[DML] Re: Spare Tire.

["content22207" <brobertson@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

People put aftermarket rims on their DeLoreans all the time. There's a
current message on the List from a new owner seeking to do just that.
I assume he's planning to do all 4 wheels, rear as well as front.

The original spare rim was engineered to clear two different sizes of
brake hardware. A 14" rim simply will not fit over the rear calipers.
You need a 15" rim for the back, no exceptions. Of course a 15" rim
with a normal height tire will not clear the front wheel wells (won't
fit in the spare tire well either). Hence the factory 15" rim with low
profile donut. The factory rim is also quite narrow so that it will
not protrude above the trunk floor when nestled in its well.

The biggest challenge I faced was finding the right combination of rim
diameter, width, and lug pattern in a junk yard. I'm sure a suitable
rim can be custom ordered new, but I needed a cheap one in a hurry (my
car had no spare). Took all afternoon, but I ultimately found one. 

My spare is a 2+2 bias 50,000 mile performance tire. It's made to be a
primary tire. I doubt factory donuts even have steel belts. They sure
don't have my tread rubber. My spare would survive a very long trip to
repair a flat rear (assuming I could find somewhere to put that rear
to carry it with me). Handling would probably be squirelly as hell,
but that's a function of the smaller overall tire diameter and width
-- an unavoidable consequence of our unique wheel differential and the
spare well as cast. 

After FFT I'll throw my spare on the rear, test drive the car, and
post my impressions, if I survive the experience.

Bill Robertson
#5939

>--- In dmcnews@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, "cbl1739" <cbl302@...> wrote:
>
> Just a word of caution on the use of a  NON-ORIGINAL spare tire on a 
> Delorean..you can get away with using a non original spare on the 
> front of a Delorean..but under NO circumstances must you use a non 
> original spare on the rear of a Delorean..as the original WAS 
> engineered by WEIGHT and Size to handle the Deloreans rear 
> suspension,and to be used for a short distance(under 55 miles both 
> for SPEED and distance)to limp you home or to a garage.If using a non 
> original spare(tire/rim combo)under no  circumstance must you drive 
> it at highway speeds.Again as the ONLY spare tire that was engineered 
> to work on a Delorean(safely)was the NOS spare.If the orignal is 
> bad,replace with a new tire,and have it balanced. 
> Claude 
> 




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