My spare tire looks like it's original but I wouldn't want to trust it if I needed to use it. BTW it was flat. It's the one that says TEMPORY and it's 195 80 R15. Nobody that I've called has that size. What are you guys doing to replace yours? Is there an option to the original tire that can be used?

 

What year is your car? I put a full size spare down under car, not the same size but the height is pretty close in case I get a rear flat tire. It doesn't mess up my gears.

 

Here's an old thread about the discontinued spare tire size:
temporary spare tire?

 

Thanks guys,

I just purchased a 205 75 R15 which fits in the carrier well and is the same height as the original 195 80 R15 so I'm ok with that. No harm to the posi trac and fits in the carrier.

 

I have this one on my 1980 for a spare.

 

AAA and a cell phone. And a car hauling rig.

The only time, ever, that a spare tire would have made a difference, I needed my car hauling trailer anyway, since no new cars have spares, either.

 

Good call. A few years ago I replaced my spare with a 205-70R/15 that was on sale for like 36 bucks (ended up about 56 bucks with all the b.s. incidentals). Same height as my 235-60R15s so I was happy.

 

I will also be purchasing a tire plug kit and a 12v air pump to fix flats that can be fixed and anything that can't be fixed will get the spare tire.

 

I'm a little confused... a spare would have made a difference but... if you needed a car hauling trailer anyway - then it sounds like a spare would not or did not make a difference in your specific situation. Did you have more extensive damage beyond the tire?

Usually with a conventional tire going out - you have up to 3 choices depending on what you have available: Repair the tire, replace the tire, or wait for road service.

Some new cars still have spares as standard equipment and I think virtually all trucks. Other cars have it as an option (I'd opt for that given a choice). Those newer cars (including C5+) that don't have spares usually have a real time tire pressure monitoring system and/or runcrap tires. Our C3s have neither. During rush hour you might be waiting several hours for AAA or whatever car service. In some sparsely populated areas of Western US maybe even longer... If one has a spare carrier like our C3s - I'd definitely consider carrying a spare along w/ jack and wrench. A plug kit and portable compressor is another option to consider (I usually carry one on road trips irregardless of which vehicle we're in (though not likely our C3)).

Does anyone remember: Some GMs (but not C3s AFAIK) back in the 70s did get a can of fix-a-flat or other sometimes with those so-called 'collapsible' spare tires - kind of a bad joke in my experience.

 

I wasn't driving. AAA could have handled the car, but could not carry the passengers. Since I had to roll out anyway, I took my trailer and rescued my family and my car. That car had no spare (not a Corvette), and the hole in the tire was big enough to put your fist through, so the patch kit was a no go.

In perhaps a million combined miles, this is the one time a spare tire (plus a jack, etc), might have made a small difference in the outcome. In the dozen or so other times I've gotten a car towed, or towed it myself, a spare tire would NOT have made a difference.

So I don't carry one on any car. I do on my truck and trailer. YMMV, where you live, and your risk tolerance and other situations, may make carrying a spare worth it for you.

I'm glad the OP found a replacement tire that fits. If I were to carry a spare in my C3, I'd likely have to leave the flat on the side of the road anyway, since my tires are unlikely to fit in the stock spare tire carrier. But that carrier is a great place for road-trip luggage!

 

I've had a stock sized (diameter/width) tire (255-60-15) in my 1980 spare tub in the past. It is meant to fit. It's a bit of a challenge to get it in there. It does look ridiculous though.

 

How in the world did you get it in there? Did you screw out the henge bolts farther for more space at the front of car side of the carrier? and how did you secure the lid?

 

Mine is a 1980. The front pivot brackets aren't adjustable. The rear bolt was unthreaded pretty far. I bought the car in 1983 with a full size spare. Within a month or two I changed it out for a narrower tire/rim. Then in the early nineties I bought an original spare from a forum member.

 

To fit the flat tire in the tub you just need to lower the lock bolt. Lowering the spare tire carrier lock bolt typically provides about 1.5 to 2 inches of additional clearance. You are only putting the flat in there to get home. Doesnt need to look pretty.

Now if you want to fit a regular size tire in the carrier as a spare you need to lower the lock bolt and then the tire will be visible.

 

Within past week, I priced a Replacement (tire only) for a narrow, 16" OE Temporary Spare tire.
I was quite displeased with cost of that crappy tire alone; between $175 - $200.

This for a late Chevy Astro Van. Nearby, I believe I may've located a reasonably priced OE wheel to match its OE "mags."
If that pans out, I'll have a matching OE full-size mag and new tire; all under $200. I measured, that'll fit under van in OE spare position. Perhaps wrap this up next week.

 

The tires the tub is intended for are usually smaller that what we use now.

Use one of these and size the spare as the same height as whatever you run on the rear: Tire Size Calculator

 

My last thoughts on the spare tire issue. Any 205 75 15 will be the same height as my normal tire size but it's narrower to fit into the tire carrier. This will give us piece of mind we won't ruin our posi units with the wrong size tire. With the 205 75 15 the carrier closes and looks great. However, my normal tire, even when flat will not fit in the tire carrier very well at all, so those of us that don't carry a spare tire have some merit. What would you do with your normal but now flat tire after putting on the spare tire?, leave it on the side of the road to pick up later or maybe have your wife hold it in her lap till you get to a tire shop. I don't think either of those options are very good at all. So, I purchased a plug kit and an air pump and hope that iI can fix it on the road. If not, then my wife will have tire marks on her legs for a short period of time, I think she is smiling at me now because I can see her teeth, maybe it's a smile, not so sure. Also, the people who opt to take out the tire carrier won't have the aerodynamics for super high speed like .190 MPH and over. That seems like a disadvantage to most of us, because we sure don't want to get squirely at high speeds when running from the cops. Anyway, problems solved, except for having to sleep on the couch after I get out of jail.