How important is a spare tire

[caseyc]

<p><br>A different view picture.<br><a href="http://www.yakima.com/shop/cargo/gear-basket-accessories/hi-lift-jack-bracket" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://www.yakima.com/shop/cargo/gear-basket-accessories/hi-lift-jack-bracket</a></p>

 

[simpleliving]

The spare is HUGE, and heavy. My rooftop is super lightweight fiberglass. I'm not sure what a Yakima basket is....Wouldn't it be unsafe to drive the van being so top-heavy?&nbsp;

 

[simpleliving]

Oh, ok. I see the pic you just posted. Interesting....

 

[caseyc]

No, it's not unsafe. I have it myself. Your van rooftop can withstand the weight, especially if it's only a simple spare tire, which is like nothing.&nbsp; You should see all the weight I have on my rooftop, you'd be surprised.&nbsp; This solution is very do-able, and will be very stable. However, depending on your rooftop setup, you **might** need to also install the Yakima crossbars to make everything stable and to hold whatever else you want to such as a basket or Yakima skybox cargo box.<br><br>My suggestion to you, if you choose to go this route, is to have a professional shop install these items for you.&nbsp; I wouldn't do it myself if I were you.&nbsp; There are specialty shops that do this type of thing, plus the local REI Sports stores also sell and install these items too.<br><br>Link to Yakima crossbars.<br><a href="http://www.yakima.com/shop/rack-systems/naked-roof/58-crossbars" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://www.yakima.com/shop/rack-systems/naked-roof/58-crossbars</a>

 

[Willy]

&nbsp;As an aside, if you've never changed a tire, now would be the time to do it. Do it so you know HOW, from experience and not from instructions, because an emergency situation is not the best time to encounter additional difficulties. For example, in my other truck, the rear rims were such a tight fit over the protruding axle that I literally had to PRY them off with a breaker bar while beating on the axle with a sledge. After I had them off, I sanded and greased the mating surfaces to nix that problem for future removal. Also, the acorn nuts and the studs are often rusty as all hell, and removal and greasing of the threads can save you a lot of future grief.<br>&nbsp;While the tire is off, it might be a good time to check out your brakes. I've found, for rear drums, the auto-adjusters often don't work and only the front brakes are stopping the vehicle.. not good. ..Willy.

 

[user 423]

That's good advice about knowing how to change a tire...you never know when you might need to do it.&nbsp; If you decide you want to be prepared, just in case, get a a larger 4-way lug wrench. It's easier to remove/replace the lug nuts and it can be used to lever a heavy wheel up so the holes fit over the lugs. Much better than trying to lift it!

 

[travlinman and wife]

why not mount under van were it is on most vans. go to salvage yard and get parts

 

[user 423]

<span id="post_message_1279055090">

why not mount under van were it is on most vans.

<br><br>Extended vans yes but regular length, wouldn't the gas tank be in the way?<br></span>

 

[Willy]

I don't bother with a lug wrench.. got a 3/4" sliding breaker bar and 3' of pipe to put on the end; easy as butter! Also got a 120v 1/2" impact wrench for when the nuts finally break loose.. zzz-zzzzip zzzzzip, off it comes. ..Willy.

 

[travlinman and wife]

on a conversion I am sure it is not on the inside and on late model vans it is not on the door so were is it

 

[Pikachu711]

Would I ever personally ever travel without a spare tire? Never!<br><br>The thought of suddenly needing a spare tire and not having one available is a situation that can be avoided. That's only if you think that today's modern tires rarely go flat. Granted there's less chance of newer tires having a blowout but walking out to my vehicle and discovering a flat tire is a real possibility. What are the odds of picking up something that has perforated your tire as you drive and the tire going flat while you sleep is very real. It's most convenient to have a spare tire available to change to get you on your way. Being stuck somewhere with just a flat tire seems to be a problem than can be avoided.<br><br>Granted carrying a spare tire will use very valuable storage space inside your vehicle. But probably as others have mentioned you can mount spare tires somewhere outside your vehicle. Whether it be underneath, on top, in front, in back there are ways of carrying a spare tire.<br><br>I'll always carry a spare tire in any vehicle I own for piece of mind.<br><br>JMHO

 

[Stargazer]

Travelin Man,

My '05 E-150 conversion van has the spare mounted underneath.

