Spare or no spare.....

[rush91]

Does anyone here run their Beast without the spare tire / doughnut in?? I'm not talking for track days, just daily driving. I have been thinking of taking mine out, to save a few pounds. Along with the tire bag, etc...... My luck as soon as I do, Murphys law will show it's ugly head. Just as it did for fellow member QB93Z (http://www.zr1.net/forum/member.php?u=987) on his road trip.

[GOLDCYLON]

Normally its a decision to tow. Most of us wont trust a 25 yo Doughnut. Maybe Homer will

http://toriavey.com/images/2011/06/Homer-Doughnut.jpg

[A26B]

A small repair kit consisting of tire plug kit & 12V air compressor is my choice in lieu of the spare. Obviously, this is OK for small punctures only.

[WARP TEN]

Agree with GOLDCYLON about the perils of 20 year old rubber, but when I did cutouts on the '95 I wanted to retain the spare just as an added level of security. It still held the requisite 60 pounds of pressure for several months. If I had a flat I would use it for a short emergency run to get a repair, but I would be very wary about depending on it for any fast or long running. --Bob

[rush91]

Normally its a decision to tow. Most of us wont trust a 25 yo Doughnut. Maybe Homer will

http://toriavey.com/images/2011/06/Homer-Doughnut.jpg

Hahahaha Doh!!! Point well taken....

[rush91]

Is it a full size tire or doughnut? I've only peeked at it before....it looks to be original.

[WARP TEN]

Is it a full size tire or doughnut? I've only peeked at it before....it looks to be original.

It is a donut. --Bob

[Jim Nolan]

I asked the same question many years ago and the general consenus was that it was part of the rear end crash safety. How much it would help by leaving it in who knows. But by taking it out the only thing left is the gas tank. Your choice.

Jim

[RussMcB]

I'd be pretty surprised if anyone could tell the difference with it being in place or not.

[WARP TEN]

I asked the same question many years ago and the general consenus was that it was part of the rear end crash safety. How much it would help by leaving it in who knows. But by taking it out the only thing left is the gas tank. Your choice.

Jim

That also is true. There is actually a GM brace part that is added in place of the spare tire if a spare tire delete was ordered (I think that was possible back then; perhaps someone else could expand on that). I believe Dave Johnson has one of those on a car.--Bob

[rush91]

That also is true. There is actually a GM brace part that is added in place of the spare tire if a spare tire delete was ordered (I think that was possible back then; perhaps someone else could expand on that). I believe Dave Johnson has one of those on a car.--Bob

Now there would be an interesting story. If someone had fore sight when originally ordering the car, ordered spare delete. Was it an option?

[rush91]

I asked the same question many years ago and the general consenus was that it was part of the rear end crash safety. How much it would help by leaving it in who knows. But by taking it out the only thing left is the gas tank. Your choice.

Jim


I definately wouldn't take it out for a road trip or long trip. Unless one rolls with AAA. I wasn't aware it was / is part of the crash safety of our Z's.... Interesting. I could see how it would of been designed to be useful in a rear end crash. Not much back there anyways....

[A26B]

This is not the spare tire delete piece, but rather something I had made to make it look better. (Look at the bottom of this photo)

http://i190.photobucket.com/albums/z224/A26B/PA302734.jpg (http://s190.photobucket.com/user/A26B/media/PA302734.jpg.html)

[QB93Z]

Some thoughts:

I have used my spare to get back to the house after a flat tire on the interstate near home. The alternative would have been calling AAA to get a rollback to take the car back to the house. With the reduced ground clearance of a ZR-1 on a flat, loading the rollback could be a problem.

When we had the tire problem in Newfoundland, the spare made no difference because both rear tires had been compromised. I could have put the spare on the side that was worse, but I decided that I would drive conservatively on the bad tires.

In preparation for our Alaska trip, I decided that the spare was important. I carried a 12vdc inflator in case a slow leak gave me a flat in the morning at a hotel. I could pump it up and get to a service center without too much drama. If I had a blowout, I was going to put on the spare and drive to a tire store. Based on what I know now, I would not have found a replacement tire in Alaska without a 5-day wait for shipping from the lower 48 states. The spare would have been critical to getting to a place that could solve the problem. As we had to do in Newfoundland, it took two tire store visits to solve my problem in a timely manner.

I recommend putting the spare on your car and drive a few miles to restore your confidence in it. Then keep it on board the car.

Jim

[JimZRyd]

No spare here. I just carry a tire repair kit and a 12v compressor in lieu of the spare. Cleans up the back end in my opinion.

