Worth selling aluminum spare?

johnboy105 · April 20, 2018

Hey guys, not sure if this has been covered before (searched but didn't find much on my specific question), but has anyone north of the border had any luck selling the aluminum spare from a higher end model? I just got an 2018 LTZ Z71 and it, by default comes with an aluminum spare (though I can't really understand why.....maybe someone here knows that too??).

I was thinking that if I pulled it off, replaced with a standard steel rim and a used tire (that will pass safety and holds air properly), I could likely make some money on the deal.... the only thing I've noticed is that the aluminum is of a design that isn't anything you see on GM brochures for stock rims and I didn't know how "sellable" this rim might be (specifically in Canada, as I can't justify taking it across the border for the little I would make on it).

Thoughts?

moab11 · April 22, 2018

do you have a picture? My 18 SLT has the standard steel rim.

seamus2154 · April 22, 2018

My '17 Denali XL has the aluminum black spoke spare. My '15 Sierra SLT had the steel spare.

NWI Denali · April 23, 2018

If you need to go thru all of the hassle of selling a spare only to replace it with a cheaper steel wheel with a used tire, to maybe net 100 bucks, you probably shouldn't have bought a $45k truck.

djw88 · April 23, 2018

not worth your time.

forget it.

Northman · April 23, 2018

On ‎4‎/‎20‎/‎2018 at 11:00 AM, johnboy105 said:

Hey guys, not sure if this has been covered before (searched but didn't find much on my specific question), but has anyone north of the border had any luck selling the aluminum spare from a higher end model? I just got an 2018 LTZ Z71 and it, by default comes with an aluminum spare (though I can't really understand why.....maybe someone here knows that too??).

I was thinking that if I pulled it off, replaced with a standard steel rim and a used tire (that will pass safety and holds air properly), I could likely make some money on the deal.... the only thing I've noticed is that the aluminum is of a design that isn't anything you see on GM brochures for stock rims and I didn't know how "sellable" this rim might be (specifically in Canada, as I can't justify taking it across the border for the little I would make on it).

Thoughts?

You're kidding right?

johnboy105 · April 23, 2018

Thanks for everyone's input! I'm taking from the responses that it's not a commonplace thing to try to do, so don't worry - I won't be 'wasting' my own time by doing this.....

gees... a guy can't ask a simple question on this place without someone gettin' all upity just cause it's something they didn't think of, or that they don't think is worth doing... guess I'm going to have to put a disclaimer on any post I put up going forward to state, "just looking for an answer - not judgements".

Grumpy Bear · April 24, 2018

If you were on my side of the border I'd buy it and three more if you had them. Not at list $$$$ mind you.

NWI Denali · April 24, 2018

13 hours ago, Northman said:

You're kidding right?

seamus2154 · April 24, 2018

Its not judgement, just an opinion that you have a new truck and want to degrade it to the level of an old truck with a steel spare and and an old tire for a very small amount of money as no one will pay retail for it. Why? for 50-70- dollars. By the time you buy a used tire and rim how could this be worth canabalizing and new truck? I recently used my aluminum spare and it was pretty nice pulling down a lighter weight clean new tire. Kinda what I want for the money I spent on this truck......

johnboy105 · April 24, 2018

So that's where my own experience differs, and mostly due to region... In my part of the country, winter driving results in constant exposure to salt for 5 to 6 months of the year and traditionally steel rims would rust and get pretty rough treatment (but never to the point of risking rusting through). The thought of having a perfectly good aluminum rim there, with a brand new tire, for a situation that realistically happens once or twice in the lifetime of a vehicle (of course YMMV) - it would likely cost me (in CDN) $30 for a used tire, and $60 for a steel rim. If the aluminum rim with a brand new tire was worth, heck even $200 to someone, that's $100 in my pocket and the value of my brand new LTZ wouldn't be 'diminished' at all (no one ever checks what kind of spare you have on a used vehicle) and I would be fine with the steel as long as I know it's going to hold air and pass a safety check. Weight of the wheel wouldn't be a concern of mine.

Again, this post was meant to find out if there was actually a market for the aluminum rims that are used for the spare (as they're styled different from any other ones GM offers as main wheels). If there's no market, then no big deal - question answered - no need for the rest of you to question my motives......

Pearl2017 · April 24, 2018

I'm afraid with the new aluminum tariff I wont be able to afford to import your wheel. :-)

I get your point on the steel wheel, But aren't the aluminum wheels coated with a clear polyurethane? My old Furd F150 had a coating on them and never oxidized on michigans salty winter roads. If people seem short it may be because to afford a pricey truck you must make decent living so your time is money. That time is better spent making money than removing wheel, listing wheel, shipping wheel, finding new wheel etc... Just sayin. I use a plug n go so anything short of a blowout and my spare never gets deployed.

johnboy105 · April 24, 2018

I do alright for myself, and yes, I've been 'exposed' to the "time is money" phrase before.... I just don't subscribe to it when I'm not at the office. Definitely everyone has the ability to have their own opinion on their personal time, which is why I wasn't too 'excited' about the first initial negative opinion responses...

aseibel · April 24, 2018

1 hour ago, johnboy105 said:

Again, this post was meant to find out if there was actually a market for the aluminum rims that are used for the spare (as they're styled different from any other ones GM offers as main wheels). If there's no market, then no big deal - question answered - no need for the rest of you to question my motives......

Think about it- who would want to buy a single wheel that doesn't match any factory wheel available on the market? Someone who loves the spare wheel so much that they want to search for 4 individual wheels from different sellers to come up with a matching set? Or do you think someone with a rotted out spare is going to buy yours? Wouldn't they go buy they same cheap steelie or used wheel from a junk yard that you want to replace yours with??

I think the main reason this doesn't make sense is because there is really no market for spare tire/wheels.

But if you can really profit $100, then go for it. It's your truck and it's not hurting anyone. Can't hurt to list it on craigslist (or whatever you have up north). Please report back with your results. Maybe you stumbled on a gold mine.

johnboy105 · April 24, 2018

3 minutes ago, aseibel said:

Think about it- who would want to buy a single wheel that doesn't match any factory wheel available on the market? Someone who loves the spare wheel so much that they want to search for 4 individual wheels from different sellers to come up with a matching set? Or do you think someone with a rotted out spare is going to buy yours? Wouldn't they go buy they same cheap steelie or used wheel from a junk yard that you want to replace yours with??

I think the main reason this doesn't make sense is because there is really no market for spare tire/wheels.

But if you can really profit $100, then go for it. It's your truck and it's not hurting anyone. Can't hurt to list it on craigslist (or whatever you have up north). Please report back with your results. Maybe you stumbled on a gold mine.

I did think about it and didn't see many posts "out there" about them being listed - so my reaction wasn't "no body wants these, oh well", it was "hmmm, I haven't looked at all of the sources I have available, so I'll try a post here and see what other people have seen". I think I got my answer now...

I would definitely go ahead with my plan, if I had found out this has been done before and it was more common to do. At this point, I might put a post on kijiji.ca (Canada's version of craigslist basically), but I won't be in a rush ... if I end up with any results, I'll post back here then.