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Spare Tire Delete & The Death Of Common Sense

The little emergency spare in my 98 Cadillac blew up in the trunk last week. So, there's that as far as thinking an old one will go down the road when needed.
 
quiet said:
The little emergency spare in my 98 Cadillac blew up in the trunk last week. So, there's that as far as thinking an old one will go down the road when needed.
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Precisely why i would never trust my 1991 or 1984 compact spares on the road. I get roadside assistance and towing with my policy, and i will use it if needed. Put it on a flat bed and take me to a tire shop.
 
I'm about 15 years past the ability to change a tire. (98-pound weakling). Road Service included in my Toyota warranty - thank Dog.
 
My 2017 Mustang came with the inflation kit instead of a spare tire. Ford's reasoning is/was that the spare won't fit over the big front brakes the Performance Pack has. Why they couldn't tool up for a larger donut, or have their OEM make one is beyond me. There are all sort of remedies like putting a Hyundai donut on there. Instead, I ordered the factory Ford kit from eBay, which has the donut, the hold down bolt, the jack, and possibly some other parts. I also ordered a 2" wide hub-centric spacer. Fingers crossed, when I tried this combination on the car, it worked!

https://www.mustang6g.com/forums/th...olution-for-performance-pack-mustangs.140067/

Mustang Spare 03.jpgMustang Spare 04.jpgMustang Spare 05.jpgMustang Spare 06.jpgMustang Spare 07.jpgMustang Spare 08.jpgMustang Spare 09.jpg
 
When I was still commuting, I would occasionally see a car on the freeway doing 70 -75 MPH, with one of those compact spares on the car. Don't they have a warning on them not to exceed 45 MPH, or something similar. Very scary! Hate to see how that car would handle under a hard braking situation. I doubt the ABS could compensate.
 
I would only attempt to change a flat if there was a very safe spot to do it.

Dad always warned me about that, said it was better to ruin the tire than get hit on the side of the road. He also was in the habit of re-setting all the lug nuts whenever he had new tires put on. He wanted to know he could get the tire off if need be.
I have AAA.
 
TPettenati said:
I doubt the ABS could compensate.
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its also hell on limited slip differentials or clutch-type AWD systems. Those are so fussy that if your front and rear tire diameter differs by more than a pretty small percent, you have to replace all 4 tires rather than just a pair.


Those things are officially rated for I think 50 miles and 50 mph, something like that. You know very well that nobody pays attention to that. I've seen temp spares on cars long enough that they were worn down to the cords.
 
enginedr said:
I purchased a used Acura TLX two years ago . Not until yesterday have I encountered a flat tire .Being an old school thinking person I assumed I would install my space saver spear tire so I can dive to the tire shop and purchase a new tire . Too my surprise after lifting the trunk mat all I found was a 12 volt air pump and some tire sealant . I guess the bean counter at Acura was never a boy scout . The moto always be prepared is not in his and Acura`s way of thinking . Upon further research I found out they offer a spear tire kit as a dealer installed option . All I can say is common sense is something that is not too common .And poo on me for not checking my safety equipment sooner .
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My 24 subaru still has a space savor and I’ve heard the wilderness version comes with a full size spare !
 
gadget73 said:
its also hell on limited slip differentials or clutch-type AWD systems. Those are so fussy that if your front and rear tire diameter differs by more than a pretty small percent, you have to replace all 4 tires rather than just a pair.


Those things are officially rated for I think 50 miles and 50 mph, something like that. You know very well that nobody pays attention to that. I've seen temp spares on cars long enough that they were worn down to the cords.
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On the Mustang forum, someone apparently reached out to Torsen to find out if the difference in tire diameter would cause a problem with the differential. Their reply was no, it wouldn't cause a problem. I know Subarus are more sensitive to differing tire diameters, even down to requiring you to change all four tires at once. For me, that's just another reason not to buy one.

I've seen people driving on the donut spares for weeks, and also at speed. Personally, I use them for a couple of days until I have time to go to the tire shop.
 
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leesonic said:
Torsen to find out if the difference in tire diameter would cause a problem with the differential. Their reply was no, it wouldn't cause a problem.
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Those work differently, though I don't actually understand the mechanism. The older style clutch limited slips that were just some friction plates and a spring don't love it though. Its just a constant state of clutch slip and eventually there won't be any friction material left. The traction lock in my Towncar was so whipped when I got it that it would do one-wheel peels on ice. All the parts were there but instead of alternating steel and friction plates it was just a stack of steel plates. All of the friction material was worn off.

www.kmpdrivetrain.com

Plated limited slip differential explained. – KMP Drivetrain Solutions

Reading time: 5-8 minutes Almost every car has one or more differentials in their driveline. A differential is used to manage wheel speed differences while..
www.kmpdrivetrain.com
www.kmpdrivetrain.com

Torsen vs. plated limited slip differential. – KMP Drivetrain Solutions

In this blog, we would like to explain how a Torsen limited slip differential works and how it differs from a plated LSD, like the Drexler LSD.
www.kmpdrivetrain.com
 
The issue is real and I've seen the results but only on vehicles that use the ABS sensors to trigger electronic braking response to what it thinks is wheel spin. A real mechanical diff just won't give a damn about tire size. Especially a Torsen or Gleason.
 
We had an '89 GMC Jimmy (Blazer) that had a posi unit. Wifey picked up a bolt through a rear sidewall and had to replace the tire. They had about 50% tread.

I forgot to have them put the new tire on front. About two months later it blew out the posi clutch pack. Mechanic who repaired it said age and the tire were the probable cause.
 
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They do eventually just wear out even with maintenance but abuse makes it happen a whole lot faster, same as everything else. My truck has Eaton lockers which apparently use clutches. I got it around 140k and did the first diff oil change in it's life. For all I know the clutches are smoked from that, if not I'm sure it didn't help them any.

Diff oil is one of those things that is seldom changed, right up there with brake, power steering, transfer case, and transmission fluids.
 
My 2017 Alfa Giulia had Pirelli run flats and no spare. Terrible tires with no traction in the rain. Pretty bad when all 4 tires spin just because the road it wet. Put Goodyear All Season Gators and AAA in case of a flat. Also a can of Fix a Flat and a patch kit. Thankfully never had a flat
 
Haven’t had a flat in 25+ years, but with my wife’s purchase of a CRV hybrid (no spare), I’m close to buying a compact spare kit for trips.
 
sanford12 said:
My 2017 Alfa Giulia had Pirelli run flats and no spare. Terrible tires with no traction in the rain.
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I bought some kind of Pirelli tires ago that were like a deer on ice. (Highly rated for traction by Tire Rack)

I contacted Pirelli asking for my money back and told them I would be asking for more if I had been in an accident.
They sent me 4 UPS return labels, no questions asked.
 
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