on, it was too soft to drive on. It was the first time that it had ever been taken out of the trunk. Ironically, she had ordered new tires 4 days earlier, but delivery date was about 2 weeks.

Ken

[wing_zealot]

Can I have your old spare?