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Goes without saying I would not use this tire.
Had to take off spare tire carrier off today still had the original spare never used in it still holding air.
Last edited by alt66; Jul 7, 2025 at 06:30 PM.
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I would remove it from the rim and clean it up really nicely and then sell it to somebody who needs the original looking tire! Other than that it is worth little as it is unusable and out of date. On my RV they want me to buy all new tires every 6 years.....
That is a cool find however! I personally removed the spare tire and it's carrier to reduce the weight in the rear of the car. I keep a can of Fix-a-Flat in my car when I travel like many European cars do today.
That is a cool find. Still there and holding air. If you take long trips, an idea would be to change it for sure. But keep it. Part of the cars originality. Good story. I keep a spare inflated more for rear impact protection. Not a lot of protection from the gas tank to the rear bumper. Spare tire could help.
It is worth more together as the rim and tires date would be very close together. A knowledgeable person would know that, you also could destroy the tire by dismounting it. I would keep at least 15 to 20psi in the tire, inflation make the sidewalls stronger. It would for display or judging purposes only would not dive on it. Value as a complete unit $750 to $1100 or more for someone having a Corvette judged at NCRS, Bloomington Gold or MACAN shows.
I would remove it from the rim and clean it up really nicely and then sell it to somebody who needs the original looking tire! Other than that it is worth little as it is unusable and out of date. On my RV they want me to buy all new tires every 6 years.....
That is a cool find however! I personally removed the spare tire and it's carrier to reduce the weight in the rear of the car. I keep a can of Fix-a-Flat in my car when I travel like many European cars do today.
Haven't had my spare tire carrier installed for years. I like the look better. I had an idea years ago to waterproof it and use it for luggage or extra storage when traveling but I don't take the Vette on long trips anymore unless it's down to my brother house at the beach.
That's funny that you posted this- I too have the original spare for my '68 with the red stripe and thought it was just a cool oddity to have. The rubber is not cracked and it looks brand new and never used. I would never drive on it and don't even have the other four original wheels! I imagine there's a few more like ours out there as well.
Welcome to the "Club" !!! You can keep it in the spare tire carrier...for posterity....or sell it to some NCRS'er who needs it to fill out a full 'round' of original tires. If you keep it, drop pressure to less than 10 psi (so it stays inflated); that way, it won't suffer a blow-out when the dry-rot cracks get too much for it. Also, keep your flatbed towing insurance paid-up and carry a cell phone!. If you want to sell it, your best bet is to have an NCRS member put it on their web site. Cleaning it up "nice 'n' purty" and taking photos would be a good thing, to get the most for it.l
My 73 has its original spare and it’s never been driven on. All the ink markings and rubber **** are still on the tread. 73 was the first year that radials were standard equipment and this spare, with its skinny ribbon whitewall also proves the car was ordered with that option. I keep it in the restored carrier. Welcome to the original spare club regardless of what you choose to do with it. 👍🏻👍🏻
I remember when Firestone had that problem I had put a set on my fairly new Monte Carlo at the time and had one blow.Never bought Firestone after that.
My 69 had a redsripe I believe to be original. Roundfiled it and put on new rubber for a spare. Wheel has that green patina like the other four wheels. If anyone needs a pic of the wheel to check color just ask.
VS
This was located in the spare tire carrier of my one owner 40K mile 1975 Coupe. I do know if it is original or not. Several friends have said it is.
In really nice shape... no weather checking that I could see..... but if truly 50 years old, it would not be used under any circumstance.
72 original spare never used
You can keep it in the spare tire carrier...for posterity....or sell it to some NCRS'er who needs it to fill out a full 'round' of original tires. If you keep it, drop pressure to less than 10 psi (so it stays inflated); that way, it won't suffer a blow-out when the dry-rot cracks get too much for it. Also, keep your flatbed towing insurance paid-up and carry a cell phone!. If you want to sell it, your best bet is to have an NCRS member put it on their web site. Cleaning it up "nice 'n' purty" and taking photos would be a good thing, to get the most for it.l
