Do we really need a spare tire?

[Hootbro]

You do not get to pick the circumstances of when or where you may get a flat or other unrepairable situations. The thought of having to rely on a third party to make me a priority to bail me out is why I would keep a spare around.

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[Delhux]

My truck performs poorly with only 3 working tires/wheels, so I carry a spare.

 

[Flyin6]

Could care less about thread count.

Appreciate the experience-based opinions most of the responses contain.

Over on my build thread summary (on this site) which is some 13 pages long now I discuss in depth what I am doing and why.

2022 AEV Gladiator Rubicon build | Jeep Gladiator Forum - JeepGladiatorForum.com

AEV Gladiator Rubicon (real-man-truckworks-and-survival.com)

For the benefit of those who haven't seen it, I am reducing weight wherever possible. My JT was built post-summer of 2021. It came out with the new computer which essentially cannot be made more powerful. Can't tune it, can't supercharge or turbocharge it, can't do squat. Well except to anty up $35-$50K for a V8 transplant.

So, in lieu of adding power, I am reducing weight. I have dropped hundreds of pounds so far and still have some more to do there. The same little motor pushing less weight is the same as a bigger motor pushing more weight. I didn't know enough about the Jeep platform when I purchased mine to try to find one with a diesel. Those are not all that powerful, but they are not borderline pathetic like the V6 is in my opinion.

Now with respect to dropping another, close to 100 pounds. Leaving the spare behind, well, that's huge and that is why I am considering it. On another Overlander I own, the spare tire broke off the bumper carrier! Left and it was there, came home and it was gone. Well, I just ran the truck as it was and frankly never missed it. I do almost 100% solo wheeling if you call it that. Places like the Kentucky Adventure Trail. It gets tricky at times but with a winch, I manage well enough. So, no real worry about hampering anyone else's lifestyle or burdening them with needing their spare. Never borrowed one of those either in all of these years.

And why does an experienced guy like myself raise a question to which he probably already knows the answer? Well, ever been considering something and ask some buddies what they felt about it? You know, just to get a quality check on your decision? Of course, most/all of you have. That's why I asked here.

My takeaway is about what I thought. I'd likely get away with it, but that's tempting fate to play a dirty trick on me...Carry the spare and never need it, but take it off and get three flats on the first mile of trail! No decision made at this point, just considering the prospect.

Thanks for the responses.

 

[bakobobby]

I am sure there is a formula to be had. Function of trail difficulty, terrain type(s), did it rain recently, age of parts, solo or group run… and experience level of those involved ?

 

[HooliganActual]

Carry the spare and never need it, but take it off and get three flats on the first mile of trail! No decision made at this point, just considering the prospect.

Since the motivation for deleting the spare is related to weight reduction, what about finding the absolute lightest spare you can find. A light and narrow wheel with the right lug pattern and a light, low ply tire that matches the diameter of the other 4 to go on it. Basically, an off-road donut. You might shave a hunk of weight and have an emergency tire that could get you to town if you baby it.

 

[Flyin6]

I am sure there is a formula to be had. Function of trail difficulty, terrain type(s), did it rain recently, age of parts, solo or group run… and experience level of those involved ?

Standard risk/reward decision tree

 

[dayusmc]

Here is my $0.02 cents...
If you aren't going off road - No. Triple A, insurance roadside assistance, etc...
My wife's 2012 BMW 328xi did not come with a spare, only a tire repair kit
If you off road - definitely need Spare.
My Gladiator doesn't off road, so the deciding factor if I have ny spare will be how level it sits after my lift. But as always, to each his own. If you need to drop weight and don't off raod, I would suggest a tire plug kit and fix a flat
But I definitely would suggest a spare or repair kit. I never went on a patrol without my flack jacket and extra ammo, no matter how calm military intelligence (oxy moron) told me it would be.
Just my $0.02, probably worth less...

 

[Flyin6]

Since the motivation for deleting the spare is related to weight reduction, what about finding the absolute lightest spare you can find. A light and narrow wheel with the right lug pattern and a light, low ply tire that matches the diameter of the other 4 to go on it. Basically, an off-road donut. You might shave a hunk of weight and have an emergency tire that could get you to town if you baby it.

That's not bad at all...

I have the same 37" BFG and the same beadlock ICON wheel under there as the other four. Doing the 5-tire rotation thing.
I have been struggling with this because normally I wouldn't cut the spare. My Suburban has 600 HP so no problem there. My off-road truck has 1200 ft/lbs of torque, so no worries there either. But I don't think I have driven many things this underpowered since, well My 79 FJ-40. It is probably me, but I don't recall any of my CJ-7s feeling this underpowered. Maybe it's just me and I just need to suck it up and "Know that I'm slow."

