Forum Discussion

NinerBikes's avatar
NinerBikes
Explorer
May 27, 2015

That spare tire

When's the last time you checked and topped off the air pressure on your spare tire? I was giving my little beast the complete once over, and topped off all four tires to the specified pressure, then checked all 4 tires treads for wear. I may have loaded a little unevenly, or that 2 lane road trip I took through desert in heavily decked roads that flash flood easily may have started an uneven wear pattern on one of my tires, so I was thinking about swapping in the spare tire instead.

That got me thinking, It has been a couple of years since I checked the air pressure on my spare tire. Glad I checked it... I only need 105 strokes on the bicycle tire pump to get it up to the proper pressure, a work out I needed.

Check your spare tire and measure the pressure on it before heading out on that big trip, you never know when you might need it. Don't be a neglectful ding dong deserving of a dope slap, like I was.

Yes I own an air compressor and hose, and yes the generator would hve worked with it too. Sometimes I like to do things the old fashioned way, for the exercise.

10 Replies

  • To be honest I never check my spare, but I carry a 12V compressor and use CoachNet for flats so keeping it aired up is not a high priority. IMO having a way to air up your tires while on the road with onboard assets is importants since traveling on an uninflated tire for even short distance can do irrepairable damage. I also carry two spares anyway.

    Larry
  • May be a little off topic but do not forget the spare in the family sedan.
  • I have a TPMS sensor on the spare. The display shows it as a third axle with one wheel.
  • Thanks for the reminder. That's something I definitely need to add to my list.
  • Naio's avatar
    Naio
    Explorer II
    I checked mine about a year ago. I suppose I could crawl under there and do it again... sometime...
  • When I notice that my spare tire is down, I have another pitcher of beer. Works every time!
  • I check mine regularly, in fact when I check the tires before a trip, I check it also. I learned that the hard way when I had a flat and as per Schwartz's law (he says Murphy is an optimist) the darn spare was also flat, bad thing it was on the TV so I had to call for help.
  • I do check my spares as part of the preflight before major trips, but not every day. Since we like to off-road there's always an air compressor along, as well as jacks, winches, tools. Now that I think about it, maybe I should hang out a shingle for mobile repair service.

    The good thing about that ounce of prevention though- it really works. Hardly ever have we made an unplanned repair.
  • Check mine each spring when I check the other 4. And since I have never had to add air to the other 4 until the next spring (TPMS keeps me aware of those), I kinda forget about the spare until then.

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