Outside spare tire drag on SUV?

[Xringer]

Originally Posted by brucey

If you don't want to carry it inside the cabin, you could always carry it inside the engine bay like old subarus did.

Was it my 4x4 (78?) wagon (same base as the Brat) or was it my 84 2 door coup that had the spare under the hood? I can't remember!


Humm, I don't see any spare back there!

LOOK! it's the endangered hi-drag window cleaner!!

[Xringer]

Originally Posted by tjts1

Leave the spare tire at home and get a AAA card and a can of fix a flat. How often do you get flat tires these days?

I do have AAA... And, I've never had a real flat in 40 years of driving..

In 1969, I did accidentally rub a curb the wrong way near Harvard Sq. and bent the valve extender, making it drain my right front tire half way down.
A repair truck came by with an on-board air tank, but the guy was a typical Boston jerk and wanted to sell me some air for $50.. I had about six bucks in my pocket, so I put on the spare..

I did get a flat on my bicycle last year (glass 0.1" long), does that count?
I had a spare tube and full repair kit on board, but we were only a mile from home, so I pushed it back and did a patch on the kitchen floor..

Yeah leaving it at home sounds pretty good, but I'm one of those Murphy's Law believers. So, the first time I get out in the center of a big bridge or maybe down in the middle of some Boston tunnel (that's badly leaking sea water), that's when I'll get that once in a lifetime flat tire...

[tjts1]

Murphy's law is a horrible beast. You just have to be prepared. That spare tire probably weighs in the region of 50-60lb. You will gain more FE from dropping the weight than aerodynamics. A spare tire is like carrying around a crutch just in case you break a leg. Most new cars don't have one anymore. Just a can of Fix-a-flat.

[JJW]

It should weigh considerably less than that, my Jeep used to have 30x9.5 Goodyear GSAs on steel rims and the "full size" spare didn't weight that much, closer to 45 pounds. I measured it when putting on a swing out carrier. By the way, I saw 0 change in MPG with the rear tire absent vs. inside. I had it in the back for awhile and I drive a ton of highway miles where I tend to be able to see even small changes in drag play out. Same for my old Geo Tracker. By the way, was that "Havard Sq, our fair city"?

Edit: The 78 Brat had the tire under the hood. My parents bought it when I was born and drove it into the 90s.. Only thing that could stop it was rust!

[Xringer]

It was in Cambridge MA, on Garden st, by the graveyard, right next to Appian Way.
I had to pull the Maverick out from the curb about a foot, so I could get the tire off..
Not too bad, I had it changed before my wife got there (from Boston on the T).



Edit:
That was a neat little car. I never used the 4WD much, but when I did, it worked very well. I traded it in (big mistake) for the 2 door coupe because my
company moved to the boondocks and I got this dumb idea in my head that I
needed a car that had a softer ride for the longer trip etc..
But, I was young and dumb etc..

[tjts1]

Originally Posted by JJW

It should weigh considerably less than that, my Jeep used to have 30x9.5 Goodyear GSAs on steel rims and the "full size" spare didn't weight that much, closer to 45 pounds.

A 205/70R15 tire (standard CRV size) weights 26lb.
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/Spec.j...7TR5LONGTTAOWL
The steel wheel itself weighs at least as much as the tire which brings us to 50lb + for the wheel/tire combo. The CRV has a full size spare.

[Xringer]

It's steel not lead! I think you might be about 10 pounds high on that wheel..

[tjts1]

Well theres only one way to find out. Take the wheel off and weigh it.

This is my BMW's old spare that I keep at home. Its a 14"x6" steel wheel with 195/60R14 tire. Add the jack and lug nut tool and thats 50# of dead weight out of a 2600lb car. Steel wheels and tall tires are heavy. The CRV wheel/tire combo weighs at least 10lb more than mine.



http://www.wheelsmaster.com/rt_specs.jsp

[Xringer]

I have to admit, I didn't think about the jack & tool bag as part of the package.
But I do remember being real sore the next day after putting a tire back on..

I've already taken a bunch of weight off with the rear diff and axles, may as well
look into dropping another 50 pounds.

I just wonder what the guys at AAA will say when I ask them to go by my house and
pick up the spare and it's tool little bag???

[Red]

The weight for that GSA sounds about right. My GSA spare on the "Canyon" alloys weigh in around ~35lbs or so. Mounted on the stock steelies 40-45lbs is easily probable