Driving without a spare
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 471
Likes: 1
From: Hometown The best
Driving without a spare
How many of you drive your cars with the spare tire and carrier removed? I'm in the process of detailing and painting the bottom of my car. After removing the spare tire and the carrier to clean and paint I was amazed at the different look from behind the car. I never drive the car to far from home so I might leave the spare tire and carrier off. It was suffering from dry rot any way. What are you guys opinions?
Burning Brakes
Joined: Jul 2009
Posts: 1,237
Likes: 288
From: ESCONDIDO CA
2025 C2 of the Year ('63 and '67) Finalist - Unmodified
C2 of Year Finalist (appearance mods) 2019
I like the look of the tire carrier from behind. Plus, I can carry luggage in it too. I have a small compressor and green goop kit for the rare flat. OK, I also have AAA. Check the pressure regularly and with tubeless tires, you will probably never have a sudden flat tire.
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 471
Likes: 1
From: Hometown The best
That's a great idea using the carrier for luggage. If you are not a traveling man you could use it to store anything you wanted to carry around. Does anyone have pictures of a car without the carrier?
Melting Slicks
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 2,590
Likes: 403
From: Nashville TN
St. Jude Donor '09
Intermediate
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 29
Likes: 0
From: Shady Shores TX
Did the same thing. Cleaned, painted and made a kydex seal for the carrier to keep the moisture out. Since my wife's idea of light packing is only 4 pairs of shoes, my stuff fits in there just fine...
Drifting
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 1,565
Likes: 2
From: Sparta Mo.
I posted this before, but when I saw these mufflers sitting on the shelf in our shop, I had to have them. I only had a couple pieces for the spare anyway, so out it went. If I need to take my car more than a couple hundred miles at a time in any one direction, it's usually on a trailer anyway. (not because it's too nice, just because I don't feel comfortable driving it that far)
Melting Slicks
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 2,672
Likes: 6
From: Nevada City California
I drive my cars, therefore I want a working spare tire. The largest spare that will fit is a 225 x 70 x 15, and that's what I have as all five tires. With what these cars are worth, I wouldn't want to leave the car stranded because of a faulty tire.
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Burning Brakes
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 838
Likes: 2
From: Baton Rouge Louisiana
Same Here
Drifting
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 1,491
Likes: 2
From: North Royaton Ohio
When I bought my car it had the original 27 year old spare tire. I don't ever drive very far from home, so it now sits in the corner of the garage with the carrier. Even if I did get a flat, I wouldn't trust the original, and there are a million other things on my car that I could replace first. If I do ever get a flat, I could always call up my dad and have him ****** a wheel off his 69. Then I'd have a full size spare.
Administrator
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 53,970
Likes: 6,196
From: About 1100 miles from where I call home.
How many of you drive your cars with the spare tire and carrier removed? I'm in the process of detailing and painting the bottom of my car. After removing the spare tire and the carrier to clean and paint I was amazed at the different look from behind the car. I never drive the car to far from home so I might leave the spare tire and carrier off. It was suffering from dry rot any way. What are you guys opinions?
A nice clean correct carrier is a much cleaner look.
Pro
Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 695
Likes: 0
From: Ashley Michigan
no carrier here.. didn't come with one and i like the look of the rear suspension. I have a tall donut spare off from a firebird that I plan on mounting under there eventually with one of those crank-down setups. I carry a can of fix-a-flat to get me into town if need be or I have a cell phone.
Drifting
Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 1,711
Likes: 2
From: Rochester NY
No Spare Tire, removed it due to weight and looks..
I have AAA and fix a flat, that is all I need... I can count the times I have been stranded by a flat tire... Umm. never...
I have AAA and fix a flat, that is all I need... I can count the times I have been stranded by a flat tire... Umm. never...
Last edited by Vampyre; Nov 4, 2009 at 12:06 PM.
Team Owner
Joined: Jul 1999
Posts: 26,545
Likes: 46
From: Huntersville NC
All I have behind me is that gas tank... and the spare tire.I don't think I would ever use it. Is yours the same size as your other tires? Mismatched rear sizes will ruin your diff pretty quick (I have been led to believe). Are you going to change your tire with that little jack tucked away in your compartment?
It's AAA+ for me!
Team Owner
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 23,419
Likes: 22
From: In limbo
St. Jude Donor '13-'15, '17 thru '22
I had the full set-up on the first vert I owned, and used it once to change a flat beside the road. The jack worked fine and I was back on the road in minutes with nothing more than dirty hands and knees.
The car I have now came without one, and collecting up the parts and putting them on the car has turned into a project (don't ask unless you are ready for a long post! Let's just say that at 6' 1" and 235 pounds, I can still be rather persuasive with a 3 foot piece of steel pipe), which I hope to complete tonight before the WS game.
I don't care around town and out for short cruises. I just wouldn't want to be stuck beside the road at night 60 miles from home from something as simple as running over a stray piece of metal.
The car I have now came without one, and collecting up the parts and putting them on the car has turned into a project (don't ask unless you are ready for a long post! Let's just say that at 6' 1" and 235 pounds, I can still be rather persuasive with a 3 foot piece of steel pipe), which I hope to complete tonight before the WS game.
I don't care around town and out for short cruises. I just wouldn't want to be stuck beside the road at night 60 miles from home from something as simple as running over a stray piece of metal.