Spare tire

[wforrest08]

I drop my spare once a year regardless check it out, air it up, clean it up and rehang it. 

 

I also wonder if the center hole in all the factory rims is the same size and if the holder on the end of the cable fits the hole? And if aluminum or chrome wheels would get chewed up/oxidized to it? I think best bet would be to still use the steel rim with a 17” that matches od of the other tires.

[Chev-mekanik]

Always maintain you're spare tire and tire carrier, it is cheap insurance. The carriers are designed to hold any combination of stock tires and rims but need to be maintained and lubed. There isn't any sense in putting an expensive rim under the truck, just a steel rim with a tire size as close as possible to what you are running. If you are running oversized tires you should swap it the spare around to the front to avoid stressing the G80 locker if you have one.

[Jon A]

On 3/17/2018 at 6:22 AM, Skeeter McSkeet said:

 

Will an oem 20” fit in the spare space? Found a deal and thought about getting one to put there if I ever need it. I run up a size at 275/60/20, any idea if that tire will fit in there too?

 

 

Yes.  I currently have a 20" Denali rim with a 34.1" (275/65/20) stuffed back there.  It's tight, but it fits.

 

I have to disagree with some of the advice given in this thread.  In my opinion, unless you have the mechanical ability of a teen-aged girl and/or never leave the city limits, not having a spare on a truck is just stupid.  The last flat I had was on the freeway nearly 100 miles away from any decent sized town.  Had the entire family aboard as well.  Call a tow truck and wait hours for somebody to come and save me from a flat tire?  Good grief.  Just because you haven't needed one in many decades doesn't mean you won't tomorrow.

 

Things learned from that experience:

 

The factory jack is a joke.  Always have a real jack/jackstand of some sort with you in your emergency gear and it'll make the change so much easier.

 

The G80 (at least the one in my truck) will permit a stock 32" spare on one side and a 34.1" tire on the other without locking up.  I didn't like doing it, wouldn't want to do it for long, but I kept the speed below 70 and made it to the next town without issue.  Swapping front to rear, etc, isn't an option with the factory jack unless you want to make it an all-day project.  If you have oversized tires replacing your spare with the same diameter (or up to a 34" for up to 35" tires) is probably a good idea so it's less of a worry.

[Donstar]

1 hour ago, Jon A said:

 

Yes.  I currently have a 20" Denali rim with a 34.1" (275/65/20) stuffed back there.  It's tight, but it fits.

 

I have to disagree with some of the advice given in this thread.  In my opinion, unless you have the mechanical ability of a teen-aged girl and/or never leave the city limits, not having a spare on a truck is just stupid.  The last flat I had was on the freeway nearly 100 miles away from any decent sized town.  Had the entire family aboard as well.  Call a tow truck and wait hours for somebody to come and save me from a flat tire?  Good grief.  Just because you haven't needed one in many decades doesn't mean you won't tomorrow.

 

Things learned from that experience:

 

The factory jack is a joke.  Always have a real jack/jackstand of some sort with you in your emergency gear and it'll make the change so much easier.

 

The G80 (at least the one in my truck) will permit a stock 32" spare on one side and a 34.1" tire on the other without locking up.  I didn't like doing it, wouldn't want to do it for long, but I kept the speed below 70 and made it to the next town without issue.  Swapping front to rear, etc, isn't an option with the factory jack unless you want to make it an all-day project.  If you have oversized tires replacing your spare with the same diameter (or up to a 34" for up to 35" tires) is probably a good idea so it's less of a worry.

Good points and you confirmed what many of said.  I didn't read where anyone suggested not to carry a spare.so I'm not clear on where you disagree.

[aseibel]

On 3/24/2018 at 3:16 PM, Jon A said:

Swapping front to rear, etc, isn't an option with the factory jack unless you want to make it an all-day project. 

Huh? I don't get it. If you get a flat on the rear axle here's your steps:

1: jack up front corner, remove good tire, insert spare.

2: jack up rear corner, remove flat, insert full size tire you took off front.

3: drive to the next town and have a drink while you get your damaged tire replaced.

 

And what is so bad about the factory jack? is it more inconvenient than a floor jack in your shop, yes. But it works. My dad made me use the factory jack when I learned to rotate tires so I would know how to use it. I'm not lugging around a 2 ton floor jack for eternity because I refuse to use the one that's already in my truck.

[BigBadSierra]

Spare Not Needed!!!!! ha ha.... I needed my spare and had to purchase a second one just to get home..

 

Killed two rims and tires half way home from Florida.

 

[bkesting]

I drive a lot of rural gravel roads and seem to pick up nails several times a year causing me to put on the spare.  I have had terrible luck with the safety latch on the spare tire holder becoming caked with enough dust/dirt that it will not release.....then it is a true PITA to get the tire removed. You have to basically remove the tire holder blindly with the tire lowered just an inch or two from the frame. 

 

In the winter I generally just pull the tire out and keep it in the rear of the bed for access if I ever need it. Or, on my last several trucks, I've purchased an aftermarket spare tire holder like: https://www.amazon.com/DORMAN-924-510-Replacement-Spare-Hoist/dp/B00GHT8NAC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1522081289&sr=8-1&keywords=gm+spare+tire+hoist

 

It's basically the same hoist, but does not have the safety latch that can seize up.

[Jon A]

On 3/26/2018 at 5:37 AM, aseibel said:

Huh? I don't get it. If you get a flat on the rear axle here's your steps:

1: jack up front corner, remove good tire, insert spare.

2: jack up rear corner, remove flat, insert full size tire you took off front.

3: drive to the next town and have a drink while you get your damaged tire replaced.

 

And what is so bad about the factory jack? is it more inconvenient than a floor jack in your shop, yes. But it works. My dad made me use the factory jack when I learned to rotate tires so I would know how to use it. I'm not lugging around a 2 ton floor jack for eternity because I refuse to use the one that's already in my truck.

Thanks for explaining that.  It's pretty complicated, I don't think I could have figured that out all by myself.

 

The factory jack is a little POS with a very limited stroke.  If all you've done is rotate tires with it, you may have an unpleasant surprise if you ever need to change a flat.  You may find it won't fit under the places you're used to placing it (especially if not on a concrete garage floor) and the places it will fit it won't lift high enough.  You need another 5-8" (depending upon wheel/tire size) of stroke for a jack to work the same way with a flat as it does for an inflated tire.  For those who don't carry something else they should at least carry an assortment of blocks so they can be creative and make it work.

 

There are a myriad of types of jacks that are far better than the factory one but still well short of a shop floor jack.  Also keep in mind most in this thread are lifted/leveled with larger than stock tires.

[aseibel]

On 3/29/2018 at 5:57 PM, Jon A said:

you may have an unpleasant surprise if you ever need to change a flat.  You may find it won't fit under the places you're used to placing it (especially if not on a concrete garage floor) and the places it will fit it won't lift high enough.  You need another 5-8" (depending upon wheel/tire size) of stroke for a jack to work the same way with a flat as it does for an inflated tire.  For those who don't carry something else they should at least carry an assortment of blocks so they can be creative and make it work.

Thanks for making me think about this. I never considered running out of jack height for those with larger tires than stock. I did some measuring today and posted my results in the thread below:

 

I confirmed that as long as I'm on relatively flat, solid ground (say a highway shoulder) I would have no problem getting the jack to fit and the lift height I need to change a flat. But for some with lift/level and larger tires that may not be the case.