 

[chorky]

I am sure there is a formula to be had. Function of trail difficulty, terrain type(s), did it rain recently, age of parts, solo or group run… and experience level of those involved ?

that sounds like a fun statistical analysis

 

[chorky]

Here is my $0.02 cents...
If you aren't going off road - No. Triple A, insurance roadside assistance, etc...
My wife's 2012 BMW 328xi did not come with a spare, only a tire repair kit
If you off road - definitely need Spare.
My Gladiator doesn't off road, so the deciding factor if I have ny spare will be how level it sits after my lift. But as always, to each his own. If you need to drop weight and don't off raod, I would suggest a tire plug kit and fix a flat
But I definitely would suggest a spare or repair kit. I never went on a patrol without my flack jacket and extra ammo, no matter how calm military intelligence (oxy moron) told me it would be.
Just my $0.02, probably worth less...

AAA and roadside assistance is unreliable at best - in my experience.

When I was moving to Montana, maybe 5 miles east of North Bend - if anyone doesn't know that's a major metropolitan area - I got a flat on my travel trailer. It took AAA 4 hours to get someone to replace it (my spare also went bad).

The following summer, moving to MT permanently, 15 miles east of Moses Lake (not major but a major destination with all of the main services available), I got a blowout, and again a spare went bad. I was stuck on the side of the interstate with no shoulder, so partially blocking one lane. I called AAA, roadside, and my insurance roadside. NOBODY was able to assist. Not one single person. After 6 hours, yes 6 freaking hours on the side of the road, of a massive interstate, 15 miles outside of a major 'summer destination' lake, I limped to the next rest stop. There I sat for another 24 hours. I guess angels were looking out that day and blew up my tires on purpose because the next morning a teenage girl flipped her car next to the rest stop, bad... I was the only responder with medical experience and a medic bag. She had major head trauma, CSF leak, internal bleeding brain swelling - in a bad way. Took the ambulance 45 minutes. FOURTY FIVE FREAKING MINUTES to respond. This was 25 miles outside of that same town. I never got word if she made it..... Since nobody would come to my own aid with blown tires, I cruised 25 more miles up the interstate to a no-name town with a small commercial tire operation. They had the tires I needed. 6 of them. I bought all 6 and 2 extra rim's - funny, they could help, but the people you give your hard earned money left me high and dry. I promptly canceled AAA and ripped them 5 new holes.

Then, last summer after I sold my truck and the Gladiator was on order, a local shop screwed up and forgot to put gear oil back in the rear diff of my TJ for a service. 10 miles outside of my now small town home (which is an hour from the nearest major town) my rear end grenades itself. Luckily I had cell service. Called my insurance, USAA, to request a tow, back to my town 10 miles away. I sat on the side of the highway, again, 2 hours. They finally called back and said they would charge me $2,000 bucks for a tow because they had to dispatch someone 4 FREAKING HOURS AWAY. I reamed them new holes and found my own way back.

needless to say..... After those events, and after having been left high and dry in a bad way while deployed under combat.....

I have learned the hard way to rely on NOBODY but yourself.

Unless you are in a huge $^&#$ city, roadside can never be trusted to help. Be prepared is my motto - always has been. Often times it results in friends, coworkers, soldiers, whome ever calling on me to assist because nobody else seems to be prepared or know what the &$!! to do. Funny how that works out.

 

[jeep1]

Like most people have said... if you are off-road, carry a spare. Even something as easy as reseating a bead is miserable if its raining and you are stuck in a bad spot.

I've ripped two valve stems off in the last year (ask me about the Apex performance valves...) and long ago, my daughter sliced a sidewall driving in broken mine tailings up in northern Idaho ..

I replaced the valve stem on my Hutchison beadlocks at camp that night but still took longer than I would have liked on the trail !

 

[Prescottmojave]

Try wheeling in Baja. You’ll wish you had two spares. Ask me how I know….

 

[Cansberry]

Location is definitely a big determinate to this. I've wheeled most my life in the Rockies and the American South West. I'm a pretty young dude, so not a lot of time, but in that time I've used the spare 4 times. Two times it was because I put too much faith in the garbage stock tires and sharp rocks tore them to shreds. Two times sharp rocks ambushed me and ripped out the sidewall.

That said, even a lightweight and cheap tire would meet what you're looking for. I've done that, keeping a lighter spare than the rest of my wheels, and it's good enough to limp out when things have gone real bad.

 

[PlayfulBird]

You don't need a spare, until you do!
Even with repair kits etc. It is just to much of a gamble off of the common paths.

 

[Jteakus]

Personal decision.
Hopefully based on experience and ability.

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