Alternative For Carrying A Spare Tire

I have had to use my spare twice and once on my father's van. I had my first flat in high school. I went out to my car after class to go to work and found the tire completely flat,so I got a ride out to an auto parts place and bought a $5 can of Fix a flat. When I got back to the car, I realized there was a hole in the sidewall and fix a flat was worthless against that, so that can has been in my trunk with a tripod LED lamp incase I need it.

So OP, you paid $20 for that kit when you could have got basically the same thing (Fix a flat) for $5?

http://www.autowares.com/images/prod...s420-6-400.jpg

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Originally Posted by NightFlyer

The tire, a Primewell PS850, was actually fairly new. And the pressure was checked and set to 32 psi just before the trip.

What's really ironic is that Primewell claims a 97 load rating for this tire - a point higher than most comparables!

Boils down to a cheap Asian (Chinese) made tire.

Moral to this story is two fold:

1) Don't buy Asian made tires!

2) ALWAYS carry a spare - even if it's just the doughnut!

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I've never seen a passenger car tire shred like that. For A tire that is not that old there is a significant amount Edge tread tire wear. Is that the outside edge or inside edge. It seems as though the tire got excessively hot and exploded. Could this have been caused by an extreme Toe-IN from a recent RACK change a week ago. Assuming this is Mr. Rices Car. I recognize that unique spare tire I saw in his trunk last weekend. How long did continue to drive on it (Limp off the highway) after it went flat ?

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Originally Posted by DMC5180

I've never seen a passenger car tire shred like that. For A tire that is not that old there is a significant amount Edge tread tire wear. Is that the outside edge or inside edge. It seems as though the tire got excessively hot and exploded. Could this have been caused by an extreme Toe-IN from a recent RACK change a week ago. Assuming this is Mr. Rices Car. I recognize that unique spare tire I saw in his trunk last weekend. How long did continue to drive on it (Limp off the highway) after it went flat ?

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I originally identified this as being Mr. Rice's car.

Personally, I've seen a couple other passenger car tires shred like this with the tread completely separating from the sidewall - one was a Uniroyal on a fairly new 1988 Buick LeSabre with about 15,000 miles on it, and the other was a Goodyear on a brand new 1996 Chrysler Concord with less than 300 miles on it.

I see what you mean about the toe-in though, as the pic of the mounted spare appears to show it pretty good.

Too bad Mr. Rice can't address these question on his own on this forum... * begin off topic rant * both he and Robertson are good people, assets to the community, and don't deserve to be banned just because some owners have an extremely thin skin and take everything personally (especially obvious jokes or comments made in jest) * end off topic rant *

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Originally Posted by NightFlyer

Too bad Mr. Rice can't address these question on his own on this forum... * begin off topic rant * both he and Robertson are good people, assets to the community, and don't deserve to be banned just because some owners have an extremely thin skin and take everything personally (especially obvious jokes or comments made in jest) * end off topic rant *

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Yeah I know, I enjoyed the entertainment value of them doing things outside the box. Albeit in jokes or jest. I will say when he fired up his car in the hotel parking lot for the post rack replacement test drive, it was instant and smooth running.

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Originally Posted by DMC5180

I've never ...... RACK change a week ago. Assuming this is Mr. Rices Car. I ?

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I doubt it. The blowout was a rear.

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Originally Posted by DMCMW Dave

I doubt it. The blowout was a rear.

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I can't believe I missed that one. :facepalm: Call Fixation and it over looking the obvious. Wow that's embarrassing.

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Originally Posted by DMC5180

Yeah I know, I enjoyed the entertainment value of them doing things outside the box. Albeit in jokes or jest. I will say when he fired up his car in the hotel parking lot for the post rack replacement test drive, it was instant and smooth running.

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Personally, I don't get the reason for the bans, but then again, it's not my forum.

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Originally Posted by DMC5180

I can't believe I missed that one. :facepalm: Call Fixation and it over looking the obvious. Wow that's embarrassing.

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Although it may not have been steering rack replacement related, Mr. Rice's rear tire does appear to have a slight toe-in - at least in the pic of the mounted spare, although it could just be the angle at which the picture was taken. Admittedly, I've never seen Mr. Rice's car in person.

However, toe-in or not, I still attribute this particular problem to being caused by a poorly made Asian tire.

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Originally Posted by NightFlyer

Personally, I don't get the reason for the bans, but then again, it's not my forum.



Although it may not have been steering rack replacement related, Mr. Rice's rear tire does appear to have a slight toe-in - at least in the pic of the mounted spare, although it could just be the angle at which the picture was taken. Admittedly, I've never seen Mr. Rice's car in person.

However, toe-in or not, I still attribute this particular problem to being caused by a poorly made Asian tire.

