spare tire cover ?

todds21 · #1 06-14-2005, 08:11 AM

Does the spare tire cover serve any purpose like protecting the spare from sun damage etc or is it just for looks? I never put mine back on the spare after I had a flat and am wondering if I am gonna ruin the spare over the course of years. Any opinions? Mine is a 97 v6 Rodeo with 120K.

Thanks

perry8685 · #2 06-14-2005, 10:27 AM

I wondered the same when I got a flat, then I thought about the fact that the tire cover is black and therefore would absorb sun light and UV, etc. I finally decided just to leave it off because I feel it looks better due to the fact that I have all matching rims including the spare rim! This was about a year ago and I'm not complaining yet!

perry8685 · #3 06-14-2005, 10:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by perry8685

I wondered the same when I got a flat, then I thought about the fact that the tire cover is black and therefore would absorb sun light and UV, etc. I finally decided just to leave it off because I feel it looks better due to the fact that I have all matching rims including the spare rim! This was about a year ago and I'm not complaining yet!

I'll also go a little bit further. Some vehicles, few, but some go for 90,000K on one set of tires sometimes over the course of 10-15 years for those people who never leave their own town, and the tires they're using arent the best but still do their job!

todds21 · #4 06-14-2005, 10:33 AM

Dry rot of the spare tire is the only thing that I can think of since its always just sitting there in the sun and never getting and road time. I like the looks of it without the cover on but don;t want to be buying a tire just because I don;t want to put the cover back on. The spare seems fine looking at it after 2 years of no cover but who really knows until I need to use it.

todds21 · #5 06-14-2005, 10:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by perry8685

I'll also go a little bit further. Some vehicles, few, but some go for 90,000K on one set of tires sometimes over the course of 10-15 years for those people who never leave their own town, and the tires they're using arent the best but still do their job!

I got 85K out of the original tires that came with my Rodeo. They were BFG and I rotated them and kept them balanced. I have no idea how long the second set will last but so far they are doing great. None of my buddies believe me that the first set lasted that long.

amigo-2k · #6 06-14-2005, 10:46 AM

5 years without a cover on my end.

I still have an Isuzu alloy rim sitting in a box for the rear too (98-99 the spare had the alloy rim, 00 and on came with a steel rim).

todds21 · #7 06-14-2005, 10:57 AM

When did they take the spare off of the back and put it underneath? Mine is a 97 and for some reason I thought that when they switched the body style in 98 thats when they took the spare off the rear and put it underneath.

amigo-2k · #8 06-14-2005, 11:17 AM

98-01 the Rodeo's came in both flavors, on the door or under.

Canucklehead · #9 06-14-2005, 01:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by todds21

Dry rot of the spare tire is the only thing that I can think of since its always just sitting there in the sun and never getting and road time. I like the looks of it without the cover on but don;t want to be buying a tire just because I don;t want to put the cover back on. The spare seems fine looking at it after 2 years of no cover but who really knows until I need to use it.

Is your spare mounted on the same type of rim as the other four tires? A lot of Isuzus came with factory alloy spares. If that's the case just do a 5 tire rotation every 5000 - 7500 miles. This will prevent your spare from sitting on the back forever and maximize tread life.

D-FOSSE · #10 07-03-2005, 09:59 PM

i leave mine off also but i have the same rims just diffrent tires i have 33" mud tires do yall no where i can find just one tire like that already checked local junkyards no luck

Ramblin Fever · #11 07-04-2005, 01:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by todds21

I got 85K out of the original tires that came with my Rodeo. They were BFG and I rotated them and kept them balanced. I have no idea how long the second set will last but so far they are doing great. None of my buddies believe me that the first set lasted that long.

I believe you!

Had the same tires - let me guess, BFG Long Trails that rode like Iron?

Those were excellent tires - man did I beat them to the ground. Worked for a homebuilder at the time, in Las Vegas, was constantly picking up roofing nails, screws, you name it. Those tires hung on for 78K miles I believe - still had about 10K of tread left, but after 4yrs and 4-5 patches in EACH tire, I called em unsafe.

One of them was starting to make a weird noise

; no longer felt safe with em in the desert heat and highway driving.

In regards to the spare tire cover; yes they do actually protect the tire. . . . How do I know? . . .Well, I was out washing my parents old 79 Chevy truck, back in the early 90's, you know the kind of truck that the spare tire hangs on the front grill. Hosed off the undercarriage and attacked the front of the radiator with the sprayer to get off that weekends bug collection

Then walked down the side of the truck spraying the rest of it, and out of no-where, my sister and I heard this extremely loud pop, and we hit the ground, swearing that someone had just shot at the truck, the whole truck - with the 11' camper - started rocking.

We flew up off the ground and ran into the garage, both of our ears were ringing and we were panicing, looking for the phone to call the local cops. It wasn't until she got on the phone, that I took another double take out at the truck, and noticed the front grill looked awfully funny.

Nobody shot at the truck that day, that damn front spare tire, which had been on there - and had NEVER moved in 6-8yrs - BLEW up! Peeled just like a banana

Do I cover my spare tire? You bet I do - cause I don't want to hit the ground at 30, my knee still hurts from hitting the ground at 18!

But, I grew board with the same black Isuzu cover as everyone else had - so I swapped mine out for a cover I got from Camping World. Has a Bald Eagle sitting on a tree.

Sometimes - once every few months, I take it off to double check the pressure in the spare, and I'll leave it off for a few days, then put it back on.

We declared that old spare on the Chevy as having dry rot from not moving around and no protection. I'm just glad I wasn't standing right next to it when it blew.

mwt · #12 07-04-2005, 08:25 AM

I had to use my spare this winter after 75K on my 95.5 Rodeo It had never been on the ground looked perfect.

It was a 15" steel wheel and I have the factory 16" alloys. I treated it with eagle one and put the cover back on when I was finsihed using it.

Mike

Ramblin Fever · #13 07-04-2005, 09:32 AM

They gave you a 15" spare with 16" OEM tires?

I'd say someone messed up there - unless, of course, the diameter turned out to be the same. Still weird.

Mine came with 16's all around - all steel wheels, however.

mwt · #14 07-05-2005, 08:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ramblin Fever

They gave you a 15" spare with 16" OEM tires?

I'd say someone messed up there - unless, of course, the diameter turned out to be the same. Still weird.

Mine came with 16's all around - all steel wheels, however.

They may have we bought it used. It has the Factory 16" on it and it was definately a brand new 15" on the rack.

Mike

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