Yep, the tire is sitting in the back of the Burb. I gave the underside of the truck a shot of Krown. The rust is present but not structural yet.Am kicking myself for not buying 5 tires for our CRV, as the spare is 20 years old and rock hard. I told the shop to rotate the "best" used tire to be the spare. Nope, they didn't.On this AWD that happens to have a full size spare, I should have planned to do 5 tire rotations, worn all 5 evenly, and planned to buy 5 at a time in the future.
Currently the others have mini spares and I should check those more often, but I really don't want to use either. Shame they aren't full sized and I could then "force" myself into 5 tire rotations, and then they are part of the routine.
OP, I wonder, did you try lowering the spare? I want to say, these trucks are known for rust back there. Sounds like it's time to just replace the whole thing.
Aging Spare Tire
- Thread starter Snagglefoot
- Start date
The thing that impressed me the most was the spare tire winch actually worked for you. I'm assuming you exercise it somewhat regularly. Those things will lock up solid by their 3rd winter where I live if you never touch them.
I replaced my spare from 2000 (265/70/16) with a 10 year old Michelin that was on the car when I bought it. The Michelin is the same size as the tires I'm running now but bigger than the original spare so I threw the original tire cover away. The original spare looked to be in great condition but I didn't want to run mismatched size tires and I trust the newer but more cracked Michelin to get me to a tire shop.
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- Jun 26, 2023
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- 350
I had a 93 Ranger about 5 years ago that still had an original recall-era rollover Firestone under the bed as a spare. Still held air. Haha
Tire was a out 20 yo at the time, 22ish?
Tire was a out 20 yo at the time, 22ish?
Things like this is what BITOG members unique. This is an excellent maintenance item that requires simple occasional maintenance to keep the tire ready and safe when you need it as well as keeping you able to access the tire on the side of the road with the hoist mechanism. I just know there are tons of people rolling around with old and low/flat spares along with the possibility the mechanism is froze up. With that, I check the spare tire pressure at each oil change while I am checking everything else out. I also wipe the entire tire down (both sidewalls) with tire protectant and wipe the rim with some quick spray wax. I don't excercise the hoist as much as I should but I have cranked it up and down a few times over the years. Doing this minimal maintenance seems to keep everything clean and in good operation.
I just got back from Canadian Tire. They didn’t bat an eye and the mechanic replaced the air valve. He said the rubber of the old valve was too hard to pull it out and he had to cut it off. I power washed the tire and rim and will spray some left-over Rustoleum on the rim before I hoist it back up. They charged me $50 CDN or $35 USD including tax. This included busting the bead to install the new valve.
With a bit of left over Rustoleum and an old can of No Touch tire dressing, the tire is ready to go back up. It’s a LT Tire and the pressure is 60 psi. I intend to mount the tire with the valve on the bottom, to the rear.
I’m 57. In all my years driving I’ve used a spare tire once. It was on my 98 Yukon about twenty years ago.
I’m a freak about keeping the tires on our cars in good condition. I also keep a plug kit and a bicycle pump in my Suburban at all times. I’ve installed a plug here or there.
The stock 09 spare is still under my truck. I’ve checked it a few times. I bet it’s flat now. I’ll check it when I get home.
I’m a freak about keeping the tires on our cars in good condition. I also keep a plug kit and a bicycle pump in my Suburban at all times. I’ve installed a plug here or there.
The stock 09 spare is still under my truck. I’ve checked it a few times. I bet it’s flat now. I’ll check it when I get home.
Here are a few shots of getting the tire back up.I sprayed the crank gizmo up the Ying Yang with Krown, then cranked the cable with the tire valve positioned closest to the bumper. The round red circles show the crank assembly and the position of the valve. The last shot is at an angle. The valve is next to the bumper. Enjoy. All done until the next flat or rear diff service.
By the way, that’s an optical illusion that the valve cap is against the rim. It has a normal size valve stem.
Geta full size wheel the same as the other 4 and run the "spare" every tire rotation.
Our truck is 18 years old and is mostly a camper tow pig. If I ever need that spare it'll be 300 miles from home and heavily loaded. Our back axle is "only" 5500 pounds loaded, so it needs to be a tire in good condition.
My dad was the prior owner of the truck and had the same concern. As such, he found a non-rusty rim and put a brand new Michelin on it in the same size as the rest of the rolling stock. Apparently he found a deal. He mounted the tire in 2019 but the date code is from 2012. Still has the sticker on it.
In the back of my mind I've considered replacing it. When I retire the present set of tires (due to age, not mileage) I'll likely put one of them on as the spare.
Someday I'll be nerdy enough to have a tire gauge that reads PSIA rather than PSIG.
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