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I think knowing the date code on the tire is very relevant. It may very well have been recently purchased but I want to know when the tire was made so we know how old it was when it blew out. Much of the damage could have been from slowing down till you could get off the road. I would suggest the owner of the car check all of his other tires ASAP. If the car has been lowered that would account for the heavier than normal side wear. If the tire was recently purchased then just how many miles were out on it? If the tire failed prematurely and was not overloaded or old the owner can contact NHTSA and report the failure. If they get enough reports they can issue alerts and recalls to other owners of these tires if they see a pattern.
David Teitelbaum

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Originally Posted by David T

I think knowing the date code on the tire is very relevant. It may very well have been recently purchased but I want to know when the tire was made so we know how old it was when it blew out. Much of the damage could have been from slowing down till you could get off the road. I would suggest the owner of the car check all of his other tires ASAP. If the car has been lowered that would account for the heavier than normal side wear. If the tire was recently purchased then just how many miles were out on it? If the tire failed prematurely and was not overloaded or old the owner can contact NHTSA and report the failure. If they get enough reports they can issue alerts and recalls to other owners of these tires if they see a pattern.
David Teitelbaum

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I'm especially interested in the date code as well, since I didn't learn about those until I took a motorcycle course and that code when you buy a tire can save you from having the tire go out. I think for motorcycles it's 5 years from the date code and you don't buy/ change the tire? Not sure if it works that way for cars.

One other thing came to mind as I read this thread. It has to do with a saying we used to hear in the nuclear industry. It is simple and goes "how do you know?" Like, "are your service water piping wall thicknesses acceptable?" Yes. ....how do you know? The answer most of the time is you test it.

The thing that came to mind with the spare tire conversation is, do you know that you have everything you would need to change a flat on the side of the road and put the spare on? Such as the right sized socket/wrench, a jack that works and you know how to operate it, or any other random roadblocks along the way. Easiest way is to test it. And the best time to do that is in your driveway when you are not in a panic or bind. Perhaps one of those things where if you suddenly realize the lug nuts you swapped out a couple seasons ago now are too big to fit over the lug wrench tucked in to your trunk, it is way easier to deal with under your timing and not with the tire blow out gods' timing.

Even as I write this, I honestly have no idea if everything I would need is already in the car and whether the jack will work as I "assume" it will. I've never tried. I have no issue with the fantastic jack I have in my garage and my workbench full of tools. But that little scissor jobbie in my jack compartment I assume I can make work, but I don't really know for certain.

So to add to the spare tire debate, if you keep one in the car but don't have everything to utilize it, AND you thought you did, so you don't have a can of fix-a-flat handy, now you're really pooched. Might just find out myself tonight...

To those who prefer carrying a spare over a AAA card, may I also suggest:

Spare Alternator belt
Spare alternator
Full set of hoses
Spare radiator
otterstadt
clamps
pressure cap
3 gallons of coolant
spare wiper blades
spare fuses
spare starter (for automatic only)
spare battery
spare vacuum hoses
misc. electrical wire, crimpers and misc connectors
spare fuel pump
spare pickup hose and filter screen
spare fuel accumulator
spare frequency valve
full set of o rings
plugs, cap, rotor, wires, coil
clutch master and slave (for manual only)
Castrol GTLMA fluid
Spare headlamps
Spare wheel bearings
Drive axles with boots
tie rod ends
shocks
ball joints
full set of bolts and nuts, including TABs
brake pads
ISM
CPR
a spare of any part you have purchased from Hervey
rain poncho
work light
Jumper cables
Tow strap
gas can
flares
safety vest
work gloves and safety glasses
Electrical tester
Tools for all of the above,

and of course wheel chocks, jack and lug nut wrench.

Or...

A AAA card.


The above items are as likely to leave you stranded as a bad tire...

There are merits to carrying a spare tire, but it all comes down to personal risk assessment, and individual preference. There is no "right" answer here.

If a car has lowered suspension, will the spare even keep it off the ground?

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Originally Posted by TTait

a spare of any part you have purchased from Hervey

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The best line ever on DMCtalk.

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Originally Posted by SS Spoiler

If a car has lowered suspension, will the spare even keep it off the ground?

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Only if you kick your date out first. :p

You can't prepare for every contingency, but you can prepare for the most likely ones. Most cars come with a spare tire, and those cars' owner's manuals include instructions for changing a tire when you get a flat. Some people carry a can of fix-a-flat. Some people carry a patch kit. Some people carry spare tires. Some people carry none of that stuff. Who cares?

More important, why does anyone else give even half a shit about someone's spare tire that he bought four years ago and finally got to use? Let him brag. He feels better about the money he spent. Good for him. It doesn't affect you unless you give him the attention he wants.

The DeLorean community doesn't have to be monolithic. We are not the Borg. Our cars may all look alike, but we don't have to all think alike. That's just stupid. I think that every stupid argument in the DeLorean community would disappear if people simply got it into their heads that because something works for you doesn't mean you have to convert everyone to your way of thinking, and of course vice versa.

Who am I to tell someone else how to spend his money? I'm neither a DeLorean parts vendor nor a financial advisor. I for one am happy to just sit back and watch other people spend money I don't have and see what happens. Why not just enjoy the show?

Oh, never mind. I'm old and tired. Don't listen to me.

https://fbcdn-sphotos-b-a.akamaihd.n...08213467_n.jpg

If anybody is interested in this type of full size spare, I have located a source that has four. I can buy them and offer the other 3 for sale here.

I was with Steve Sunday morning after the open house. He got an alignment before driving home. The rear tires were a little out of spec on the toe, but not much.

Most of what I remember Steve talking about that weekend was his "crappy Chinese tires".