Spare in your trunk and a jack

That sure would beat a flatbed tire repair. Does the tire fit on the front and rear?
jetman said:
I do a lot of long distance driving in the western US in the our C5 Corvette and Yukon. I always carry a spare, floor jack, and tools, just in case.
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Last time - I check the spare before long trips. It is trivial in the Impala (easy in the trunk) and a little more work on the Tacoma because I have to crawl underneath. Both were checked this past summer.

Jack / tools - Yes for both. On trips in the Impala I pack my 1.5T aluminum floor jack because I wouldn't want to use the bumper jack. In an emergency, sure but they are not a great jack. The Tacoma has the factory jack under the rear seat, I don't pack the floor jack on Tacoma trips I would just use the OE jack if required.

Tire Age (not asked in the post) - The hardest expense for me is replacing a full life tread depth spare tire that has never been used because it is too old. Yes, I have been burned on a visually perfect 11/32 tread depth dry rotted spare. If I have a decent tire left over from a new tire exchange I may use that but that doesn't solve the age issue for very long.

For interest's sake, many of the muscle cars I have owned have had the original spare which I keep. I kept the Impala's OE spare as well, it is taking up space in my shed... but I can't throw it out even though it is unusable due to age.
 
I check the air in the spare every time I check the other tires.

I never thought of the tire's age. The spare in the Lexus is the one that came with the car when it was new - it's has 3 miles on it. I think it's a Continental. Still has the nubs and color circumferential stripes (I have no idea what those denote). The wheel is spotless.
 
I check twice a year. Every time I switch between summer and winter tires. Jetta has a full sized spare and I recently replaced the 10+ year old rubber. Currently debating whether to get a new space saver spare or go full-size for the FRS.
 
The other thing to watch for in many vehicles is the spare-tire hoist seizing.

I replaced the one on our '97 Grand Caravan 2-1/2 years ago, and try to lower the spare and lube the cable at least annually.

Also replaced the one on our son's '09 Kia Sedona in August. Gave the used replacement a good spray of aerosol grease before cranking it up.

Fortunately our other son's vehicle, a 2009 Mazda5, carries the spare inside.
 
Every oil change the original Opel spare gets checked. Jack is in good working order also. I've used both once. 71 Dodge factory jack and wrench are in place, tire carrier is missing so for other than a short trip around town a spare gets checked and put in the bed. 62 Dodge spare gets checked before longer trips or heavy load. Hydraulic jack and wrench get thrown in somewhere also.
 
This is the great thing about a lift. I check often on pickups if I'm walking under it.

Exercising the winch is mandatory, but still my pet-peeve is tires placed with the valve stem facing up. Anyone should be able to check the pressure on their spare without lowering the winch. Any less is ridiculous.
 
atikovi said:
For anybody with a truck having the spare under the bed exposed to the elements, better lower and raise the tire at least once a year, and spray some lube in the mechanism for good measure.
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My cable system is coated in grease.
I had to replace the system when I got the truck, previous cable had been cut (or broke?).
It has been 10 years since I replaced it, have lowered the tire twice since then and was still fine, but do need to do it again, has been 3-4 years since I last dropped it (but did check tire pressure a few weeks ago).
 
I top them off about every 6-8 months. Replace the spares at least every 10 years. Though that reminds me, my ‘07 Sonata has the original donut. Need to look into a replacement.
 
My prii have slime and on-board inflators. I added a full size spare to mine, on alloy rim, so it can take the same lug nuts. Both cars have a plug kit, as that's probably going to be my answer anyway, might as well do it where it happens.

I drove on my Volvo's 23 year old factory donut spare. It was knobby and sounded like an airplane. Knowing Volvo, they probably picked that tread pattern to annoy the drivers so they'd get their tires fixed promptly.
 
I keep a flat tire repair kit and an air pump. I have a spare tire and a jack but the flat repair kit is faster and easier.
 
atikovi said:
The Corolla Hybrid I bought didn't originally come with a spare or even a jack, just compressor and sealant. And those were missing as well.


View attachment 187740

View attachment 187741
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The (new) Corolla Hybrid I bought didn't originally come with a spare or even a jack, just compressor and sealant. And those were missing as well.

The (used) Corolla Hybrid I bought didn't originally come with a spare or even a jack, just compressor and sealant. And those were missing as well.

Which sentence is correct?
 
Check annually. I carry a 12 ton hydraulic bottle jack and 24 inch breaker bar and socket. Plug kit as well. Tundra so I dont want to piss around if I have to install the spare at the road side.

Paco
 
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