I have a 1994 Camry and have never had to use the spare tire. This tire is now 12 years old. I am replacing the current tires on the auto tomorrow. These tires are 3 years old and have sufficient tread left to be used as a spare. Should I replace the original spare with one of the tires being removed. My concern is the age of the current spare even though it has never been out of the trunk..
Spare Tire Replacement
- Thread starter Farbie
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It would partly depend on why you are replacing the 4 current tires. What is sufficient tread? I assume the car hasn't had to sit for really extended periods of time? Is your current spare full size? Just curious, is the existing spare flat?
If ever, you'll only be using the spare tire for an extremely short distance, so its condition is really unimportant.
12 years is a long time and we know that rubber deteriortaes over time, even if the tire is not used. You have a right to be concerned.
It certainly would not hurt to replace the unused spare with something more recent. I would consider that if you continue with the old tire as the spare, that circumstances may dicate you using the spare for a far greater distance than you might plan for. What would happen if the spare failed, too?
It certainly would not hurt to replace the unused spare with something more recent. I would consider that if you continue with the old tire as the spare, that circumstances may dicate you using the spare for a far greater distance than you might plan for. What would happen if the spare failed, too?
If you have an acceptible tire to use, why not just go ahead and replace the spare? Cheap insurance in my humble opinion. If it is a full sized version, you could just buy an "el cheapo" brand new one and use that as the spare.
If it is a full size spare and you can swap one of the 3yr old ones on that rim then I would definitely do it. A 12 year old tire is not safe for even short distances. I wouldn't trust it. Tires are good for at least 6 years probably. As long as the 3yr old tires have ok tread I would go for it and switch them. Or buy a cheap new tire for the spare.
Hermann
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Agree!
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Not to say that this is another one of them "you have to change your brake fluid or you'll rot in the great abyss for all enternity" type things ...
..but..I've had decade old spares work just fine. I imagine if they were deteriated, they just wouldn't hold air. They typically are not subjected to the ozone checking that tires which are exposed to sunlight get (among other things).
..but if you're concerned ..then by all means replace it. The anxiety alone isn't worth the cost difference.
..but..I've had decade old spares work just fine. I imagine if they were deteriated, they just wouldn't hold air. They typically are not subjected to the ozone checking that tires which are exposed to sunlight get (among other things).
..but if you're concerned ..then by all means replace it. The anxiety alone isn't worth the cost difference.
A 12 year old tire that's been in the trunk all that time MIGHT work, but I would not trust it or a tire that's anywhere near that old. Replace it.
Just so you know that when you read on I agree about that there is some room for discussion.
Sorry, but the rubber that is inside the tire is different than the rest of the tire and it's air retention properties last much longer than the structural rubber - belt insulation, ply skim, etc.
Ozone is everywhere, but so is oxygen and either of these 2 things can cause rubber to deteriorate. Recent research seems to point to a time related phenomenon rather than something related to fatigue.
Bottomline is that you can't tell by looking at a tire if it is good (age wise), but you can tell if it is bad!
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Well, with all due respect and acknowledgement of your well stated points......
Yes, ozone is everywhere ..however I've never seen UV damage on something that has been kept in the shade (UV=ozone).
All the other stuff you mention is fine and dandy ..and if your wallet is ample enough to leave a perfectly functional spare unused for over a decade, leave it in perfect shape, and discard it for whatever reason ...then far be it from me to attempt to alter your feelings in this matter.
I, however, have many OEM items on my only ancient vehicle and have no intention of spending (potentially) over $100 for a tire that, when used in the recent past, has proven to be 100% reliable.
If anyone can tell me how a spare failing on the road is any different from having your regular tire failing ...even catastrophically .in terms of safety???
Hence ALL you are left with is the inconvenience of being stranded until the road service guy can get around to you.
Again, I'd never get in the way with a man parting with his money. The anxiety of not doing it is worth the $$ spent.
As a semi-informal survey:
How many of you have had cause to use your spare in the past 10-15 years on the same vehicle??
My 1992 mini-van
Once about two years ago when my son borrowed it to go to NC. This was the OEM spare.
My next to last event was with my mother's 1986 Corsica in 1995 where I saw the low tire, and instead of getting it fixed, just added air. It ran low again and upon filling it again (going to work) it developed a bulge. It blew and I used the space saver spare until the next day.
Before that it was in 1987 on our 1986 Tempo. I hit something nasty on the road and it wouldn't hold air long. I bought a new tire.
