tires are pretty good these days and you rarely get a flat.
when you do you obviously need your spare to work.

don't be a dummy like I was some years back when my donut failed 30 feet from where I mounted because the pressure was low.

maintain your spare tire pressure , it's real easy to ignore.

 

I checked mine last Saturday in both cars.

Couple of alternatives:

Carry an AAA card (I do this since I don't pack a torque wrench)

Carry a can of fix-a-flat, or similar, a small tire repair kit, and an air compressor.

I've had a flat on my S, but never mounted the donut.

 

I check the one in the Element twice a year, when I swap from the snow tires to the summer tires and vice versa.

I don't even have a place to install the spare in my S2000 any more. The roll bar gets in the way.

 

I've had three punctures with my S. Only once did I need to drive on the donut. I last checked the inflation of the donut about 3 months ago. Why do all manufacturers seem to design their cars so that you can't check the pressure in the spare without unmounting it first?

The next question is, how old is your spare? I replaced my truck's spare last year. It had plenty of tread left, but at 9 years old the rubber wasn't looking so great.

 

If it's a full-size spare, one technique is to mount it on the same type of wheel and include it in your tire rotation pattern. Then when the tires get worn enough to need replacing, you replace all five.

 

Good tip Jerry. I have not checked my Civic spare in years. I am so used to the car being entirely reliable I really don't even check oil as often as I should.

Since I'm heading to big scary Albany next month I will make it a point to do both of those before I leave and check the tire for wear (it's almost 10 years old at this point).

I don't worry about the S so much but I should and will check the spare pressure next track day in a couple weeks (when it comes out of the car). I check pressures before and after each session anyway so it's not a big deal to do that one as well

I've never actually changed a tire but I know the concept. I have tools in the car. I wonder if the local Honda dealership would consider putting on a "tech day for women". I think I will ask next week when I get my oil change and brake fluid done.

 

Oh, really, Ellen. And just what do you plan to do when you get to big scary Albany??


For the record, I don't know if I've ever checked the air in my spare.

 

Never checked it on my 04. I will tomorrow. Good advice.

 

Last summer, at SESM, one of our group had a flat on the expressway in Knoxville on the way to Chattanooga. He had no spare since he had his amp installed there.

After I got back to them, we pulled out my then nearly 3 year old never used donut spare. On installation we noticed quite a squish in the tire and the pressure gauge found it to be about 20 or 25 PSI. It got us to the next exit at a very slow and cautious pace but performed admirably for the rest of the way in to Chattanooga at 60 PSI.

This spring in April before WTD I checked the spare. 45 PSI. Yep, it sucks to get to since you have to remove unmount the spare from its storage spot and at least pull it part way out to fill it but.....

Moral of the story is to check your spare tire pressure and condition.

 

I check all of the tires often and I check the spares at least twice a year.