Public Service Announcement: Fill Up Your Spare

[Mr Hardware]

When was the last time you checked the pressure of your spare tyre?
Some of you will be vigilant enough to remember, but for the rest of us, don't get caught out with all the ability and tools on your cool ride only to be let down by a little bit of air.
Fill it up next time you're down the servo!
And it's free!!!

[Binny]

Yes some wise advice. And I always make a point of checking my spare after I've had the car serviced at my local Ford dealer. The last 2 services they have pumped it up to more than 50psi. Its not a ******* space saver! The morons there can't seem to tell the difference. (Despite the custom made floor to accommodate the full size wheel)

[Silver Ghia]

Checked the 4 cars this morning. Straight forward with most cars, Falcon, Corolla, MGB.

But VW want to be clever so they put the spare wheel in upside down so they can then fit a tool box inside the hollow of the rim. Great idea until it comes to checking the tyre pressure when you find the valve is right underneath and everything has to come out.

1. You first lift up the boot lower board. Nothing to keep it up with, so you are then left with only one free hand after that.
2. Then you open the toolbox lid and remove the jack from its slot within the toolbox to get at the screw knob. Then loosen the wheel and toolbox.
3. Lift out toolbox.
4. Lift out wheel, but thats awkward as the tyre tread keeps catching on lower edge of the rear boot trim.
5. After struggling for a while with the heavy wheel, you finally manage to lift out wheel, put it on the ground then check the tyre pressure.
6. Put wheel back in the wheel well, centreing so the screw clamp will go straight in.
7. Put the toolbox back in and screw it all in.
8. But how does that jack go back in so the toolbox lid closes properly? After several minutes working out which way the jack goes and swivelling the end bit around, it finally fits in and the toolbox lid can close.
9. Lower that board that you were holding with your left hand the whole time.

No wonder some people don't check their spare tyre pressure. Stupid VW designers. But I'm grateful it has a full size spare, unlike many cars these days.

[b2tf]

Originally Posted by Silver Ghia

Stupid VW designers. But I'm grateful it has a full size spare, unlike many cars these days.

My Wife's VW work car doesn't even have one. When I asked the salesman where it was, he pulled out his phone instead.

[new2ford]

BMW doesn't bother with minor matters like having a spare wheel either.

[RANGEREST]

Originally Posted by Binny

Yes some wise advice. And I always make a point of checking my spare after I've had the car serviced at my local Ford dealer. The last 2 services they have pumped it up to more than 50psi. Its not a ******* space saver! The morons there can't seem to tell the difference. (Despite the custom made floor to accommodate the full size wheel)

I'd prefer it too high, rather than too low, you can easily let a bit out on the side of the road if you're fitting it and it feels a bit high, but how often do we pump up the spare when we do the other 4? I for one never do.
Services could be 12 months apart for my Territory, I check/inflate the tyres probably every 3 months or so, but never give the spare a thought, so prior to those 12 month services it's probably flat.

[Trump]

Originally Posted by new2ford

BMW doesn't bother with minor matters like having a spare wheel either.

They counter the lack of spare tyre with run flat tyres. Ask me how much I'm looking forward to replacing the tyres...

[Binny]

Originally Posted by velvet

I'd prefer it too high, rather than too low, you can easily let a bit out on the side of the road if you're fitting it and it feels a bit high, but how often do we pump up the spare when we do the other 4? I for one never do.
Services could be 12 months apart for my Territory, I check/inflate the tyres probably every 3 months or so, but never give the spare a thought, so prior to those 12 month services it's probably flat.

I'd rather not have a tyre in my boot that has been inflated over its maximum rated pressure.

[CyberWasp]

Always carry some kind of foot pump.
It has saved me many times as in getting to a tyre place to have a nail / screw fixed without even having to change the wheel with slow leaks.
If you do have to change then it can help if the spare is a little low as well.

[sr71]

Originally Posted by CyberWasp

Always carry some kind of foot pump.
It has saved me many times as in getting to a tyre place to have a nail / screw fixed without even having to change the wheel with slow leaks.
If you do have to change then it can help if the spare is a little low as well.

