Poll:Have Air in Your Spare?

[Trooper]

DW had a flat tire on her way to an appointment yesterday. Luckily, we decided to keep our AAA membership, and upon arriving at the scene, the AAA tech found that DW's spare was also flat. The tech was able to fill the spare with air, change the tire, and DW was off on her merry way.

The AAA tech told DW that she should check her spare's air level EVERY TWO MONTHS. He also reminded her that should she have a flat in an area that AAA doesn't service and her spare was flat, she would be SOL (my words). While checking your spare's air every 2 months seems like a great idea in a perfect world, it seemed a bit excessive to me. Wondering what other folks do

 

[MRG]

Punt.

I owned my last pickup for ten years. Had two flats never could get the safety device to disengage allowing the spare to drop.

First time the EMTs had to rescue my finger from the safety device.

 

[ERD50]

DW has a very slow leak in one tire the past few months, loses a few pounds over several weeks, can't find a nail. I just tightened the valve stem insert though, which seemed very loose. I read warnings about not over-tightening them, I guess it is easy to strip the threads, so we will see.

Anyway, as I topped of the tires, I decided to check the spare. Darn thing is mounted with the tire stem down, so it was extra work to get it out to check. I'm going to do that another day. But they should make it easy to access. I guess some new cars have a monitor on the spare as well?

-ERD50

 

[RunningBum]

The spare in my Miata is in my trunk and I periodically feel it to make sure it's firm. I used to rotate my own tires and used the spare in that process for both cars, which was an automatic check but I gave that up a couple years ago as just too much work for the small cost savings. So I need to remember to pull up the cargo area cover on the Forester to check the spare once in awhile. The advantage of rotating my own tires is that along with a good spare, I also knew the jack was still in good working order and the lugs weren't on too tight. Had that happen once, where a shop overtightened them.

Cars where the spare sits underneath are probably most at risk, I'd think, and also toughest to check. I'd probably try to remember to ask the shop where you get oil change done to check it for you while it's up. Those of you who change your own oil probably already check your spare too? Changing oil is another job not worth it for me to do anymore either.

 

[jonat]

DW's car has a donut whose pressure I check twice a year when I swap summer/snow tires. My car's spare is deflated and a compressor is provided.

I agree with ERD50's annoyance that the spare's valve stem is mounted facing down. You can get a short hose that attaches to the valve and you can route around the tire to make this easier.

 

[braumeister]

A problem that is beginning to go away.
I was reading recently about how more cars are doing away with spares entirely and just providing a small compressor and bottle of sealer goop. Main reason is simply to save weight.

 

[aja8888]

Every 5 - 8 K miles, I rotate the tires and check the air in the spare at that time. I know this is boring, but it is what it is.

 

[imoldernu]

You can buy a tire pump for as little as $10 or less. I carry one in each car, and keep one at home for the bikes.

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Auto-Vehicle-Air-Compressor-Pump-Tire-12V-And-3-Adapter/546401972

Since they all have gauges, I also also use them to check tire pressure to specs once a month. Easy to pump up spare, if the pressure is low, so I don't bother to go through that check.

 

[braumeister]

This post also reminded me of my 1968 VW Beetle. There was a reservoir of windshield washer fluid that had a hose which connected to the valve of the spare tire. You were supposed to keep the spare inflated to a very high PSI so you had plenty of air pressure to run the washer. Kind of a clever idea for the time, but you did have to monitor it on a regular basis.

 

[grasshopper]

Now days I keep a 120v compressor and 12v inverter in my pickup. Both items have come in handy for me and other folks. Airport long term parking appears to be my downfall.

 

[RunningBum]

A problem that is beginning to go away.
I was reading recently about how more cars are doing away with spares entirely and just providing a small compressor and bottle of sealer goop. Main reason is simply to save weight.

Last flat I had was because I cut a turn short at an intersection in a hard rain and hit a huge pothole off the road, deforming my rim. I don't know that sealer could've held that. How many other cases does sealer goop fail?

 

[MRG]

Last flat I had was because I cut a turn short at an intersection in a hard rain and hit a huge pothole off the road, deforming my rim. I don't know that sealer could've held that. How many other cases does sealer goop fail?

Year's ago I flattened two rims going through a big pothole. How would one spare fix that?

 

[foxfirev5]

Every 5 - 8 K miles, I rotate the tires and check the air in the spare at that time. I know this is boring, but it is what it is.

Exactly what I've always done. 45 years of doing my own maintenance has prevented a few major problems from developing on the road.

 

[Ronstar]

I voted never, because my truck is only 5 months old and I haven't checked it yet.

And my car doesn't have a spare.

 

[shortstop14]

My 2008 Tacoma has tire pressure sensors that trigger a dashboard warning light when a tire has a drop in pressure. I was driving in remote Nevada in the winter when the light came on, but pressure in all tires looked good. Took a while to eventually figure out that the spare also has the pressure sensors.

 

[6miths]

I poke at it once in awhile. Also have tire sealer and a jumper/compressor combo in each of the vehicles.

 

[Backpacker]

This post also reminded me of my 1968 VW Beetle. There was a reservoir of windshield washer fluid that had a hose which connected to the valve of the spare tire. You were supposed to keep the spare inflated to a very high PSI so you had plenty of air pressure to run the washer. Kind of a clever idea for the time, but you did have to monitor it on a regular basis.

I've got this on my 65 Kharman Ghia - clever idea, but mine isn't hooked up.

 

[JoeWras]

I check it about once a year. It is usually down to about 50PSI by then, from the 60PSI it should be at. Good enough to limp to get air.

 

[travelover]

This post also reminded me of my 1968 VW Beetle. .......

Those VWs had a lot of clever ideas, like the imaginary heater.

 

[Sunset]

I have a bicycle pump and pressure gauge in each car, I might check the spare once every 2 yrs.

 

[audreyh1]

My spare tire pressure is monitored along with the used four, so we know if it's low.

 

[tmm99]

Never ever ever. Thank you for this thread. I will have it checked every time I get my winter/summer tires swapped.

 

[ERD50]

You can buy a tire pump for as little as $10 or less. I carry one in each car, and keep one at home for the bikes.

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Auto-Vehicle-Air-Compressor-Pump-Tire-12V-And-3-Adapter/546401972

Since they all have gauges, I also also use them to check tire pressure to specs once a month. Easy to pump up spare, if the pressure is low, so I don't bother to go through that check.

Agree on having a compressor like that in each car. It can easily take care of a slow leak from a nail/screw that's been picked up, so you can get home or to a repair shop.

My pet peeve is they all seem to have gauges that go to 300 PSI or so - so the important range for car tires is ~ 30 PSI, and that is crammed into a tiny area. You can barely visually distinguish a 5 PSI change, and meters like that also have very poor accuracy at the very low end of their range.

But they will get you by, and you can double check with a regular tire gauge.

-ERD50

 

[FIREd]

No spare in my car. I have a tire pressure gauge and a 12V air compressor in the trunk in case a tire runs low. I also have a can of foam filler. In case of a blowout, I am SOL.

 

[DayDreaming]

With my last car (VW), they checked the spare tire pressure every time I brought it in for scheduled maintenance, so I never bothered.

My current car doesn't have a spare, just a compressor and sealer goop - hope I never have to test that out!