Replacing Spare Wheel

[UK67]

Anybody else removed their spare wheel and carrier ? It's never closed properly because of the radial tyre and I've been carrying it around for 10 years now which seems an unnecessary weight when there are tyre weld alternatives. It would leave the fuel tank more vulnerable to damage I suppose!

 

[Mr. Cricket]

Extension bolts are available so you can fit in a standard size spare

 

[Roscobbc]

The trend for car manufacturers to supply a can of gunk and 12v tyre inflator IMHO is a retrograde step for several reasons (as are run-flat tyres).
Not all tyre issues are ones that a can of gunk can solve. Hit a piece of discarded metal on the road (as recently happened to me with my C3) and the subsequent immediate deflation and a can of gunk will be unlikely to help you.
Even if you have a conventional puncture and use the gunk its highly likely that a tyre specialist will refuse to repair the tyre (due to all the gunk inside the tyre).
Much the same applies for run-flats - and get a puncture less than 50 or so miles from home - then subsequently visit your tyre specialist and he will most likely refuse to repair the run-flat, not taking responsibility or your word for how many miles you've use the tyre for and what potential damage has caused.
The only real advantage is that you can legally drive the vehicle with on deflated tyre (up to tyre manufacturers prescribed distance) if it is a runflat.........decide to drive-on a deflated standard tyre (and accept that you'll irrepaireably shred it) and get stopped by the old bill......and you'll get a nick.
I'm running low profile 18" tyres on my C3. These are very close in diameter to the OEM 15" tyres. I carry an old BFG as a spare. Even that is a little tight for the spare wheel carrier.....but it fits (just). My frontal puncture was on a concrete surfaced 'A' road. Some of these surfaces create a drone within the cabin, the road surface was poor anyway and I simply didn't realise I was running on a flat untill I smelt the burning rubber of a totally destroyed tyre. A can of gunk wouldn't have helped. I'd have to call a breakdown service to have recovered the car home. The trusty old BFG in in the spare wheel carrier saved the day.
If your not using the space for anything else....why not use it? - 14" and 15" tyres are few and far between (except for American brands) - but why not simply buy a cheap van tyre that will fit the tyre carrier)

 

[teamzr1]

Sealer sprayed into the tire, if not driving the car right afterward
can cause all the sealer to run down to bottom of tire, harden and cause that weight to put wheel out of balance
If wheels have tire pressure monitor sensors, the sealers can cause failure or cause the sensor to report incorrect tire pressure

Best is like this one I keep in C5 injects plug seal into tire puncture and also carry a battery operated air compressor to put air in

 

[CaptainK]

I don't have a spare wheel carrier in the back of my C3. Came across the pond to me like that. I did think about putting one back in and having a spare wheel, for obvious reasons, then remembered my old Pug 205 GTi. It too had an (exposed) underslung spare tyre under the boot area like a C3 (except C3 tyre isn't exposed). The one time I needed to use the spare wheel in it, it was too old and was degraded and I couldn't use it.

So yes, I could keep an old tyre if I got a replacement C3 tyre carrier, but I figured what was the point for me? I rarely drive my C3 far from home, and the spare tyre would just get old and useless. And that rather scares me as my C3 was delivered across the pond on old / degraded BFGs I didn't know about and it was a scary experience until they got changed. I'd rather call the AA than have to drive on old /degraded tyres.

 

[Roscobbc]

I have to admit Capt that the BFG's on my Vette were already at the very least 10 years old when I bought the car in 2000. Car was imported in to the UK in 1990 so at best were installed before previous owner bought the car, also in 1990 (perhaps earlier) there were additional clues like micro-cracks on them and a spongy feel to the sidewalls that pressure didn't seem to irradicate.......
I was fed-up with the shrieking sound from the tyres if I went around a corner on tarmac at anything over 10 mph. They were replaced with 18" low profiles and wheels in about 2010.....and it's now time to replace these tyres in turn.

 

[teamzr1]

Here in the USA, a federal law prevents any tire more than 6 years old no matter how few miles on them
from being mounted, balanced, or even fix for a flat by tire shops

If a tire shop did so and then that vehicle had a crash due to tire problem
the shops' insurance would refuse the claim since the tires were not to have been serviced by that shop

 

[Nassau65]

Will probably have to change the tyres on my 74 next year as they have been on there 10 years. Not much mileage on them, but they are getting older.