Yeh, the Tyre Repair Plugs are only around $10 for a kit, so worth having thrown in as well.
And regarding the VW which is hard to check. A cheap 12V compressor could be a good option

[EB#]

Originally Posted by Silver Ghia

But VW want to be clever so they put the spare wheel in upside down so they can then fit a tool box inside the hollow of the rim.....

Same goes for my partner's Subie Forester! Not quite as troublesome as your VW, but still a bit of a hassle!

[LTDHO]

Sorta goes without saying really.

[GasoLane]

Originally Posted by Silver Ghia

But VW want to be clever so they put the spare wheel in upside down so they can then fit a tool box inside the hollow of the rim. Great idea until it comes to checking the tyre pressure when you find the valve is right underneath and everything has to come out.

Yep, 1-7 is exactly the same as my car. Saving space without a spacesaver

[ford71V8]

Check my spare regularly.

but that would be because its being used on my front left, and has been there for close to 4 months

[smciner1]

Originally Posted by Silver Ghia

Checked the 4 cars this morning. Straight forward with most cars, Falcon, Corolla, MGB.

But VW want to be clever so they put the spare wheel in upside down so they can then fit a tool box inside the hollow of the rim. Great idea until it comes to checking the tyre pressure when you find the valve is right underneath and everything has to come out.

1. You first lift up the boot lower board. Nothing to keep it up with, so you are then left with only one free hand after that.
2. Then you open the toolbox lid and remove the jack from its slot within the toolbox to get at the screw knob. Then loosen the wheel and toolbox.
3. Lift out toolbox.
4. Lift out wheel, but thats awkward as the tyre tread keeps catching on lower edge of the rear boot trim.
5. After struggling for a while with the heavy wheel, you finally manage to lift out wheel, put it on the ground then check the tyre pressure.
6. Put wheel back in the wheel well, centreing so the screw clamp will go straight in.
7. Put the toolbox back in and screw it all in.
8. But how does that jack go back in so the toolbox lid closes properly? After several minutes working out which way the jack goes and swivelling the end bit around, it finally fits in and the toolbox lid can close.
9. Lower that board that you were holding with your left hand the whole time.

No wonder some people don't check their spare tyre pressure. Stupid VW designers. But I'm grateful it has a full size spare, unlike many cars these days.

Like an EF Falcon. My old XR6 was like that, mounted upside down. Made it a PITA to check the pressure.

[Franco Cozzo]

What I do is inflate the spare up to the max pressure listed on the sidewall, so if you forget about it for a while hopefully its still some what inflated if you need to use it ages later down the track.

[fordOwner]

I remember watching Jack Absolom's 'Road To Survival' VHS and he pumped up his spare tyre to something like 150psi. He used the spare tyre to pump up his flat after letting his tyre down to get un-bogged via a one way valve.
He said it is perfectly safe to pump up a tyre to this pressure as long as its not used on the road as tyres can withstand a massive amount of pressure.
Personally i'd start to get anxious once the pressure passes the 60psi mark.

Highly recommend buying Jack Absolom's 1980's 'Road To Survival' DVD on Ebay for a laugh and some pretty interesting travel tips.

[2011G6E]

Originally Posted by Loud_Noises

They counter the lack of spare tyre with run flat tyres. Ask me how much I'm looking forward to replacing the tyres...

Enjoy your spine-shattering ride quality if you venture away from capital cities...I've heard they can be a little...harsh...on rough roads.
I know one dealer I spoke to who bemoaned the way some new BMW's are fitted with run-flats...he said no one from "the bush", even well off miners, would even consider buying one fitted with those wheels, as even the simplest flat tyre meant an expensive replacement by the time you could drive somewhere that had the equipment to remove the tyre and stocked the run flats.

Sometimes technology for the sake of technology is a bad thing...

[99AUXR]

Originally Posted by Big Damo

What I do is inflate the spare up to the max pressure listed on the sidewall, so if you forget about it for a while hopefully its still some what inflated if you need to use it ages later down the track.

Yeap, amazing how many shops dont inflate spares, when a vehicle comes in I always inflate spare to max pressure.

[sprintman1]

Filla spare with nitrogen and notta leaka so mucha