That's 3 instances in 20 years. One from neglect ..one from road hazard ..the other unknown.
btw- is there any NTSB advice or regulation of spare tires ..in terms of a static fatigue rate? Any OEM recommendation to discard one (there may be - I've never heard of it)?? Even in something like our hopelessly anal Audi type car?
If no such authoritative information exists (it may-I've just never seen it in print
) then we are indeed debating folklore. Not bad advice, by any means, but folklore none the less.
Yes, ozone is everywhere ..however I've never seen UV damage on something that has been kept in the shade (UV=ozone).
All the other stuff you mention is fine and dandy ..and if your wallet is ample enough to leave a perfectly functional spare unused for over a decade, leave it in perfect shape, and discard it for whatever reason ...then far be it from me to attempt to alter your feelings in this matter.
I, however, have many OEM items on my only ancient vehicle and have no intention of spending (potentially) over $100 for a tire that, when used in the recent past, has proven to be 100% reliable.
If anyone can tell me how a spare failing on the road is any different from having your regular tire failing ...even catastrophically .in terms of safety???
Hence ALL you are left with is the inconvenience of being stranded until the road service guy can get around to you.
Again, I'd never get in the way with a man parting with his money. The anxiety of not doing it is worth the $$ spent.
As a semi-informal survey:
How many of you have had cause to use your spare in the past 10-15 years on the same vehicle??
My 1992 mini-van
Once about two years ago when my son borrowed it to go to NC. This was the OEM spare.
My next to last event was with my mother's 1986 Corsica in 1995 where I saw the low tire, and instead of getting it fixed, just added air. It ran low again and upon filling it again (going to work) it developed a bulge. It blew and I used the space saver spare until the next day.
Before that it was in 1987 on our 1986 Tempo. I hit something nasty on the road and it wouldn't hold air long. I bought a new tire.
That's 3 instances in 20 years. One from neglect ..one from road hazard ..the other unknown.
btw- is there any NTSB advice or regulation of spare tires ..in terms of a static fatigue rate? Any OEM recommendation to discard one (there may be - I've never heard of it)?? Even in something like our hopelessly anal Audi type car?
If no such authoritative information exists (it may-I've just never seen it in print
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FWIW, I would rather have it and know it's good and not need it, than need it and have it fail too. How many out there want to be stranded on the shoulder during a vacation road trip? Or even the trip to work? Not me. You have valid points but I would rather spend $50 on a decent cheapy (new) tire for a little piece of mind than have my wife and son sitting in the car waiting for a tow truck.
I have used the spare on my POV twice in my 18 years of driving. I have been lucky so far. I changed a tire (1993 Corolla) with and object embedded in it for safety concerns (used the compact spare). I changed another tire (2003 Matrix) after a blow out due to a road hazzard (used the compact spare). None of these vehicles were that old when the tires went so the age of the spare isn't relevent. I did, however, replace a 10 year old full sized spare on another Toyota I owned when I had the rest of the tires replaced, just in case. I ended up taking a 1600+ mile round trip to New York shortly thereafter and luckily, didn't have to find out if I made the right choice.
On my patrol cars though, I was going through a tire every couple of weeks usually. I once picked up nails and had to change a flat. On the way to the repair shop, another one went flat (road debris probably) and I had to get my car towed. I have changed countless tires on the shoulder for folks who, for whatever reason, just neglected their tires. I can't even count the times that the spares were flat too (obviously not a "failure" issue but just a lack of maint issue).
I have used the spare on my POV twice in my 18 years of driving. I have been lucky so far. I changed a tire (1993 Corolla) with and object embedded in it for safety concerns (used the compact spare). I changed another tire (2003 Matrix) after a blow out due to a road hazzard (used the compact spare). None of these vehicles were that old when the tires went so the age of the spare isn't relevent. I did, however, replace a 10 year old full sized spare on another Toyota I owned when I had the rest of the tires replaced, just in case. I ended up taking a 1600+ mile round trip to New York shortly thereafter and luckily, didn't have to find out if I made the right choice.
On my patrol cars though, I was going through a tire every couple of weeks usually. I once picked up nails and had to change a flat. On the way to the repair shop, another one went flat (road debris probably) and I had to get my car towed. I have changed countless tires on the shoulder for folks who, for whatever reason, just neglected their tires. I can't even count the times that the spares were flat too (obviously not a "failure" issue but just a lack of maint issue).
Gary,
Here's some information that may be of interest.