[XfireZ51]

No spare here. I just carry a tire repair kit and a 12v compressor in lieu of the spare. Cleans up the back end in my opinion.

With 18/19s F/R, there's little choice about using a spare. Especially if u have C6Z06 front calipers. So I have opted for the Continental tire repair kit that uses
A sealant and a compressor. If I go to Europe next year, I may rely on my friend who works for Michelin or ship a couple of tires maybe to Sam. I could get a C6 wheel and throw a tire on it just to drive on to get to a repair place,
Not an easy decision.
BTW, I still have spare tire carrier on there but now I have stuffed some fiberglass insulation in it to dampen exhaust rumble coming up from underneath the hatch floor.

[rush91]

This is not the spare tire delete piece, but rather something I had made to make it look better. (Look at the bottom of this photo)

http://i190.photobucket.com/albums/z224/A26B/PA302734.jpg (http://s190.photobucket.com/user/A26B/media/PA302734.jpg.html)


Wow. I'm just admiring how clean that underside is. Is that a center exit exhaust? That piece looks like a factory piece, very nice!

[FU]

http://i190.photobucket.com/albums/z224/A26B/PA302734.jpg (http://s190.photobucket.com/user/A26B/media/PA302734.jpg.html)


Piece of art there .


No spare here I use AAA.

[A26B]

Thanks, but it's not all that clean. It's a 65K car & I'm not a waxer, so it must be the photo:)

Yes, it's a center exit exhaust & yes, it's all custom that has been modified over the years since it was done originally. Used to have a custom made center resonator/muffler that sounded good but was too restrictive for the 415. In its place now, are 2 custom made "Cherry Bomb" style glass pack mufflers. Really a straight through perforated 3" pipe inside of a 4" outer shell. I blew all the glass pack out in pretty short order. It didn't really do anything that I could tell.
Pretty loud!

[rush91]

Some thoughts:

I have used my spare to get back to the house after a flat tire on the interstate near home. The alternative would have been calling AAA to get a rollback to take the car back to the house. With the reduced ground clearance of a ZR-1 on a flat, loading the rollback could be a problem.

When we had the tire problem in Newfoundland, the spare made no difference because both rear tires had been compromised. I could have put the spare on the side that was worse, but I decided that I would drive conservatively on the bad tires.

In preparation for our Alaska trip, I decided that the spare was important. I carried a 12vdc inflator in case a slow leak gave me a flat in the morning at a hotel. I could pump it up and get to a service center without too much drama. If I had a blowout, I was going to put on the spare and drive to a tire store. Based on what I know now, I would not have found a replacement tire in Alaska without a 5-day wait for shipping from the lower 48 states. The spare would have been critical to getting to a place that could solve the problem. As we had to do in Newfoundland, it took two tire store visits to solve my problem in a timely manner.

I recommend putting the spare on your car and drive a few miles to restore your confidence in it. Then keep it on board the car.

Jim

How did the new Sumitomos perform? after following your ride trip, and seeing your predicament, I think the spare is a wise choice. It's there for a reason. I have AAA as well, and thought of going with a tire repair kit, no spare. But you make an excellent point about a clearance of our Z's and ANY tow truck.

[QB93Z]

How did the new Sumitomos perform? after following your ride trip, and seeing your predicament, I think the spare is a wise choice. It's there for a reason. I have AAA as well, and thought of going with a tire repair kit, no spare. But you make an excellent point about a clearance of our Z's and ANY tow truck.

The Sumitomos performed well. The ride was fine and I went through a hard rain storm on Sunday afternoon and the Z held the road well.

Jim

[Mr Blue]

I believe that the spare tire delete option did not appear until the '96 model year. I think it was part of a run flat tire option. Could be wrong though. search for 1996 Corvette spare tire delete. I have seen pictures, but never the real thing. A similar part could be fabricated to restore crash stiffness. if you take it out you still need plan 'b' for trips.
David

[rush91]

The Sumitomos performed well. The ride was fine and I went through a hard rain storm on Sunday afternoon and the Z held the road well.

Jim

That's good to hear. I really like my Sumitomos, nice quiet ride.

[5ABI VT]

18 years no spares on either of mine but my one car hasn't been running for 10 years and ive only had the z for 4 but I still did put 35-45k miles on the 93 before sitting. I have a repair kit and plug with a c6 compresser kit I think I got off the forum locally. Its one reason why I love 3 pc wheels. If I get a flat and cant repair it.. ill just drive on the wheel ... replace the lip and barrel.. good as new ;)