You never know when you'll need to use your spare tire, but because it's out of sight on most vehicles it's usually out of mind, too. Even if the spare is mounted on the back of an SUV in full view, chances are it doesn't get the attention it deserves — or the air pressure it needs. All tires lose air pressure over time because air permeates rubber (and for nitrogen-filled tires, nitrogen permeates the rubber too, causing them to lose pressure). If a compact spare tire has been tucked away under a cargo floor for five years, there's a good chance it's severely underinflated — and possibly unable to handle the load and stress of emergency road duty. An underinflated tire can't safely carry the same amount of weight as a fully inflated tire. Compact spares typically should be inflated to around 60 pounds per square inch; one far short of that level could fail and damage the wheel as well. Even a fully inflated "doughnut" spare is designed only for temporary use, though, typically up to 100 miles at speeds no higher than 55 mph.

Repair shops that perform tire rotations routinely check the inflation levels of the four tires on the vehicle, but the spare is usually ignored. To be safe, vehicle owners should ask that shops check the spare or do it themselves at least twice a year. On SUVs and trucks that mount the spare on the liftgate or under the cargo area, long-term exposure to dirt, salt, water and snow can cause corrosion, and make it hard to remove the mounting hardware or operate latches and cables in an emergency. Periodic inspection, and cleaning or lubrication if needed, can make it easier to remove the spare when a tire goes flat. If your vehicle has a tire inflator kit instead of a spare tire, you could run into different issues. First, the sealant may not be able to seal all punctures, depending on their severity and location. In addition, the sealant that gets injected into the tire probably has an expiration date (usually four years or less from when it was new). The sealant might not work as well after that date, so it should be replaced.

Finally, if you're the kind of person who routinely drives with the trunk or cargo area loaded with unnecessary stuff, keep in mind that you'll probably have to remove all that stuff to get to the spare tire and jack, and then put it all back when you're done changing the tire. Moreover, a compact spare tire fits as snug as a bug and is out of sight, but a flat — and usually filthy — full-size tire and wheel won't fit into the same spot and will have to share space with all that stuff. Keeping a large plastic trash bag in the vehicle will allow you to transport a flat tire without dirtying the trunk or, potentially, the cabin. Spare tires may not be mentioned on service menus at repair shops, but a little preventive maintenance can pay dividends when they're needed. Maxxis is an original equipment manufacturer of spare tires servicing multiple automotive manufacturers around the world. Select sizes are available to purchase directly from Maxxis /chevy-volt-flat-tire-no-spare-tire-woes on this server.

Your technical support key is: 36cb-4090-1756-6707By Mark Phelan, USA TODAY and the Detroit Free Press"Losing your spare tire" means losing weight -- for people and now for cars. But will car buyers give up the security of a spare tire in exchange for the higher fuel economy that comes with less weight?Automakers around the world are weighing that question.Customer and government demand for higher fuel economy led to creation of the lighter "doughnut" temporary spare tire in the 1980s. Home Depot Grohe Bathroom FaucetsNow the same pressures are leading to elimination of the spare altogether in favor of tire sealant and inflator kits that can fix most -- though not all -- flats.House For Sale On Mackinaw Rd Saginaw MiThe kits weigh 5 to 6 pounds, compared with 30 or more for a temporary spare and 50 or more for a full-size spare and its tools, GM director of chassis engineering Terry Connolly says."Alaskan Klee Kai Puppies For Sale In Ga

senior editor and analyst. "Not every customer is comfortable with it, though."Drivers still fear being stranded, though with less reason these days: Tires are more reliable. Tire-pressure monitors on all new vehicles make drivers aware of most leaks before the vehicle is disabled. And most drivers have a cellphone to call for help ; they frequently do so, even if they have a spare.A survey by General Motors found the average driver gets one flat tire every 30,000 to 40,000 miles:In two-thirds of those cases, the air leaked out while the car was parked in the owner's driveway. About a third of respondents to a study by tire maker Michelin said they hadn't had a flat in the last 10 years.If they do, "for most flats, a can of sealant and an air compressor does a great job," says John Rastetter, director of tire information services at online retailer Tire Rack. "Despite that, we hear from some customers who like the spare tire as a security blanket."For drivers who want to be prepared, no matter how low the risk, some automakers sell an optional spare tire for vehicles that come without one.

Most also still figure full-size spares are mandatory for pickups and SUVs that will be driven off-road. But for other vehicles, the benefits from eliminating the spare's dead weight are too big for them to ignore."The general rule of thumb is that a 10% reduction in (vehicle weight) leads to a 6 to 7% improvement in fuel economy," says Jay Baron, CEO of the Center for Automotive Research in Ann Arbor, Mich.And just one mpg difference in the fuel efficiency of a compact car saves the driver $50 to $100 a year at current gas prices, according to the Department of Energy."It's a question of trade-offs," Visnic said. "Carrying a spare tire you never use 100,000 miles burns a lot of gasoline. It's like driving around carrying a fully packed suitcase with a week's clothes, just in case you have to go to the airport and don't have time to pack. How often does that happen?"post #1 of 4 Dealing with lack of spare tire on Prius 4? post #2 of 4 post #3 of 4 post #4 of 4 You must log in or register