Spare tire that fits!

Discussion in 'Clarity' started by peekay, Jul 11, 2018.

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  1. Jacques Boyer

    Jacques Boyer New Member

    What is the tire size of your compact spare. Thanks again for your post.
     
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  3. Sandroad

    Sandroad Well-Known Member

    The one I bought is the one that started this thread. It's T145/80-17. Only a very little smaller diameter than the car's road tires.
     
  4. graure

    graure Member

    I got a screw in my rear tire today. It was theorized that a 16" wheel might fit on the Clarity in the first post -- I tested some wheels I had lying around and 16" doesn't clear the calipers. I used a stock 16" Nissan 240SX wheel as well as a 16" spare from a Honda Civic Si. Having no spare sucks, I'm going to buy a 17" one.
     
    peekay likes this.
  5. The Gadgeteer

    The Gadgeteer Active Member

    Due to the battery the Clarity is a much heavier car than most passenger cars it’s size. I am concerned any donut spare I get that isn’t endorsed by Honda may not be safe.
     
  6. Sandroad

    Sandroad Well-Known Member

    I agree. The Clarity PHEV weighs 921 lbs more than the ICE Accord, so an average of 231 lbs more per corner, as an example. So it’s important to look at tire/wheel specs. But, you’ll have to do that yourself because I’m fairly certain Honda will not “endorse” a spare. Earlier in this thread a post indicated a dealer ordered an Accord spare for the Clarity, but that was not a formal endorsement, it seems to me.
     
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  8. peekay

    peekay New Member

    Sorry for the delayed response, but my tire size is 145/80/17.
     
  9. ClarityKu

    ClarityKu New Member

    You are my hero!!
     
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  10. Sandroad

    Sandroad Well-Known Member

    I was VERY glad to have a spare today. I was on a 4 lane, 35mph divided road today and the car paralleling me on my right swerved left toward me to avoid a pothole. That forced me to the left and into one of the 3.2 billion tire-eater sized potholes in Michigan and damaging my left front tire. I pulled into a tire shop that was close by and they put on my handy spare after looking over the damage. That allowed me to drive the 15 miles to my home, where I picked up the 4 OEM tires, taking them back to the shop to do a winter/summer tire changeover. So, I now have the OEM “summer” tires on the car, 3 good winter tires, and the leisure to find the best price on a single replacement winter tire for next fall. Without a spare, I would have been stuck buying a replacement right then, at likely a very high price, and not a winter tire that matched. Whew!
     
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  12. ClarityKu

    ClarityKu New Member

  13. Sandroad

    Sandroad Well-Known Member

    Please note the item description says the tire is not included. If you do this, check with the seller to make sure. If you have to buy and install a tire separately, that will be a very expensive spare. And it will be much larger and heavier than a temporary donut spare.
     
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  14. insightman

    insightman Well-Known Member Subscriber

    Which will make the full-sized spare more difficult to tie down in the trunk to prevent it from becoming a metal-and-rubber missile in a violent collision--especially if the collision occurs with the rear seats folded down.
     
  15. Coastie68

    Coastie68 New Member

    Sandroad and others are correct on hub-centric or lug-centric rims but I'd like to comment on one aspect that Russ mentions above. The weight of car that is transmitted to the road through the hub or lugs MUST be transmitted through a solid/tight fit, preferably through the hub. Hub-centric is the more widely used system where the lug nuts serve as a clamping mechanism while the weight is transmitted through the hub to rim connection. In the comment above, depending upon which rim is used, there could be a very serious problem if you do not use a hub ring with a hub-centric rim that has a hub diameter smaller than the hub hole in the rim. If you need a hub ring to make a hub-centric rim fit snugly, it is not optional. If you depend on the lug nuts to hold the weight in this case when they are not designed to do so, then they will move when the wheel rotates and eventually they will loosen. While things might look fine up on a jack, it will not work right when loaded. This comment is not intended as a criticism of anyone but rather a warning that when we are matching non-OEM rims and tires to our cars we must be very careful and understand the issues involved. A good reference for this can be found at www.Wheel-Size.com. There are many good articles there that talk to these issues.
     
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  16. Sandroad

    Sandroad Well-Known Member

    Thanks for the articulate and important safety warning. In addition, the correct type of lug nuts must be used for the wheel to get the proper clamping force and proper fit, even if the hub fits properly. No shortcuts. The last you want to see is your wheel passing you on the road.
     
  17. David Towle

    David Towle Well-Known Member

    I agree the hub rings are vital, but I do find it hard to believe that all the weight of the car can be transmitted over time through these flexible plastic rings, especially the big bumps in the road (which create a far far greater force than the mere weight of the car). I think what they actually do is 2 things:

    1. They force the wheel to be located exactly centered when the nuts are tightened down.
    2. They prevent the micro movement you mention which would loosen the lug nuts over time.

    I think the actual weight is mostly transmitted by the clamping force of the lug nuts pushing the wheel against the hub.

    Does this make sense to others?
     
  18. Coastie68

    Coastie68 New Member

    I agree that the rings perform the two functions you mentioned, however that is not their only function. They may be plastic in some cases but they are mostly in compression where they can support more than you might think. In the above example, I was commenting on the situation where you had a hub centric wheel with an oversized bore. In that case the lug nuts are probably the flat seat(washer) type. My comments were a caution to not omit the hub ring in that case as the flat seat type of lug nuts will not keep the wheel centered properly and the nuts can loosen over time. While it is true that the friction between the two pieces held in place by the clamping force of the lug nuts will support some weight, hub centric wheels are designed to support most of the weight through the hub and lug centric are designed to support most of the the weight through the studs. It is explained more in this link: https://www.wheel-size.com/articles/hub-centric-rings/.
     
  19. David Towle

    David Towle Well-Known Member

    The article points out one of the big advantages of the plastic rings, the wheel doesn't corrode to the hub. I have spent significant time trying to get some OEM wheels off after a salty winter, when they get bad the only thing I have found that works is a big wood block on the inside of the wheel, a 4 by 4 post going under the car, and a sledge hammer to whack the post repeatedly with.
     
  20. Groves Cooke

    Groves Cooke Active Member

    My previous car was an Acura TLX. Great car. No spare tire in that one either. Just an inflator. Never used it and never worried about it either.
     
  21. The Gadgeteer

    The Gadgeteer Active Member

    Spare tires are like seat belts and medical insurance. You hope you never need them but glad you have it the day you do need them.
     
  22. KentuckyKen

    KentuckyKen Well-Known Member

    OK, y’all talked me into buying the spare to take on out of town trips. I bought the one from eBay linked above that was listed specifically for the Clarity and is an Acura doughnut spare.
    Do I use the OEM lug nuts or do I need different ones?
    And is this one hub centric or do I need a spacer?
    Thanks for helping me out on this one.
     

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