Spare tire that fits!

Read the date code on the tire, how old is it?

 

I think the stamped code is “1711”.

2011?

 

Can’t tell what the brand is, so I dunno. However, if they are 10 years old, you’d clearly be rolling the dice. 6 years is the usual cutoff.

 

I agree that I wouldn't run this tire with the cracks. As to the age on temporary spares, I don't really care if they are old, more how the rubber looks to be ageing. My spare for the Clarity has a date stamp of 3409 (August 2009) and it looks like it is brand new. Nice smooth shiny rubber on the side and nothing at all out of the ordinary in the tread area. Just age doesn't make me want to change the tire on a temporary spare. You can do it, however. I've put a couple of spares together by buying a wheel and ordering the tire. Tire shops aren't thrilled working with them, but they will do it. You can usually find the right size for a replacement tire at Tirerack.com or possibly on ebay or amazon.

 

Update...

1) No local tire store had the right size tire, and didn’t seem interested.

2) I priced the appropriately sized tire on tirerack.com and they start at over $120 and go up sharply from there.

3) A local salvage guy said he’d check and if he could find one in his garage, he’d let me have it for $20(!).

4) I literally just got this message from the eBay seller: “Hi, I apologize I will send you another right away and you can just throw that one away.”

I’ll report on the condition when I get it. I’m wondering if I shouldn’t also score the $20 one if it pans out, for someone here or to sell on eBay myself!

 

FWIW: Michelin recommends replacing tires at 10 years after the manufacture date. This includes spares, used or not.

On passenger vehicles, a tire will typically wear out before it ages out. On a motorhome tires typically age out before they wear out.

I’d recommend spending a buck and not carrying a spare that is 10 years old.

 

"FWIW: Michelin recommends replacing tires at 10 years after the manufacture date. This includes spares, used or not." I'm not surprised Michelin recommends that. If I manufactured tires, I'd probably recommend that, too. But there isn't really any real data on life of compact spares. They generally are well stored and not exposed to any sunlight to speak of. Yes, they'll eventually degrade, just like anything else. But I trust my eyes more than I do some statement from the internet. If the temporary spare tire still looks brand new (sidewalls, and tread area), no signs of any cracking at all, and is inflated to 60 pounds with no issues whatsoever, I am probably not going to spend $100 to replace it. But as you say, the internet will generally recommend you replacing them from 6 to 10 years if they take a position.

 

It is not the “Internet” it is the manufacturer.

The last time I checked, they know a bit more about tires than I do.

Maybe you know more.

 

Nope. Just not surprised that is the position of the manufacturer who likes demand for their product to be high. I'll still trust my judgement on when to change out a spare tire more than someone (even a manufacturer) who says it is old and should be replaced sight unseen.

 

It isn’t necessarily about selling another tire, it’s about them not being liable if you choose to operate a vehicle with tires that are beyond the age at which the manufacturer advises they should be removed from service.

Try this cheap trick. When you replace your OEM tires, keep the one with the most tread and least amount of sidewall damage and have it mounted on the spare rim. If you drive enough to replace the tires every 5 years, you’ll always have a spare that is 5-10 years old.

 

I would follow the advice of not putting dissimilar size tires on a drive axle. Since the Clarity is not equipped with a spare, there is no guidance in the manual for such a situation.

 

"Try this cheap trick. When you replace your OEM tires, keep the one with the most tread and least amount of sidewalk damage and have it mounted on the spare rim. If you drive enough to replace the tires every 5 years, you’ll always have a spare that is 5-10 years old."

Yes, I agree. I also have a full size spare for the Clarity that has a brand new tire on it. Full size spares are easy to keep new/newer tires on them. The tire I have that I refuse to change out (since it looks like it was literally made last year) is a Bridgestone compact spare 145 80 17. Until it shows some evidence of ageing or I have to use it and wear it down enough, I will use it.

 

Good news. The replacement spare arrived a few days ago and looks mint:



All’s well that ends well. Like I said, the vast majority of my eBay transactions have worked out fine. Glad this one did.

Before I throw the old one away, could anyone else find a use for it? Probably not worth shipping, but anywhere near Knoxville, TN, come and get it!

 

@Fast Eddie B , Just out of curiosity, what was the manufacture date stamp on this one?

 

It looks like it’s stamped “BEB-4210”.

42nd week of 2010?

 

I suspected it was 2009 or 2010. It's hard to find one of these that aren't about 10 years old. I wouldn't worry about the age as long as the tire looks good (nice smooth rubber surface and no cracks) and holds air.

 

I’m happy with my eBay purchase. There was no representation of age, and the condition of the replacement is superb.

As a couple of data points, we’re still driving our 2005 Element with the original temp spare, and have never given it’s age a thought. And last year we had to utilize the temp spare on our 2011 Ford Flex, and in fact towed a travel trailer about 100 miles with it before we could find a replacement. So a 10 year old temp spare in our Clarity that we’ll probably never use is pretty low on our list of things to worry about!

 

I'm currently reading the 1910 masterpiece, "Tom Swift and His Electric Runabout" (about an electric car that can go 100 mph and >100 miles thanks to the special batteries Tom invented). He carries 2 spare wheels/tires and neither of them are over 14 years old (I assume this because the Duryea brothers sold the first car in America in 1896). Just sayin'

 

Landshark - Great advice! My wife hit a pothole two days ago turning into the Supermarket which created a slow leak in the sidewall of the right front tire. Fortunately, she was only a few miles from the house and was able to get home after the gas station that could not plug the tire added some air. Since I have no spare, the car is now sitting unusable in my garage until I can get a replacement tire from Costco.
By the way, there was 8k on the tire (Michelin CC+) and the tire was inflated to approx 38-39 PSI when this happened. (I use an external tire pressure monitor). Alarming to think what would happen if the same thing happens much farther from home or late at night...all cars should come with a spare!

 

I'm happy with trading the spare tire for 47-miles of EV range and a decent-sized trunk. I do, however, wish Honda had provided a way to securely mount a spare in the trunk for those who want to carry one.

Because I have two sets of wheels for different seasons, I wouldn't be stuck waiting for Costco if my wife had a flat, but I'd have to cram my large, heavy hydraulic jack into our electric MINI Cooper to go rescue her. BTW, MINI Coopers don't have spare tires, either, and the electric MINI Cooper is the only MINI Cooper that doesn't come with run-flat tires (which is fine with me--I appreciate the reduced unsprung weight).