Both Ford and Chrysler have come out with a 6 year replacement recommendation on tires, but I don't think they specifically mentioned spares. Many tire manufacturers have also published stuff on aging and they do mention spares. There is some variability about the limits - 6 years and 10 years are the common values, but certainly no one has said anything greater than 10 years.
But there more than just flats when we talk about tire aging. Tread separations can result in some pretty tragic situations, which is why I mentioned the structual rubber components, rather than air retention.
I realize there is an economic issue here, and most of us don't bother worrying about the spare in our cars. But nevertheless, it is better to understand what is at stake and how big the risks are rather than be uninformed. I'd prefer folks use common sense, and take reasonable risks and the only way to do that is with information.
And this is a good forum for information exchange.
Here's some information that may be of interest.
Both Ford and Chrysler have come out with a 6 year replacement recommendation on tires, but I don't think they specifically mentioned spares. Many tire manufacturers have also published stuff on aging and they do mention spares. There is some variability about the limits - 6 years and 10 years are the common values, but certainly no one has said anything greater than 10 years.
But there more than just flats when we talk about tire aging. Tread separations can result in some pretty tragic situations, which is why I mentioned the structual rubber components, rather than air retention.
I realize there is an economic issue here, and most of us don't bother worrying about the spare in our cars. But nevertheless, it is better to understand what is at stake and how big the risks are rather than be uninformed. I'd prefer folks use common sense, and take reasonable risks and the only way to do that is with information.
And this is a good forum for information exchange.
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If that's their recommendation, great. I've just never seen it and absolutely never heard about it until this thread. I hope you understand my sceptic like response.
I'd surely appreciate it if anyone actually has a link to bona fide text on this ..or can quote a document in their posession. If you don't ..then if and when you do, I'd appreciate you keeping me in mind for I would like to get the para-science rhetorical presentation that the tire man (or whomever) uses.
I will also seek out some local sources that are in the trade to see if I can find such information.
I'd surely appreciate it if anyone actually has a link to bona fide text on this ..or can quote a document in their posession. If you don't ..then if and when you do, I'd appreciate you keeping me in mind for I would like to get the para-science rhetorical presentation that the tire man (or whomever) uses.
I will also seek out some local sources that are in the trade to see if I can find such information.
Kestas
Staff member
I've heard it before. I believe I've also heard that the DOT or NHTSA was considering coming out with a recommendation or mandate of getting tires older than 6 years off the road. I doubt it will be mandated though.
Here's a news story on the subject.
http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2005/nhtsa_tires2.html
And here's the Ford bulletin:
http://www.ford.com/en/innovation/safety/resources/tireSafety.htm
I'll try to find other source documents, but my experience is that they are sometimes difficult to locate.
http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2005/nhtsa_tires2.html
And here's the Ford bulletin:
http://www.ford.com/en/innovation/safety/resources/tireSafety.htm
I'll try to find other source documents, but my experience is that they are sometimes difficult to locate.
Police this one! Actually, this would be fairly simple during roadchecks for those states which still allow them and during yearly inspections for those states with them. It would take some education on the importance as well as the ability to read the DOT codes. I can't tell you the times I've been behind people throwing sparks from the steel belts (more of a wear/maint issue than an age probably). If you have a link, I would be very interested in reading it.
So to revive a nearly two year dead thread, where does one get a replacement compact spare?
Originally Posted By: javacontour
So to revive a nearly two year dead thread, where does one get a replacement compact spare?
I was looking for one about 3 years ago for my 96 Corvette. According to Goodyear, the only way you can get a new donut spare tire is to buy the tire/wheel combination for an ungodly price. The only place mine was available was from Chevy dealers.
The only way I know, short of bending over and grabbing your ankles at a dealer, is to go to a wrecking yard and buy a used one.
According to Goodyear, it isn't safe to use normal tire shop equipment to mount/dismount donut spares. They may have been blowing smoke, but I couldn't find anyplace that sold them.
So to revive a nearly two year dead thread, where does one get a replacement compact spare?
I was looking for one about 3 years ago for my 96 Corvette. According to Goodyear, the only way you can get a new donut spare tire is to buy the tire/wheel combination for an ungodly price. The only place mine was available was from Chevy dealers.
The only way I know, short of bending over and grabbing your ankles at a dealer, is to go to a wrecking yard and buy a used one.
According to Goodyear, it isn't safe to use normal tire shop equipment to mount/dismount donut spares. They may have been blowing smoke, but I couldn't find anyplace that sold them.
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