Spare tire issue. (1 Viewer)

[atijerino]

I was cheking my spare tire today to see if it was ok and it was totally deflated. I took the truck to the local Les Schaw tire store and they checked it and they could not find anything wrong with it. The technician told me that the way the spare is stored could cause it to leak thru the valve, because the tire can only be stored with the valve up and it could rub against the bottom of the body and leak. Another thing he told that because of this design the only way to air the spare is by removing it. Is there a way to reverse this and mount the spare with the valve facing down?

Thanks,

 

[KliersLC]

I don't have the stock spare but I can turn mine either way, BTW IMHO he is blowing smoke, My mini had the valve up for 20+ years and I never had to air it, but.. I could be wrong.
Dan

 

[brianinaustin]

When I bought my '96 a couple of months ago, I pulled the spare because it was pretty-side down. I thought it could ding it up being exposed that way. What I found was a lot of corrosion on the backside because water will pool in the the back with the way it's shaped.

I tried putting it back each way, and found it fits better stem-up. Also, when I initially pulled it, a short hollow steel tube about 3 or 4 inches long and .25 in dia. fell out. Not sure what that is. Chocked it up to being debris tha got thrown up there.

 

[MikeB]

The owner's manual says to store the spare with the outside up, and I prefer this to protect the finished side (this is in Arizona, no concern about water). The guys at Discount tire always want to mount the outside down so it is easier to check the air. It fits either way without any issue that I can see.

Mike

 

[Kalawang]

It might be a good idea to check the mag for leaks. Some are so small that it takes a couple of weeks or more to make themselves apparent. Try using the spare a while and see if it also goes soft or flat in a couple of weeks. You can also overinflate it and see if the leak appears.

The story of the valve thing and tire position sounds like a story to me. If my suggestion doesn't help, try another shop.


Kalawang

 

[ultimauk]

It might be a good idea to check the mag for leaks. Some are so small that it takes a couple of weeks or more to make themselves apparent. Try using the spare a while and see if it also goes soft or flat in a couple of weeks. You can also overinflate it and see if the leak appears.

The story of the valve thing and tire position sounds like a story to me. If my suggestion doesn't help, try another shop.


Kalawang

Dang, you beat me to it.

When I finally went to replace my old size spare with a new 305 Nitto, Discount tires asked me to come back in the bay to look at my rim. The inside was so corroded that it wouldn't hold air in a million years. I guess salt water pooled on top of the tire on and off for years and finally leaked into the tire.

Good call Kalawang

 

[Kalawang]

Ultimauk,

Thanks for the compliment but that wasn't my point. What happened to your rims was the obvious, and I was speaking of a leak so small as to be near invisible. That also happens to new mags, or mags that appear to be in good condition. I had a leaky mag that was so slow it took a week to lose a lb. of air, and the mags were new.

I suspect something similar in the case of Atijerino.


Kalawang

 

[ultimauk]

Ultimauk,

Thanks for the compliment but that wasn't my point. What happened to your rims was the obvious, and I was speaking of a leak so small as to be near invisible. That also happens to new mags, or mags that appear to be in good condition. I had a leaky mag that was so slow it took a week to lose a lb. of air, and the mags were new.

I suspect something similar in the case of Atijerino.


Kalawang

Hi Kalawang,

I wasn't so clear on my response.

What I should have added was, on the outside of the rim I didn't see any holes.

So in my case it was ??? hundreds of pin holes.

I knew exactly what you ment when you wrote your initial post.

 

[OZCAL]

A little off topic, but maybe this would help with the corrosion: I am seeing more and more spares (on roof racks) wrapped in plastic shrink-wrap. I think folk are getting it done at Brisbane Int'l Airport, where there is a luggage wrapping service on the landside; they charge a few dollars a bag. Might be harder to mount the spare underneath, but should prevent corrosion/dings, etc.

David