Just got a flat tire on my pickup. The design that they have come up with needs some serious improvement. Thankfully I was just left the house when I realized I had a flat and had tools available. The whole carrier for the spare is all made of steel and was rusted together. It became almost an hour ordeal (with a couple breaks for a cold one ofcoarse). It would cost a little more but if it was January on the side of a highway i would happily pay another $100 on a truck if the assembly was made if stainless steel. When I put it back I'll clean it all up and coat in in never-seize but it's ridiculous that it has to be this way.
Spare tires!!!!
- Thread starter Chuckinator
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I was shocked to find the factory spare in its home on my 19 year old F150. I cut it down, as it was useless in its rust welded state, wirebrushed and painted the rim, and put it in service with my nearly bald one rotated to "loose spare" status.
OTOH the "wire winch" style seem to have plastic in all the important places and rarely seize.
OTOH the "wire winch" style seem to have plastic in all the important places and rarely seize.
I have the wire winch. No plastics on it though.
Also the wheel on the other side the tip of the valve rotted away under the cap. What kinda garbage is that?!
Yah You pretty much described the Rat's spare carrier 20 yrs down the road. A hinged, cheaped out assembly rusted to flinders. I would love the rig my 71 Datsun had. Meantime, the spare rides in the bed. Constantly in the way, but readily available. Its from an Exploder and needs to be monitored. I am contemplating hanging the spare from a short hank of 12/3 Romex and carrying a pair of dikes in the kit. For a rig that has traveled 800 miles in the last year, I'm not getting too excited.
JHZR2
Staff member
I think my wire winch was coated in grease from the factory. The spare tire lock from the factory was another story...
The mechanism on my dad's pickup rusted up after it was a few years old. We ended up having to unbolt it from the frame. Was crazy!
Its always worth checking them and carrying a can of penetrating oil. Iv never had this problem but you would figure between steel rim and salt on half the roads in this country part of the year the underbody wouldn't be the best spot.
Only took me a few flats to learn the value of a true car jack.
Got a mini one and stands (carry them at all times). I had to take my sons car once. Had a blow out. I knew their was a spare (since I purchased it).
Anyways he had one of those .. I guess butterfly jacks? With no handle.. Ended up spending a good 45 mins turning the jack with my little trapper pocket knife...
Only took me a few flats to learn the value of a true car jack.
Got a mini one and stands (carry them at all times). I had to take my sons car once. Had a blow out. I knew their was a spare (since I purchased it).
Anyways he had one of those .. I guess butterfly jacks? With no handle.. Ended up spending a good 45 mins turning the jack with my little trapper pocket knife...
You have to love the older ford carriers = not
I drop the spare every year on my Uplander and grease the cable & holder.
I clean and repaint the rim, fill the tire with air and reinstall.
The van is 7 yrs old and the mechanism works smooth as glass.
I clean and repaint the rim, fill the tire with air and reinstall.
The van is 7 yrs old and the mechanism works smooth as glass.
the '05+ Chrysler/Dodge Minivans have a similar setup...Under the Front Seats, with the crank point inside the cabin. had to move it up there to make way for the cubbies for the stow-n-go seats.
Originally Posted By: andyd
Meantime, the spare rides in the bed. Constantly in the way, but readily available.
Until stolen.
Meantime, the spare rides in the bed. Constantly in the way, but readily available.
Until stolen.
Originally Posted By: earlyre
the '05+ Chrysler/Dodge Minivans have a similar setup...Under the Front Seats, with the crank point inside the cabin. had to move it up there to make way for the cubbies for the stow-n-go seats.
Yep. One of the first things that I did with the '07 T&C was to drop it, drag it out, check the air pressure in the spare, lube the winch, and then put it back.
the '05+ Chrysler/Dodge Minivans have a similar setup...Under the Front Seats, with the crank point inside the cabin. had to move it up there to make way for the cubbies for the stow-n-go seats.
Yep. One of the first things that I did with the '07 T&C was to drop it, drag it out, check the air pressure in the spare, lube the winch, and then put it back.
Originally Posted By: Papa Bear
I drop the spare every year on my Uplander and grease the cable & holder.
I clean and repaint the rim, fill the tire with air and reinstall.
The van is 7 yrs old and the mechanism works smooth as glass.
Sounds like a great idea. What kind of grease do you use? My previous JGC had a full-size spare inside the cargo area. Now my Durango has a temp spare underneath the exterior (like a truck).
I drop the spare every year on my Uplander and grease the cable & holder.
I clean and repaint the rim, fill the tire with air and reinstall.
The van is 7 yrs old and the mechanism works smooth as glass.
Sounds like a great idea. What kind of grease do you use? My previous JGC had a full-size spare inside the cargo area. Now my Durango has a temp spare underneath the exterior (like a truck).
Originally Posted By: Papa Bear
I drop the spare every year on my Uplander and grease the cable & holder.
I clean and repaint the rim, fill the tire with air and reinstall.
The van is 7 yrs old and the mechanism works smooth as glass.
Other than repainting the rim, I do the same thing to my pickup and our Durango once a year.
I drop the spare every year on my Uplander and grease the cable & holder.
I clean and repaint the rim, fill the tire with air and reinstall.
The van is 7 yrs old and the mechanism works smooth as glass.
Other than repainting the rim, I do the same thing to my pickup and our Durango once a year.
Yeah, This is one of the reasons why car manufacturers are looking for ways to eliminate the spare tire. They know they have a problem, but they have not come up with a good solution. They know that some people absolutely will not tolerate a no spare situation, but they also know that the need for a spare is much, much lower than it was, say, 40 years ago when they first introduced alternatives to a full size spare. Even then it was recognized that a spare tire was an issue.
I do like having the spare under the floor in the trunk. Its clean and easy to get to. To save space and weight, I don't know why they don't just make the spare into a thinner disc with a solid tire? Then it truly would be an emergency tire.
I got a nail in the back tire on the Focus and ran the spare for 50 miles and it was almost unnoticeable except for when I took some corners fast to see what it would do.
I got a nail in the back tire on the Focus and ran the spare for 50 miles and it was almost unnoticeable except for when I took some corners fast to see what it would do.
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