 

[Spirituallifetime]

And the other advantage to having a spare tire, try buying a tire when all the tire stores are about to close or are closed on Sunday. I had this problem when the tire&nbsp;on my&nbsp;van blowout, all the tire stores were closing at 4 and 5 on Saturday walmart was open until 7. The tire blowout at about 3 in the afternoon had to get to walmart and they got the tire done by 7:30 and finally got the tire on the van at about 9 in the evening, thought I was going to have to leave the van sitting on the side of the freeway over the weekend.&nbsp;

 

[travlinman and wife]

simpleliving&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; you do not say what year or make van you have.&nbsp; It is my understanding that ford,checy and dodge all put their spair inside in the 70,80,and earley 90. If that van went to a conversion shop it was removed an mounted on the door. If this what you have a door mount from a salvage yard will work.&nbsp; In the late 90 they all mounted underneth . IF this is what you have again salvage yard will supply you with parts

 

[Pikachu711]

Spitituallifetime, that's the primary reason I always carry a spare tire. If you need to change a tire and are in a precarious location (interstate, no parking areas, etc.) you can't leave the vehicle any serious length of time. Between law enforcement or vandals, you don't want to leave a vehicle stranded on a roadway or other areas for any long period of time. Getting your "home" out of harms way is very important!

 

[user 2252]

When I bought my 88 G20 Chevy conversion van, it sported a tire rack mounted on the drivers side rear door. I have since removed the tire rack as it was causing undue pressure on the door and was showing signs of fatigue. I now store the spare tire under my bed. This arrangement seems to work so far.

 

[wrcsixeight]

+1 on Willy's advice.<br><br>I remember back when I was 17 and got a flat in my old man's Oldsmobile in a rainstorm, and it took me 2 hours to figure out how to remove the damn hubcap as it had a special locking mechanism and tool to remove it. &nbsp; Knowing where the jacking points are is very important too, and carrying a block of wood to distribute the load on unpaved surfaces is wise as well.<br><br>I would never rely on AAA instead of carrying a spare. &nbsp; One can change a tire in 10 minutes and be on their way, or call AAA, wait for a few hours for them to show, remove the tire, take it somewhere to be repaired or replaced, return to the vehicle, re install it and then be on their way 6 hours later. &nbsp;Putting them selves at the mercy of every person in between. &nbsp;no way would I willingly subject myself to that. &nbsp;And I doubt the person who didn't carry the spare when they needed it would ever be caught without one again, and the know how to do it themselves.<br><br> I've now got a full size spare of the same make and age are the rest of my tires that I've introduced into the rotation which I do more often than required. which allows me to check the condition of my brakes and adjust the 'self adjusting' rears, which do not self adjust very well.<br><br>One thing not yet mentioned is torquing the wheel lugs properly and evenly. &nbsp;Not doing so, or doing so very improperly can warp disk brake rotors, causing the brake pedal to pulse and braking performance to suffer. &nbsp;While it is not realistic to travel with a torque wrench, One should have a basic idea of how much 90 to 115 LB/ft of torque is, and apply that torque to the lugs in stages, in a star pattern. &nbsp;One should also know how much torque their studs require. The 90 to 115 range is what my manual states for my 3/4 ton 5 lug Dodge.<br><br>While I had one hingepin shear on the door carrying my spare tire, this same door once carried two &nbsp;full size spares to the tip of Baja and back, over hundreds of miles of washboard, and rough roads.<br><br>I was not able to remove the pin sections myself and brought the hinge and new pin to a machine shop. &nbsp;Would have been cheaper to just get a new hinge from a junkyard.<br><br>I'd never waste internal space carrying a spare inside, and would get a door carrier if my Van did not come with one. &nbsp;I weigh 220 lbs, and regularly stand on my Spare tire mounted on the back door. &nbsp;One just needs to make sure the door is not floating, but that the bottom guide is resting on the metal where it was designed. &nbsp;Had I done this, I doubt the hinge pin would have sheared.

 

[RVTravel]

It takes me about 20-30 mins to change a tire.

 

[BC Guy]

Got an email from a cousin saying that the reason that they did not show up where we were supposed to meet on Friday, was that they got TWO flats on the trailer and they had no spares.&nbsp; I wonder if they will decide to carry a spare now?&nbsp; I have always carried a spare and some times 2.&nbsp; Think of it as insurance.

 

[Willy]

&nbsp;One other thing to keep in mind is that, if you get a flat just outside Wormwood New Mex, they might not even HAVE one of those newfangled tires ya got on your rig or, alternately, you're running old 16.5's or another oddball size. ..Willy.