Operation Spare Tire

Welcome to the club.

 

I got the spare for our 2019 off of Craigslist for $40.

Came out of a 2015 wreck.

Another way to get what you were looking for.

 

That's a good deal. I got mine off of ebay but it was $97 including shipping across the country. Mine is used and had a few miles on it but nothing serious and it has "like new" tread on it and has held pressure for over a year now.

 

Mine was never used.

I did have to put the spare on our 2019 once due to a metal shard.

Made the investment in the spare justified.

 

Yes, welcome to the club. I saw your FB post but didn't comment. There are cheaper ways to get one, but at least you have one. I'd be leery of keeping it unsecured in the car, though. It would be a nasty projectile in a collision. The Prime doesn't have tie down rings in the back like the other models, but there are two threaded holes at the front of the cargo area, one on each side. My spare is strapped to one of those by a D-ring I bolted to one of the holes.

That's about what I paid for mine on Ebay, shipped across the state. It looks like it's brand new. Still has the ink or paint on the tread.

 

Good job.
Now, I woiuld like to ask you kindly to write a message here whenever you will use this spare...
My guess will be "never".

 

Do you tie all of your cargo down all the time?

I have mine loose in the hatch area and with the headrests up (I very rarely have them down) there is no open path to the passenger area.

And if I am in a bad enough accident where the spare tire becomes airborne and makes it into the cabin, I probably have other concerns.

One alternate perspective .

 

While true, I'm in the camp of minimizing downtime.

If I have a flat (which I did while having the spare) I have the means to safely make it to an area or business to address the issue .

I also carry a plug repair kit and compressor, so that if the business that I take it to won't repair the tire, I have the means to, or purchase a new tire if the reason for the flat is bad enough .

I work near the county recycling center, so nails and screws get picked up in tires more than I would like.

But the spare tire has more value to me for that reason .

 

If it's heavy, hard, and also small enough to get over the back seat, I might make an exception for a short trip at non-highway speeds. But something that's always there like a spare tire. Yes, I keep it strapped down if I can.

And unless I have back seat passengers, I keep the rear headrests folded down because otherwise they block almost half the view out the rear. Not just any half -- the outer edges where you want to be able to see when you change lanes. They are a huge blind spot.

 

+1

 

Of course. That is "Murphy's Law".

 

When I change lanes, I usually look to the lane I am changing into.

And this is in a state where motorcycle lane splitting is a thing.

While the headrests do have some vision blockage, I am hauling kids around from time to time and raising and lowering the headrests is an extra step.

It doesn't block enough to cause accidents, otherwise it'd be all over the news.

 

Of course. But what about someone coming up and around you? The more you can see, the better off you are.

I get that. When my M-I-L is here visiting for a couple months, the headrests stay up. And I adjust. It's the biggest reason I'm considering upgrading to a Limited as soon as I can manage it. BSM doesn't replace the shoulder check, but it's a nice backup. My wife's car has it and I want it!!!!

BTW, I'm seeing more and more lane splitting here even though it's illegal (not to mention stupid).

 

If you are going to sacrifice the rear seat footwell for a compact spare tire anyway, you could have bought a full-size spare tire. It will take up more space in the foot-well but due to its size, it fits perfectly wedged in place. If you fold down the rear seat with a headrest removed, it becoming projectile would be very unlikely. Plus, with a full-size spare, you have no limitation of 50 miles/50mph max. That's why I took my full-size spare for my long trips. The compact spare's 50miles/50mph limit will make it impossible for me to get to where I intend to travel on schedule. And there are many areas along the way 50miles is not long enough to get to the nearest repair shop. Plus, an aftermarket full-size rim and a cheap tire would be cheaper than your compact spare. I paid ~$50 for a generic rim and mounted used tire with plenty of treads that had to be replaced in pair due to one tire having an unrepairable flat. Total cost ~$75.

 

If someone is coming up behind me and the moves to go around me, I can see them in the middle of the rear view mirror.

Out here in the Bay Area, there are plenty of people who attempt to justify their investment in an expensive automobile by accelerating as fast as they can before we get to the next patch of traffic, so what you describe is an every day experience.

I check my mirrors frequently, like we were taught to do when learning to drive.

And using mirrors frequently is good practice when having to drive a box truck when there is no rear view mirror to fall back on.

As someone who hasn't owned a pickup, rentals do occur from time to time and the acclimation to that environment is less thanks to good habits.