Carrying Two Spare Tires

[BajaXplorer]

It depends on the trip, but I frequently throw an extra spare tire (no rim) on the rack when going to Baja and doing extended boondocking. While there is no shortage of places to get a tire fixed or mounted, it can be really hard to find a 16" tire. Destroying a sidewall is not hard and I have managed to do two within hours of each other in Baja.
BX

 

[VikingVince]

BX and others who carry a second spare (no rim)...how do you get the tire on the rim? What do you use?...what specialty tools do you carry for that?...do you need CO2 to set the bead or can you accomplish it with your compressors?

 

[paulj]

A reason for carrying an unmounted tire in a place like Baja (and other parts of Latin America and Africa), is that it easy to find a shop that can mount your tire, and hard to find a shop that has the right size tire.

Even in parts of the USA it can be hard to find certain sizes of tires. The Element, for example, has a stock 215/70/16 tire, which falls in the crack between large car and small SUV sizes. I know of one Element owner that had to run all around the Cedar City, UT area on his spare before finding a replacement.

When I drove to Alaska some years ago, the guide books were recommending taking along an inner tube, on the theory that a local shop could install that in an unpatchable tire in a pinch (and a replacement size was not available). With relatively new 235/75/15 tires I didn't have occasion to test that idea.

paulj

 

[BajaXplorer]

Hi Vince
I haven't mounted a truck tire in years, but I do carry two tire irons and a BFH primarily for pitting motos. I could probably use one of my rachet straps around the tire to get enough bead contact for my quickaire II to inflate the tire.
I carry the extra tire to be mounted at one of the million or so llanteras (tire shops) to be found all over Baja. They're literally everywhere, so when you get a flat you can get it fixed, or have the extra tire mounted, at the first one you come to.
BX

 

[VikingVince]

hey BX...ah, I see...that makes sense.
What does "BFH" and "pitting motos" mean

 

[BajaXplorer]

VV,
BFH=Big F___ Hammer
pitting motos=I do radio relay and remote pit stops for refueling and minor repairs of motorcycles of DP Racing in SCORE Baja 250, 500 & 1000 offroad races. Also serve as an emergency pit for a 5/1600 car. A BFH can be very handy at times.
BX

 

[VikingVince]

BFH...:jump: :jump: :hehe:

I even carry one...am glad to now know its proper nomenclature:exclaim:

 

[Desertdude]

Most of my flats have been sidewall cuts ( even on brand new tires) - this is a hard one to fix - it can be threaded then a tube inserted for a bandaid tire - If I get a flat ( other than sidewall - I try and plug or patch it first and save the spare.

Getting a tire un-mounted and mounted on a rim can be a fun game played out on the trail( meaning: can be an easy affair if you know a few simple tricks)- Scott - at the next Fall Forum we should have a seminar on this

 

[Mike S]

I like to carry two spares on a long trip to remote areas. Since I always have my trailer along, it is no problem - on spare on the cruiser, three on the trailer. I like GY MTRs for the strong sidewalls.

I was on a trip two years ago with a buddy who had only one spare. Of course, he suffered a cut sidewall. He didn't want to run without a spare, so he drove over 100 miles back to ALturas to get another tire mounted.

So, two spares is a good idea on a trip to remote areas if you have the room to carry them.

M

 

[Seeker]

I carried two in my Taco when I ran the Old Mojave Road alone in '04. Stock tires and two factory spares (one under, one in, the bed). Didn't need either until I had completed both the OMR and gone up over the Clark Mountains by way of Coloseum Gorge. All my offroading was done and it was almost all pavement for the remainder of the trip.

Coming back down through the Mojave National Preserve I pulled off the Kelbacker-Sima Rd. to look at one of the NP signs and apparently picked up some glass.

Only consumed one spare that trip but, I'll tell ya, alone in the desert, two spares is good peace of mind. I don't think I'd have done the trip alone w/o them. Of course, that's not to say I had all the other appropriate spares but I've only been on the forum for a limited time so I'm working on it.

I'm currently considering having my Sonoran Steel bumper modified to carry a heavy-duty, bolt-on, swing out tire carrier. This way I can mount up a second spare for trips but not have to carry arround the extra weight driving to work every day.

 

[Mike S]

Always a good idea if you are going far from a place to fix/replace tires. An advantage of having a trailer is that you can carry several extra tires. I carry one on the rig, and one on the trailer. Of course they are all the same rims and tires, so I actually have FOUR spares.

Even with the best tires available sidewall cuts can toast your trip in a hurry.

Ask me how I know.

M

 

[Pskhaat]

Ask me how I know.

I'm game. Story time, what happened?

 

[Desertdude]

Even with the best tires available sidewall cuts can toast your trip in a hurry.

yup and eat a hole in yor pocket :eatchicke