How old is your spare?

Astro14 said:
So, effectively, you don’t have a spare. A 23 year old tire may, or may not, hold air when you put a load on it.
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I was curious about that when I needed it a year ago. It was low, but held air. Only drove about 2 miles to the local Wheel Works (Firestone). They honored the warranty and gave me a new Bridgestone Dueller(?) for next to nothing. I have FJ wheels....
But your point is well taken. Maybe I should consider replacing the ancient spare.... I love this truck. It is the best tool I own.
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JeffKeryk said:
I was curious about that when I needed it a year ago. It was low, but held air. Only drove about 2 miles to the local Wheel Works (Firestone). They honored the warranty and gave me a new Bridgestone Dueller(?) for next to nothing. I have FJ wheels....
But your point is well taken. Maybe I should consider replacing the ancient spare.... I love this truck. It is the best tool I own.
View attachment 247681
Click to expand...
Many years ago, I was a captain in the Navy, and I was the deputy Commander of Maritime squadron, which meant that my ancient 1990 Toyota 4 Runner was parked in front of the headquarters building.

It was subject to more scrutiny than I would have imagined.

One day, one of my sailors came up and pointed out that my spare tire (which was mounted on the rear of the truck, on a swing out carrier) was approximately 15 years old, and that it was unsafe.

I had a brand new BFGoodrich installed on the spare tire carrier that afternoon.

There were a few important reasons for my speed in replacing it, first, the young man was correct, but more importantly, I needed to show him, as well as the rest of the sailors, that I valued their opinion, and that I took safety seriously.

Now, that tire was exposed to a great deal of UV, given its mounting position, but it doesn’t change the logic of replacing a spare tire based solely on age.
 
Our oldest vehicle is a 2017 - even that spare was upgraded from a huge donut - to a Cooper SRX - and that’s what is on all 4 corners …
So the spare is 5 years old, but I am due to lower and service …
 
When I bought the 2012 xB I replaced two of the tires and saved the best of the takeoffs, then bought a full-size tire and wheel at the junkyard with the intent of putting the takeoff on the full sized wheel and replacing the donut. The tire on the junkyard spare is a 2004 but it looks beautiful and has obviously spent its entire life in the trunk. I’m going to take it off and mount the newer used tire but the skinflint in me hates throwing away a tire that has never touched the pavement.

I might put it on (I need to check the wheel for fit anyway) and drive it to town a couple of times just to see how well it handles being put to use.
 
Astro14 said:
So, effectively, you don’t have a spare. A 23 year old tire may, or may not, hold air when you put a load on it.
Click to expand...
He has a spare, and it likely holds air. How safe and reliable it is, would be the question.

I have a 2007 Tundra with the orignal OEM Bridgestone spare tire. Being stored under the bed, it is exposed to weather and road spray. It has been used three times over the years, and is clearly cracked, dry rotted and due for replacement.

By comparison, I helped a friend with changing to the spare tire on her 2001 Toyota Highlander. It's a full size spare on the same aluminum wheels the car runs on. It's stored inside the car. It had never been used, and was soft, pliable and in perfect condition. I was shocked the rubber was not rock hard. For temporary use to drive to get the the flat tire fixed, it is completely fine.

My 2001 BMW 540 has to OEM full size spare...it has been used four or five times since new. It is also in good condition, but clearly getting hard...even though the tread is full and no signs of dry rot, I will probably replace it.
 
ARCOgraphite said:
Me neither on the Ford. Vehicle came from India with an electric tire inflator, though, and some sort of fix-a-flat goop in a can.

No Jack and no tire iron included either!

No road trips in this one.
Click to expand...
I have a newer BMW with no spare...came with an air compressor and goop kit. I went ahead and obtained a factory donut spare kit..takes up about 1/4 of the trunk space, but still plenty left for weekend trips. I also have AAA as a back up.

There are online sellers of spare tire kits for any car made...much less expensive than the OEM kits offered by the car manufacturers. They are hundreds of dollars less than what you would pay at the dealer.
 
Astro14 said:
One day, one of my sailors came up and pointed out that my spare tire (which was mounted on the rear of the truck, on a swing out carrier) was approximately 15 years old, and that it was unsafe.

I had a brand new BFGoodrich installed on the spare tire carrier that afternoon.

There were a few important reasons for my speed in replacing it, first, the young man was correct, but more importantly, I needed to show him, as well as the rest of the sailors, that I valued their opinion, and that I took safety seriously.
Click to expand...
Well said Astro. Respect.
 
My spare tire is about 25 years old... or however long it's been since I got out of college and started my career behind a desk.
 
Elkins45 said:
Have any of you driving older vehicles ever replaced your spare tire? Does it influence your decision if it’s a full-size or compact?

Does being stored away from the sun make you trust a spare tire for longer than one that’s been on the road the same number of years?
Click to expand...
Just last year I changed out my spa on my 98 F150, the old full size tire looked great still but I just rotated in a used one of the last set I replaced.

The 13 GT500 doesn't even have a spare, just the factory "kit" which is some slime and an air pump.
 
All spares in our fleet are same age as the other 4 on the vehicle.

I rotate 5, always. With matching wheels - purchased if necessary to replace steelies.

Don't want either:
1) a substandard tire when I really need it,
Or
2) to waste good money on a tire then never use it.
 
We bought a 2001 4Runner three years sgo. When we replaced the tires we took a look at the spare.

Date code was 2001 and it had never been used. It had also pulled off the rim. We replaced it with one of the takeoffs.
 
On of our best fleet vehicles (but now long gone) had a full sized spare in a matching wheel. It got added into the rotation pattern, so all 5 tires and wheels got used and abused.

These days, if you're lucky enough to have a full sized spare on a matching wheel, just add the TPMS sensor and you've can do the same--have 5 tires in your rotation pattern. Use them ALL up, AND you'll just happen to have a matching tire in case you destroy one. I've done just that--had a sidewall puncture that can't be fixed.
 
JustTrynaHelp said:
All spares in our fleet are same age as the other 4 on the vehicle.

I rotate 5, always. With matching wheels - purchased if necessary to replace steelies.

Don't want either:
1) a substandard tire when I really need it,
Or
2) to waste good money on a tire then never use it.
Click to expand...
Unfortunately for many cars and some SUVs, the wheels and tires are "staggered" with wider wheels and tires in the rear. All of my three cars are that way, only my pick up has a "square" set up.
 
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