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I'm planning on a long road trip this summer, and since I hate run flats, I'm wondering if anyone has any experience with "Modern Spare." I travel light so room wouldn't be a problem. But are they sized liked the a standard tire, or are they some kind of a donut?
I would really suggest not carrying a spare tire in a C5. While you say that you will have room for it, how will you secure it? Even a narrow diameter spare can be a missile if you should get into an accident or the car spins.
You will also need a suitable jack and tools to remove a tire and to mount the spare. There is not really a whole lot of clearance from the ground to the jacking points. Even less if you carry a set of "hockey pucks" for the pad on the jack. Try this: let all of the air out of a rear tire and then measure the distance from the ground to one of jacking points (helps to measure the distance with a puck in place too). Then measure the height of the pad on the jack to the ground. Will the jack fit under the car with a deflated tire??
Think about having to change a tire while along side of the road with traffic going by just a few feet away from you. Or when the rain is coming down hard. I think the best deal is to leave the run-flats on the car assuming the tread is deep enough and there is no indication of any sidewall cracking or dry rot or that the tire date code is within 5-7 years. If you aren't a AAA member, join up and get the extended coverage for emergency road service. AAA has coverages for up to 200 miles. Keep your cell phone charged up too! Would be a good idea to carry a small 12v air compressor and a can of tire sealant like Slime or Fix-A-Flat. That stuff could help with getting the car to a shop so that a tire can be repaired properly.
I have one of those instant repair gizmos that inflates the tire and sprays some kind of gunk inside to plug the hole. But that's not going to cut it if you blow a sidewall. And if you've ever been out in west Texas, or northern Nv., there's not a whole lot out there, not to mention lousy cell service. Modern Spare sells as a kit, a low profile scissor jack, and lug wrench.
I would really suggest not carrying a spare tire in a C5. While you say that you will have room for it, how will you secure it? Even a narrow diameter spare can be a missile if you should get into an accident or the car spins.
You will also need a suitable jack and tools to remove a tire and to mount the spare. There is not really a whole lot of clearance from the ground to the jacking points. Even less if you carry a set of "hockey pucks" for the pad on the jack. Try this: let all of the air out of a rear tire and then measure the distance from the ground to one of jacking points (helps to measure the distance with a puck in place too). Then measure the height of the pad on the jack to the ground. Will the jack fit under the car with a deflated tire??
Think about having to change a tire while along side of the road with traffic going by just a few feet away from you. Or when the rain is coming down hard. I think the best deal is to leave the run-flats on the car assuming the tread is deep enough and there is no indication of any sidewall cracking or dry rot or that the tire date code is within 5-7 years. If you aren't a AAA member, join up and get the extended coverage for emergency road service. AAA has coverages for up to 200 miles. Keep your cell phone charged up too! Would be a good idea to carry a small 12v air compressor and a can of tire sealant like Slime or Fix-A-Flat. That stuff could help with getting the car to a shop so that a tire can be repaired properly.
Wow, well said.
The only thing I would add is since the C5's front and rear wheels are about an inch different in height, would you not have to carry two spares???
The only thing I would add is since the C5's front and rear wheels are about an inch different in height, would you not have to carry two spares???
This is like the one thing everyone seems to conveniently forget about when talking about physical spares; your wheel and tire combo is staggered. You can't, realistically, carry any sort of spare that would safely account for two different distinctive wheel and tire sizes. You do not want to put a spare on the car and try and drive it. One corner of the car is going to be severely compromised, and if you've never seen a car crash in front of you on a spare it's fairly brutal (a few years back a Mazda 3 on a spare doing around ~55 MPH crashed in front of me on the highway attempting a lane maneuver; straight into the retaining wall and heavily destroyed the passenger side of the cabin).
depending on how far you have to go, and at what speed, A spare on the front is not really a problem. Its getting the scissors jack under the car that could be a problem. Carry one or two 2' x10' x10' pieces of wood in the storage compartment. Just drive up on the wood. Youll be good to go. Now the problem with the rear, is the posi unit. Two different size tires on the rear is going to slip the clutches, and that aint good. If youre on an expressway, you should just drive 55 and get off at the next exit. Going slow wont generate much heat, and you can possibly find a tire store.. You do what you have to do. And heres just one reason to run a good synthetic gear oil in that rear end. Synthetic will hold up much better in heat than a conventional fluid. Just sayin, I think everybody knows that by now. Enjoy your trip.
"Cell Phone or Fix a Flat". Hmmmm. What about those times that you are miles from cell coverage? Or have damage like the poster above that isn't being fixed with a can of slime? Or you are one of us who lives in Phoenix and would prefer not to wait by the side of the road waiting for Roadside Assistance for an hour or two when it's 113 degrees outside?
Anyway, to answer the original poster, here is what I did for my 2004 Z06. Works perfectly, and I can easily get the PT Cruiser jack under an aluminum lifting puck with a completely flat tire, no boards or ramps required. If I get the flat in the front, I'll turn off traction control and get myself back on the road.
Wow, well said.
The only thing I would add is since the C5's front and rear wheels are about an inch different in height, would you not have to carry two spares???
you would want to get a tire that matches the rear diameter. That way you don’t wreak havoc on your diff if it happens to the rear tire.
If it happens to the front, you’ll just have weird handling which will require you to be very careful.
I cant believe I’m reading posts where people are actively talking down towards being prepared. ”do you really want to be changing a tire on the side of the road!?!?” No, I also don’t want to have a flat at all though.
"Cell Phone or Fix a Flat". Hmmmm. What about those times that you are miles from cell coverage? Or have damage like the poster above that isn't being fixed with a can of slime? Or you are one of us who lives in Phoenix and would prefer not to wait by the side of the road waiting for Roadside Assistance for an hour or two when it's 113 degrees outside?
Anyway, to answer the original poster, here is what I did for my 2004 Z06. Works perfectly, and I can easily get the PT Cruiser jack under an aluminum lifting puck with a completely flat tire, no boards or ramps required. If I get the flat in the front, I'll turn off traction control and get myself back on the road.
It is still not terribly difficult to find a spare from an 04-6 Pontiac GTO. And generally way cheaper than the Modern Spare brand.
The GTO has a slightly different PCD, which puts bending loads on the studs - not a good idea. C4's have the correct PCD (4.75"), but I am not sure about the outer diameter. There do seem to be quite a few C4 "donuts" up for sale though.
Last edited by jackthelad; Jan 28, 2019 at 10:59 AM.
The GTO has a slightly different PCD, which puts bending loads on the studs - not a good idea. C4's have the correct PCD (4.75"), but I am not sure about the outer diameter. There do seem to be quite a few C4 "donuts" up for sale though.
To correct the bolt pattern misalignment, I ordered a custom wheel adapter from https://www.motorsport-tech.com. I decided on a 42mm width adapter to ensure the factory wheel studs did not protrude outside of the Adapter. This also means that I won't have to grind out the center of the GTO wheel, ensuring the wheel correctly centers on the hub. Stock stud size.
Specs for adapter as follows:
2004 CHEVROLET CORVETTE_C5_ZO6
Your Bolt Pattern: 5x120.7mm
Your Hub Diameter: 70.3mm
Type: One Piece Adapter
Hub Centric to Car & Wheel Centric to Wheel
Thickness: 42mm
Stud Size: 12x1.5
Center Bore: 69.5mm
Diameter: 5 by 120 (4.72 inches)
Price each: 75.00
Total Quantity: 1
Modern Spare
