The spare tire dilemma

[moparedtn]

Fred (my '68 GTX) has never had a spare tire since I've owned him; for that matter, I don't even have a conventional factory
bumper jack for him, nor the hardware for mounting same in the trunk.
Yep, I've been rolling the dice on a flat tire for sure...seems like everything else took precedent over the years of Fred
resurrection.

Here's the thing (and I'm sure a lot of others are in the same boat here):
I don't have the same size tires on front vs. rear: 27.4" diameter front (225/70/15), 28.0" (275/60/15) rear.
So....what is everyone in similar situations using for a spare - or do you carry one of each size even?
Do you use the factory jack or something else?

 

[Cheapsunglasses]

Find a narrow equivalent to the rear tire, you have a chance of messing up the differential with 2 different heights. And it needs to be narrow so you can put it on the front if need be, because it doesn’t care. I use a trolly Jack, and carry an electric impact.

 

[haywire 440]

I agree with the above, but I do have the original jack components also for the correct look. I actually had to use that jack one time and was happy to have it. I also had some wheels chocks and was very happy to have had them because I was on a slight hill. That can be scary.

 

[moparedtn]

I agree with the above, but I do have the original jack components also for the correct look. I actually had to use that jack one time and was happy to have it. I also had some wheels chocks and was very happy to have had them because I was on a slight hill. That can be scary.

I'd love to find that ol' passenger car trunk jack, but people apparently have decided it's worth its' weight
in gold from the prices I see...

 

[gkent]

Wife's got a newer Kia Sportage. Doesn't even come with a spare! Just some odds and ends and a can of "inflate-a-flat"

 

[moparedtn]

Wife's got a newer Kia Sportage. Doesn't even come with a spare! Just some odds and ends and a can of "inflate-a-flat"

A lot of them don't have one these days. Fortunately, Ma Mopar decided both my Ram and our Charger R/T
should have a spare, although the Chargers' is a space-saver...ugh.

 

[haywire 440]

I'd love to find that ol' passenger car trunk jack, but people apparently have decided it's worth its' weight
in gold from the prices I see...

Folks use the aluminum lightweight cheap jacks, chocks and jack stand(s) for the inevitable surprise tire emergency. That’s minimal. You have to be patient to get a good price on the old t-jack. Being from Chicagoland you just gotta know a guy.

 

[HawkRod]

Ed,

I think there are two schools of thought with this and I feel the choice is merely personal preference.

A) Have a spare and jack. This proved indispensable for me when I was on my cross country trip last year. I try to have as small a spare (diameter) as possible. However, if you have a sure grip you will stress the clutches if the tires don't match. So I treat my spare as a "limp to the closest tire place", which is what we did. The down side is all this stuff takes up a lot of trunk space.

B) Go without. As already mentioned, many new cars today don't even come with a spare tire. Tires are so reliable today that flat tires are actually pretty rare. Also, a can of fix a flat and/or some tire plugs and a pump can deal with most flats like a nail in the tire. Takes very little space and you will only be in trouble if the sidewall or other mishap occurs with the tire that means it can't be patched.

I was going to use option "B" in my drive across country but last minute decided to keep the spare. When the belts in the rear tire broke, there was obviously no way to patch that tire, so I was glad I had it. Having said that, if I was only going to stay local with the car, I likely would use option "B".

 

[Cheapsunglasses]

A) Have a spare and jack. This proved indispensable for me when I was on my cross country trip last year. I try to have as small a spare (diameter) as possible. However, if you have a sure grip you will stress the clutches if the tires don't match. So I treat my spare as a "limp to the closest tire place", which is what we did. The down side is all this stuff takes up a lot of trunk space.

Thank you for explaining it better than I did! Get a tire narrow enough it’ll work on the front, but be the right height for the back.

 

[HawkRod]

Get a tire narrow enough it’ll work on the front, but be the right height for the back.

I agree this is the best option if you are going to carry a spare.

 

[70ChargerRT]

Aint no donut tire ever messed up my rear end lol

 

[Ron H]

With spares have the issues with a SG and my Dakota being AWD. Both rides underwent a larger wheel size over stock. Found a suitable spare for the ’63 and still running w/o a spare on the Dak since installing the larger wheels. Should change soon as I need new tires and the shop is going to obtain a spare for it.
I keep a breaker bar and correct size socket in the vehicles as shop-torqued bolts are a joke to remove with common lug wrenches.

 

[Cranky]

These days I'll have to call for road side service. With the tires on my diesel, there's not much of a chance of getting the flat tire up into the bed of the dang thing with the way my back is.....and they are too big to go under it.

 

[qkcuda]

I run 17 inch aluminum wheels on my car with overall tire diameter of 27 inches. I found a temporary spare from a Ford Edge that fits the spare tire well nicely, and allows a flat floor. It is on a 17 inch rim and measures 27 inches tall. I just had to enlarge the center register slightly to fit over the Chrysler axle diameter.

 

[Don Frelier]

I bring a scissors jack from the mid 80s M bodies. They were pretty nice little jacks and don't take up much space when collapsed. My bumper jacks are just for decoration

 

[68BabyBlue]

I have played my cards similar to Hawk. When I ran my Imperials long distances in the 90s, I carried a properly sized full spare, fix a flat, extra tire tools, and blocks. In my later years, I've been fortunate to have friends in a local towing company. For better or worse, the Demonstrator carries the original date coded spare, and tools, which are never going to see the ground.

 

[Davefinan]

I carry a bottle jack with some base blocks along with ratchet,socket ,extension etc. good question on the tire though. I have a 66 charger that has the mismatched front and rear. That would be a AAA motor club case.

 

[PlymCrazy]

I keep the spares and original jacks in all of the cars. But in reality I should probably have a hydraulic jack and block of wood(and an impact) in each as I wouldn't want to risk marring up the chrome on the bumpers with the originals. This thread definitely has me rethinking the flat tire potential. For now, I'll risk it as I only drive them locally.

 

[#41]

I too generally carry a skinny spare matching the rear tire diameter, and stock jacks. Otherwise, I have two cars with no practical room for a spare (fuel cells), and they are covered with a call to AAA.

 

[Detective D]

Your tire size difference would be fine for a shorter distance. otherwise, you can always do like OEM does for certain vehicles: if your front goes flat, no problem. If the back goes flat, you move both front tires to the back and use the spare up front anyway. If you have 295's in back might be an issue though

Jacks, well, most OEM car jacks leave me wanting. This works as a travel buddy for me in several vehicles, just move it to the one on the trip(I don;t have a case)
Amazon product ASIN B0B5FMN6ZY
There are plenty of other brands to pick from, just was the first my search came up with. Mine is from NAPA, forget the brand.
For my trucks, the spare stays home or goes in the bed if it is a long trip. None of that underneath BS for me.