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Spare Tire

Bill Blue

Platinum Level Sponsor
I'm struggling to decide whether to ditch the spare. I have resorted to actually using them only a couple of times in way over a million miles. I remember once in 1968 (Sunbeam, Series II) and again in about 2006. To those that do not have them, how has it worked out? How many times have you wished you had kept it?

Bill
 

alpine_64

Donation Time
Bill, i dont have a spare in my tiger as i have a fuel cell that takes the boot floor.
I always carry the "spare in a can" bottle as a hail marry. I did once have a screw go into a tyre, but it was a slow puncture and I had it plugged at a garage...that said the car does mostly urban driving bar a couple of long day trips a year.

In the series II i carry a spare, when i had wire wheels i had 3 punctures.. 1 at the top of my drive 2 in my office car park.. Each time something punctured the inner tube, which i dont run with steels or alloys.

I always think a spare is like insurance.. You only need them when you dont have them... If you can find a space saver from a stang or peugeot that may be a good option for you.

I also change tyres every 6 years out of habbit.. So not much chance of any age related failures.

As a side note when buyimg tyres our smaller sizes sell slower these days.. Check the mfg date on them before they install.. Last set i made them take them off and order new.. The 2 rear tyres were 6 years old.. Fronts 3 months... I found that age gap unacceptable
 

Bill Blue

Platinum Level Sponsor
I'm using a Saab compact spare. That's another issue. It, as well as the Ford version, will not fit the front of my car. If I had problems on with a front tire, I'd have to mount the spare on the rear and put that tire on the front. Not good. In addition, they are "compact" only when compared to modern tires. They fill the spare tire well quite nicely.

Bill
 

alpine_64

Donation Time
Bill,

Do you have issues clearing the front calipers? Are you running stock fromt brakes? Can you carry a wheel spacer?
 
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Charles Johns

Donation Time
I'm struggling to decide whether to ditch the spare. I have resorted to actually using them only a couple of times in way over a million miles. I remember once in 1968 (Sunbeam, Series II) and again in about 2006. To those that do not have them, how has it worked out? How many times have you wished you had kept it?

Bill
Bill, the 165 x 65 - 14 I bought from some Chinese tire company fits the well on a 14" x 5" rim, and bolts to the OEM mount. The tire is about $50.00 delivered.
 

Bill Eisinger

Platinum Level Sponsor
With today's modern tires and the amount of miles that we are likely to actually drive our vintage cars, the probability of a blow out is almost nil....more likely to have a small leak from picking up a nail, etc. My opinion is that a spare is just dead weight... An aerosol can of tire sealant takes up a lot less space and provides the insurance that most will need.
 

Charles Johns

Donation Time
As a guy with lots of miles on specialty cars, a spare is seldom needed but can be a life-saver. We usually caravan when in a Street Rod and I have seen several tires with CUTS...especially on the sidewall. Green goo will not fix that. I'll admit it is rare but my wife travels with me, and though I have a permit and carry a gun, being stuck beside the highway is not fun, and if necessary I will shoot a bad guy. My last 10 years working was with a city and Police Department, and part of my job was training cops with firearms. In that decade only 2 cops shot bad guys and both died. What those 2 cops dealt with is more than most understand...after the shooting. We had long talks in my shop about taking a life, social ramifications, Thou Shall Not Kill, questioning if the shot was righteous, and more. The original wording is, "Thou Shall Do No Murder." Both were cleared of wrong doing but both were scarred. Cops often run at very high speed and I was also shop superintendent fixing a lot of flats. They also tend to drive across fields, jump curbs, drive through accident areas, and give tires a real testing. That could be one reason why I keep a spare.
 

Bill Blue

Platinum Level Sponsor
Tenuous at best. Carrying a spare is almost the same as carrying a gun, you never know when you'll need one.
Bill
 

Warren

Bronze Level Sponsor
Wow , I suppose you could ask Bill Cosby about his son Ennis.
Yeah I agree it's a stretch but you figure if you were that worried about having a flat tire you'd drive it on the rim as far as you needed to. Oh wait that would be a low speed chase.
It's especially difficult with a Tiger to carry the spare and still have the false floor setup because it just doesn't fit. I have a Mustang compact spare and probably will get another.
 

Jimjordan2

Donation Time
So, if I pack my car up with everything that I may need; wonder where I'll sit? Let's see, hunting knife, bear trap, can of beans, water, gas, oil, change of underwear, frying pan, firewood, spare engine, toothbrush, paper clips, duct tape, rope, wire, shoes, I could go on endlessly. The idea of packing a gun is probably about the most dangerous. No, I am not anti-gun, just a ridiculous comparison to me. Just my uneducated opinion.
Damn, got all this crap in my car and didn't pack a screwdriver?
 

Charles Johns

Donation Time
Spare and gun are both emergency items that are rarely needed, but when needed it is usually not the best of situations. But I get the hint.
 
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