i've been wondering this for a bit. On my del sol i have 18 inch rims with 215/35 tires. the cars hight has changed so i was wondering if i happen to get a flat would my spare tire fit, or more like touch the road. because if not i'll consider geting a 5th set.

thanks

 

your spare will still work just fine....the only issue i could see is if your ride is sitting pretty low then it could be a problem

 

Yup. It will work - it will reach the ground (your car's suspension isn't THAT stiff ) - but its diameter will be smaller than the other tires. That's okay enough to enable you to go at slow speeds a relatively short distance to get it fixed, which is really about all you should be doing on a spare anyway.

 

thanks for the info, it's good to know that i still have a spare! i won't have to spend more money on another set.

 

get a cheap steelie and put a fat tire on it, so it's a little higher and it doesn't scrape the front bumper. Carry that with you.

I had a flat and had to put my donut on.... my front bumper was less than 1" off the ground

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by FalkenSiR &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I had a flat and had to put my donut on.... my front bumper was less than 1" off the ground </TD></TR></TABLE>

If your front bumper was less than 1" off the ground, maybe you were using the wrong size spare tire for your car, or maybe it wasn't that much further off the ground to begin with.

Most compact spare tires ("donuts") are actually surprisingly close to the stock outer diameter. They're just a lot narrower in width.

For example, many Integras have 195/55-15 stock tires, and the spare is either 125/70-15 or 125/70-14. The difference in ride height from stock is either 0.78 inch or 1.28 inch. Yes, there is a difference, but it isn't THAT big...

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by nsxtasy &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">If your front bumper was less than 1" off the ground, maybe you were using the wrong size spare tire for your car, or maybe it wasn't that much further off the ground to begin with.

Most compact spare tires ("donuts") are actually surprisingly close to the stock outer diameter. They're just a lot narrower in width.

For example, many Integras have 195/55-15 stock tires, and the spare is either 125/70-15 or 125/70-14. The difference in ride height from stock is either 0.78 inch or 1.28 inch. Yes, there is a difference, but it isn't THAT big...</TD></TR></TABLE>

Aren't you supposed to mount the smaller diameter spares on the non-drive wheels? I know I wouldn't want to put any tranny with a LSD through that, even for a couple of blocks. A 1.28" ride height change, means a 2.56" total diameter change, which is quite singificant in terms of total rotations over a given distance.

I always throw the spare on the back and move a back tire to the front.

 

that is the best in any situation is to put the spare on the rear.. but not everyone has the ability to move the tires around on the side of the road

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by vtecsi00 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">that is the best in any situation is to put the spare on the rear.. but not everyone has the ability to move the tires around on the side of the road </TD></TR></TABLE>

If you can change 1 tire with the spare, then you most cetainly can change 2 on the side of the road.

1) Get flat in the front.
2) Jack up rear, swap spare for a good wheel.
3) Put rear back on ground, jack up front.
4) Put what was the rear tire on the front.
5) Throw flat tire in trunk, lower car to ground.
6) Torque lug nuts, drive away.

Its only that many steps if your car's chassis isn't stiff enough to lift the entire side from the front side lift point.

I lift the entire side of my Integra with the scissor jack, and putting the spare on the back only adds 4 additional lug nuts worth of effort over putting it on the front.

Its not like fwd hondas run a staggered tire size or anything.

Besides, the front tires are responsible for acceleration, turning, and braking. The rear tires are only there to keep the gas tank from dragging on the ground. I certainly want the better tires on the front at all times.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by TunerN00b &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Aren't you supposed to mount the smaller diameter spares on the non-drive wheels?

I always throw the spare on the back and move a back tire to the front.</TD></TR></TABLE>

hey guys do you think it would be ok to do this for a few days of daily driving (non-highway) while im waiting for some azenis sports to get shipped. i blew a tire the other day and im worried about drving on the donut but nobody stocks the rt-615s so i ordered some. i really need my car to get to work and whatnot.

think the donut would be ok on the back for a few days?

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by dpetro1 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">think the donut would be ok on the back for a few days? </TD></TR></TABLE>

Yes. But don't go over 50 mph, and don't put a lot of miles on it.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by nsxtasy &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

Yes. But don't go over 50 mph, and don't put a lot of miles on it.
</TD></TR></TABLE>

And check the pressure often. All the donut spares I've had over the years seem to loose air quite easily, but that might simply be because of the much higher pressures they require.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by TunerN00b &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">And check the pressure often. All the donut spares I've had over the years seem to loose air quite easily, but that might simply be because of the much higher pressures they require.</TD></TR></TABLE>

Excellent point.

Check the pressure before you put it on the car. Heck, even if you're not planning to use it, check it if you haven't done so in a while. Most spares require high pressures (60 psi is typical). Most tires lose about 1 psi per month, just normal air loss, and spares are no exception. You would be amazed how many spare tires haven't had the pressure checked in years - then, when you really need it to work, you find out it's flat.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by nsxtasy &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Excellent point.

Check the pressure before you put it on the car. Heck, even if you're not planning to use it, check it if you haven't done so in a while. Most spares require high pressures (60 psi is typical). Most tires lose about 1 psi per month, just normal air loss, and spares are no exception. You would be amazed how many spare tires haven't had the pressure checked in years - then, when you really need it to work, you find out it's flat.</TD></TR></TABLE>

Heh, I made the point about checking spare tire pressure, then I decided to go check mine today. 60 psi required, 32 psi currently.

Now that I think about it, I haven't checked since I bought the car, 4 years ago. Haven't had a flat either strangely, though I am on my third set of tires.

So, everyone who reads this thread, go check your spare tire pressure. If I had gotten a flat yesterday, I would have had a flat spare to use.