Spare tire

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We had a flat tire last night on our 2016 Focus so I changed it over to the donut and got the tire fixed and put back on today once the tire store opened. Do donut style tires have a recommended milage not to exceed before replacing? The tire store said it was 20 miles because of the high air pressure of the donut. I drove about 120 miles on it by the time I got the flat fixed. Opinions?
 
I have heard 3000 miles. I would worry about the differential in a FWD car getting worn and throwing its pin from the uneven sizing more than I would about wearing out the tire. The tire is still good, but it's good you paid attention to it promptly.
 
If the tire still has its minimal tread, then it's fine and you'll probably never have a need for it again anyway.
Pressure isn't an issue. Any real truck on LT tires will call for higher tire pressure than does the dedicated spare of your Focus.
Be thankful that Ford included a spare and not a useless aerosol can of tire sealant.
 
Originally Posted By: Alex_V
Isn't it advised on all FWD cars to use the space-saver spare on the rear, anyway?
You beat me to it-ALWAYS put the donut on the back on FWD, it's dangerous (IMHO) to drive with it on the front, it'll make steering, braking, & emergency maneuvers difficult, especially in wet weather.
 
If folks read owners manuals - things like this get spelled out. I'm supposed to do a double change for a G80 locker in the rear - but carry a full size spare often. (Own them for 3 vehicles) ...
 
But reading the instruction booklet for a piece of machinery worth thousands of dollars that you trust your life to is too much to burden those folks with.
wink.gif
 
My son's friend called me a while back and said " I just heard a loud boom from the back of my 2006 Chevy 1500 4x4, and now the truck will not move and makes grinding noise from the rear". I knew he had oversized tires on it, so I immediately asked " did you recently have a flat, and put the donut spare on the back axle?". Affirmative. he pulled the rear cover off the diff, found lots of big metal chunks and confirmed a blown LSD. He did the R&R on a rebuilt rear end himself, so it was not as $$ painful as it could have been.
 
Originally Posted By: 4WD
If folks read owners manuals - things like this get spelled out. I'm supposed to do a double change for a G80 locker in the rear - but carry a full size spare often. (Own them for 3 vehicles) ...


Except it doesn't tell you in the owner's manual. Below is what the owner's manual says

wrcro8.jpg
 
Originally Posted By: bullwinkle
Originally Posted By: Alex_V
Isn't it advised on all FWD cars to use the space-saver spare on the rear, anyway?
You beat me to it-ALWAYS put the donut on the back on FWD, it's dangerous (IMHO) to drive with it on the front, it'll make steering, braking, & emergency maneuvers difficult, especially in wet weather.


And yet the standard recommendation for part-worn tyres is to put the best ones on the back.Not saying you're wrong, but there seems to be a bit of a contradiction there.
 
Yeah the manual does not say mine looks like the one posted. The car only has 10k miles on it and it was on the rear. I was just asking because I thought it was odd to have to replace a tire with 120 miles on it. Tread wise it still looks brand new. I was just wondering if the tire shop guy made up the 20 mile statement so I would buy a new spare from him or if it was legit.
 
Originally Posted By: Mathew_Boss
Yeah the manual does not say mine looks like the one posted. The car only has 10k miles on it and it was on the rear. I was just asking because I thought it was odd to have to replace a tire with 120 miles on it. Tread wise it still looks brand new. I was just wondering if the tire shop guy made up the 20 mile statement so I would buy a new spare from him or if it was legit.


He's just trying to make an extra sale. Check pressure, put it back in trunk and drive on!
 
Originally Posted By: Alex_V
But reading the instruction booklet for a piece of machinery worth thousands of dollars that you trust your life to is too much to burden those folks with.
wink.gif


Subaru actually advised pulling the AWD fuse to force the car into RWD/FWD mode whenever a donut spare was used - I don't know if they do that in their newer cars that do come with a donut spare, it was buried in the owner's manual and a small blurb was made on either the fuse box or the spare.
 
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