[DML] Spare Tire (Re: Wheel Offset)

["content22207" <brobertson@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

If I told you I made my own spare tire, would you be surprised? In
this instance I didn't throw anything away -- my car came without a
spare. I found a suitable rim in the junkyard on a late model Chrysler
product of some ilk (Chrysler also used our 4" square bolt pattern). I
believe factory rims of that vintage were all 14" -- the owner of the
donor car apparently bumped up with an aftermarket rim. A 195/50R15
tire fits our spare tire well perfectly in circumference, but it is
taller than the DMC donut.

I've uploaded pics to #5939's photo album (yes, my spare is a little
low on air -- even real tires drop pressure after sitting for a couple
of years. I'll pump it up before FFT).

Considering that the Goodyear GT2 is a 50,000 mile tire, I would
certainly drive it more than 10 miles. Have no idea how the car would
handle with it on the rear though.

Actually the pic of my spare installed is a good perspective of what
our cars would look like with the same size tires whole way 'round (my
spare matches the front tires in overall circumference). Notice how
anemic it looks. Or conversely, how much larger the factory rear is
than the factory front. I can think of no other production vehicle
that has such a large discrepancy.

To answer Martin: The reason I'm so curious about the spare tire well
is because I want to know where DMC expected me to put my flat rear
tire. If I have no passenger I can put it in the front seat (hopefully
it won't be raining). I know the usual method now is to throw it on
the engine cover and bungee the sunshade down, but I can't imagine
that this was the factory's intention for a car that cost MORE than a
Porsche. Appears to me to be a case of overlooked design change.

What I'm most curious about is: at what point in the car's genesis did
the massive rear tires enter the picture. Was it designed from the
very beginning with such a discrepancy (in which case the designer of
the spare tire well needs to be fired because a flat rear would never
have fit), or was the discrepancy a later concession to handling
issues (in which case the undersized spare tire well evidences this
later engineering change, and the designer still needs to be fired
because he forgot to change it to fit the larger concession wheels).

Bill Robertson
#5939

>--- In dmcnews@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, "Dave Swingle" <swingle_dmc@...> wrote:
>
> It's moot since the spare doesn't really hold air anyway, at least I've 
> never seen one that I'd be confident to drive on.  Instead of an 
> inadequate spare tire well, look at it as a tool compartment. Or a 
> really big compartment to hold your cellphone that you use to call the 
> tow truck when you get a flat. 
> 
> Just a curiosity - has anyone here every actually used the spare, i.e. 
> driven on it at least 10 miles? 
> 
> Dave S
> 
> --- In dmcnews@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, "content22207" <brobertson@> wrote:
> >> 
> > Any explanation for the inadequate spare tire well?
> > 
> > Bill Robertson
> > #5939
>




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