Hello,

Has anyone removed the spare tire and the whole set up under the car on a 84?

How much weight is this set up?

Looking at mine today and it seems mine was wired up with a coat hanger looks as if there is something missing where it hooks to at the plate.. the two rails are there but nothing to hook it to..

So can we remove these , and if so , could we put it back if we was to sell the car at a later date.. (not that I would ever sell it)

Thanks

I think it weighs like maybe 30lbs.
Many have removed it form the c4, including me.

Some say it is a safety feature, I personally did not care.

According to HERE, the tire and jack are 40 lbs, and the carrier is 8. So assuming you remove the jack too since you don't need it, 48 lbs.

I still have the carrier there because I like the look, but it's been tire-less for years. I'd say take it off.

If it's held up by a coat hanger, I'd take it out. That
big bolt is pretty stressed, and the coat hanger is
eventually going to let go.

Me, I like having a spare tire. I've never needed one
on a 'vette, but have a number of times on other cars.


Chuck

As the saying goes, "Its better to have a spare and not need it, then need a spare and not have it"...or is that a gun !

The spare is also a safety feature to stop the fuel tank from collapsing in a rear-end collision. I've wondered about that though, because whats there for cars that came with run-flats?

A piece of flat bar.

The spare tire and the angle that it sits is done so that rear-end collision forces are transferred fron the rear crossmember thru the tire and into the differential carrier. That helps to protect the fuel tank.

On the cars that had run flats, there was an H-shaped piece of metal that bolted on the frame that effectively did the same thing as the spare tire would do in the event of a rear-end collision.

The spare tire is usually neglected because it's out of sight. The tire can eventually lose air to the point where the tire can separate from the wheel. Then corrosion on the aluminum wheel can form and eventually make the wheel unusable. Checking air pressure twice a year (60 psi) is always a good idea and also makes sure that the bolt that holds the tire carrier will turn (lots of grease or anti-seize here) when you need it to!! It also reminds you how much fun it is to remove the spare

Take a cordless drill with a wire brush and clean up the aluminum under there and it looks awesome driving behind it.

Spares that are 15+ years old are worthless anyway. Cell phone and AAA.

Thanks guy's

working my way past all the little knocks and rattles in the car to make it a little more enjoyable to drive, and this is one those things drive me nutts ..

i took mine off about 3 years ago. Figured the tire was over 20 years old and never used.....so what the heck
Thought about the safety aspect...but decided if I was that worried about safety, probably would not be driving a Vette, or at least not one with no air bags

The cover on my 89 has never been off. I wouldn't drive with that thing on there anyway

BINGO

I keep mine for the extra weight to help the rear end from breaking loose so easy.
Carry a pump and a plug kit,maybe 5 lbs total.If your remove it

The odds of me needing either are directly proportionate to what kind of neighborhood I happen to be in. Nice area, will never need either. But if I were to cruise the Segundo Barrio without a spare tire and magazine........

To me having a spare is like wearing a seat belt. Odds are I will never need either. In 32 years of driving, I've had to use a spare twice, and once was on my fifth wheel. But I guarantee if I went off without it, the tire would locate a nail 50 miles from civilization and enscapsulate it.

Is the H-shaped piece of metal that Chevy used on the spare delete cars available for sale from anyone and is it really just a bolt on part?

Not easy to come by, because they came on 96 vettes with run flats.

They usually run around $300 if you can find one used here, or the other vette forums.

I weighed mine on a digital scale with the following results:

 OEM spare tire & jack w/ case = 45.2 lbs.

I routinely operate my Vette without the spare & jack and have done so for 15+ years with only one flat; just lucky I guess.

I think FrizleFrak said it right in that it depends on your neighborhood or the areas you frequent. If they are new construction areas, or have alot of road debris, your best bet is to keep you spare in place. Otherwise you should keep a can of tire sealer & air in your storage compartment.

My car has the spare and run flats. Came that way from the factory. I'm ready for a flat.

I took mine off a while back to clean up under there and never put it back, if I take a trip I carry a spare along.

mine was gone when i bought it last oct. i purchased an air tank that fits in cargo area just fine and plug kit. thats all you need.looks better from behind without it..