Old spare

The rubber is probably not as bad as you would think - it's been under the hood away from UV light (and most likely deflated) it's whole life. That said, I wouldn't use mine unless I had no other options. Best tool to carry in a 308 is a cell phone. -m

 

I have stock 14" Ferrari wheels and tires from my other car, and I could use one as a spare in my driver. But I was immediately struck by the fact that a 245/45/16 tire on a 9 inch wide 16 inch wheel, as is on the rear, will not fit in the trunk. I tried. I even pushed on it a bit. Well, I spose if I tied the lid down against it, left it standing up a foot above the car, I could cart it off somewhere. But I sat down in the driver seat and looked forward. I would see around a blower with two four barrel carbs and a bird catcher much better. I could get away with it in the passenger side wrecking my seat, but with a passenger along, who stays behind? "Sorry man, I aint leaving my tire, your gonna have to get out and stay behind". I thought about standing it up in the rear trunk, tie the deck lid down, and drive that way. I didnt like that option either. I finally decided I wouldnt bother carrying a spare. Now I have a lot more trunk space to carry things.

Paul, IMHO tires today, even the cheaper ones, are so good that flats are very uncommon. Some new cars today dont even have a spare. Most flats that do occur are either from bead leaks, or a nail. A can of fix a flat can almost always get you somewhere. And a tire plug kit can fill a pretty big hole. I havnt had a tire destroy itself to the point it wouldnt hold air long enough to get to a station, in a very long time.

You are probably more than safe with that tire. Have it taken off at a tire shop and inspected. Clean up the bead, have them put bead sealer on it, and plop it back in there. Its probably at least good enough to get you back home if need be. AAA and a cell phone arent bad backups either.

 

PS. I was at an antique car run last summer that ran from New London MN, to New Brighton MN. They stop at the Bufflalo HS, about the half way point, and refuel and water and service them a while and shoot the breeze. A guy came out here from Delano in a really early model T Ford. The car was totally original, all rusty, nasty looking seats, like it had been put away in a barn for 50 years after having the snot drove out of it. Well, actually his grandfather had put it in a barn in 1953, and it hadnt been ran until last summer. He had a reciept for a tire that was put on the car in 1951. That was the "new" tire.

 

Try to get it OFF the rim.....LOL!

My Goodyear shop guys had a tough time breaking my XWX 14"s down.....they could hardly clamp the rims tight enough.......

Leave it as is, I say......on the 'wide rear' issue I just load a front spare, it'd work short time on the rear as well......I guess I'd toss the flat one in a nearby lake for safe keeping...come back later!

 

IMHO, if you have any thought of actually driving on that tire, banish it right now. Unless you are planning on simply using it as a "limp to the next gas station" spare tire, don't even think about driving on it at highway speeds. Old rubber does NOT hold up well over time and you don't want to find out at 70 or 80 mph that it is ready to give up the ghost. It's not just UV that attacks the rubber, though UV is probably the worst. If you want a good spare, buy a new tire and relegate the old one to the antique pile. Otherwise, if it is just decoration for the front trunk area so you don't lose points in a concours, keep it but know that if you have a flat on one of your driving wheels, you are calling the tow truck or driving home very, very carefully.

 

Having drug old cars out of the weeds that have sat for over a decade, hauled old trailers that have sat for years, and gone out looking at things like antique cars and motorcycles, tires are not the fragile things some of us would think they are. I used to know a guy who worked at a retread plant. Some of the casings they worked with were over 20 years old. But they would inspect them and if they passed, they passed. Some tires go tits up real fast, some dont. Some hate sunlight, some hate cold wind. There is no rhyme or reason to it. I have seen 15 year old tires that looked in far better shape than some that were barely 5 years old. If a tire looks okay on the outside, no splits or cuts, no twists or bulges, and its fine on the inside, its not going to mysteriously explode for no reason.

I grew up around people who drove over the road semi. The scariest time driving is just after getting a new set of front rubber on your steer axle. Until those tires have a few thousand miles you dont know what they are going to do. I knew guys that would never climb back in a truck after blowing a front tire. My friends dad blew both at once 10 miles out of Fargo on new rubber and jacknifed down in a ditch. My friend was 11 at the time and riding with his dad when they blew and still hates trucks. This is why many will roll a set off the rear up front that has been used a few thou and put the new ones on the back. Same reason an airplane that just had an extensive annual inspection is the most dangerous airplane you could fly. I would be more afraid of a brand new tire than a good looking tire thats half worn out. Thats why the racing teams only run track run tires on the cars during a race.

Its a TRX tire, those are spendy. You cant just go buy one cheap anywhere. I say if it looks half way decent, throw it in there and shut the lid. You probably wont ever need it anyway. I mean, its a Ferrari. Its not like any of us are going to drive 500 miles away from home very often. Spend your money on something more fun.