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Driving without a spare tire?

ruger2506

ruger2506

Full Member
Joined
Nov 10, 2014
Messages
34
Location
Northern MN
How many of you drive around without a spare tire? Like many of you the wonderful idea of Chevy?s has failed and my spare tire carrier is now a useless pile of junk. So the spare takes up room in the bed (which is already small on the Avalanche). Can I just ratchet strap that sucker up there and cut the straps if I ever need the tire?
 
I would suggest a trip to your favorite local junk yard..  Get a new spare tire assembly.. 

Not a hard swap to do..  I for one am not driving around without a spare..  Had to use them before...  (y)
 
I have heard of some new cars not having spares such as the mini cooper but i would imagine they use run flat tires. I am old school and want the piece of mind of having at least one spare with the vehicle so that even if I can't change the tire maybe someone from AAA or such could change it on the road for me. Maybe you could look at alternative mounting for a spare tire such as a roof rack, front bumper mount or even a trailer hitch swing away mount?
Not sure if I would trust ratchet straps to hold a tire up underneath, I could envision it cutting or wearing out due to vibration and movement, that could lead to it falling off and someone getting killed behind you in traffic. I would hate to be you in the event of that happening not only from the emotional/moral point of view but the legal aspect of causing death or injury due to having replaced the factory installed mount with a homemade one.
I understand there is an improved mount from GM now and maybe you could have that installed for not too much money and regain your bed space?
From what I have read over the years one of the main faults of the underside mounting is that very few owners check the function of their mounts and lube them periodically. I have my dealership check the function and lube my mount every couple of years and so far have not had a failure.
 
My wife's 2014 Cadillac SRX has a spare, while her mom's does not.  Makes no sense to me.  I don't see ours listed on the build sheet anywhere unless it's tucked in to a "package" somewhere.
 
I have seen where there are "improved" design carriers out there, I believe Dorman has one for about $100;

(2008 Avalanche version below)

http://www.amazon.com/APDTY-Assembly-Chevrolet-Avalanche-Compatibility/dp/B00JH2F2MS/ref=sr_1_1?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1448977800&vehicle=2008-47-2857------------1-0&sr=1-1&ymm=2008%3Achevrolet%3Aavalanche

I guess you could used a couple of straps, and cutting them when needed, but I would not take the chance of one breaking free and dragging your spare. 
 
I never drive without a spare tire. You'll never know when you are gonna need it.
 
Gotta have the spare.  But after watching a shop use an impact hammer to get it down, I decided to remove the bracket and put the spare in the bed.  I'm fairly certain the end result is going to end up on the roof rack, but the front bumper mount sounds interesting.... or a tailgate mount...
 
Instead of removing it, I'm trying to figure out if a 35/12.5R17 will fit under there...  I think the stock spare wheel is 17".  Maybe Just a 34x10.5 if it doesn't screw up the ABS and traction control?
 
I bought a spare rim at a local tire store.. It was like $50 new but it was steel and much heavier than stock. Since I cut off my carrier to ditch the old spare I need to put a new one on mine. The old one had the corroded secondary latch that was not releasing.

My spare is in the bed for now.

Rodney
 
PromptCritical said:
Instead of removing it, I'm trying to figure out if a 35/12.5R17 will fit under there...  I think the stock spare wheel is 17".  Maybe Just a 34x10.5 if it doesn't screw up the ABS and traction control?
Click to expand...
Not without significant modification it won't. I dented a wheel and wanted to hang it as a full size spare but it wouldn't fit. I'm running 305/30/26 which would equate to a 33.25 x 12.25. I don't think that you have any shot of getting a 35 x 12.5  up there
 
Calicak89 said:
Not without significant modification it won't. I dented a wheel and wanted to hang it as a full size spare but it wouldn't fit. I'm running 305/30/26 which would equate to a 33.25 x 12.25. I don't think that you have any shot of getting a 35 x 12.5  up there
Click to expand...

Maybe a 34x10.5?  I read somewhere that it could fit.
 
The first thing to do would be to check the hub bore, if your wheels have a reduced flange outside of the hub to reduce the size of the center cap, the size of the tire might be a moot point. My buddy bought wheels for his Silverado and one had minor damage, the shop got him a new one and never asked for the old one back. We tried to hang it and couldn't get the lift hook through the wheel
 
Calicak89 said:
The first thing to do would be to check the hub bore, if your wheels have a reduced flange outside of the hub to reduce the size of the center cap, the size of the tire might be a moot point. My buddy bought wheels for his Silverado and one had minor damage, the shop got him a new one and never asked for the old one back. We tried to hang it and couldn't get the lift hook through the wheel
Click to expand...

If I go with a 17" tire, I think I can just uses the stock rim with a spacer (included with the lift kit).  Would that not make the hub bore a moot point?
 
PromptCritical said:
If I go with a 17" tire, I think I can just uses the stock rim with a spacer (included with the lift kit).  Would that not make the hub bore a moot point?
Click to expand...
Indeed,  it would
 
on a long trip i carry two spares  i came out of a motel in atlanta no front tires or wheels
 
PromptCritical said:
Note to self: Avoid Atlanta...
Click to expand...

My parents, who were in their 60s at the time, probably late 60s, stayed over night at an Atlanta motel.  While my father was loading the car the next morning (car parked right outside the door to their room) a thief ran through the open door of the room and grabbed my mother's purse and took off.
 
enoniam said:
My parents, who were in their 60s at the time, probably late 60s, stayed over night at an Atlanta motel.  While my father was loading the car the next morning (car parked right outside the door to their room) a thief ran through the open door of the room and grabbed my mother's purse and took off.
Click to expand...

That sucks, but the real question is did she have a spare? >:D
 
I cut mine off to save weight (I know it's minimal) and get a small increase in economy. 

I keep a fix a flat type kit in my saddle bag that includes an air compressor as well as the fix a flat goop. 

AAA is an option, but also check your insurance or Costco membership.  They normally include roadside assistance as well.
 
My wife's 2010 Cadillac SRX doesn't have a spare. Has a compressor and a can of puncture sealer where the spare would be. Never had to use it thankfully. Not a fan of this idea.
 
My 2009 Cadillac CTS is the same way.. No spare although there is a hole for one. Just an air compressor and a can of sealant.

The storage area on my CTS is not big enough for a full sized spare and since it is AWD there is no way you can put a donut spare on it. I has a sensitrack code thrown because I was having issues with one tire loosing air. When it got to 10psi difference between it and the other tires apparently the circumference was enough different that it threw the code. Since airing up the tire and keeping it near the others I haven't had a reoccurance of the code.

Thinking about tossing a spare in the trunk anyway even though it will take up additional space...

 
redheadedrod said:
My 2009 Cadillac CTS is the same way.. No spare although there is a hole for one. Just an air compressor and a can of sealant.

The storage area on my CTS is not big enough for a full sized spare and since it is AWD there is no way you can put a donut spare on it. I has a sensitrack code thrown because I was having issues with one tire loosing air. When it got to 10psi difference between it and the other tires apparently the circumference was enough different that it threw the code. Since airing up the tire and keeping it near the others I haven't had a reoccurance of the code.

Thinking about tossing a spare in the trunk anyway even though it will take up additional space...
Click to expand...

Our 2006 CTS has a donut spare.

I suppose getting a donut spare with the circumference similar to the regular tires would work fine, at least get you down the road, even if it does throw error codes.

I hate the idea of sitting on the side of the road waving my can of fix-a-flat at passing cars and yelling "At least I don't have any codes!!"

:laugh:
 
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