The spare nobody has looked at
Most trucks and many pickups carry a spare slung underneath or mounted somewhere out of the way. It is the wheel that never gets used, and that is exactly why it is often in the worst condition on the vehicle.
Hung under a frame, a spare wheel spends years in road spray, mud and whatever else the vehicle drives through. Nobody rotates it, nobody cleans it, and nobody inspects it, because it is not doing anything. The tire on it ages and loses pressure, and the wheel rusts at the bead seat and around the stud holes where nobody can see.
Then a tire fails on the road and the spare comes down. It is low, or the tire will not hold air on the corroded bead, or the wheel will not seat cleanly on the hub. A spare that cannot be used is not a spare.
Check it on a schedule
- When pressures are checked, check the spare too, if it can be reached.
- Once or twice a year, take it down, look at the wheel, and look at the tire's age and condition.
- On a used vehicle, inspect the spare before you rely on it.
A spare wheel with surface corrosion is usually a good candidate for refurbishing: cleaned back, the bead seat restored, and refinished so it stays usable. The inspection decides whether it can be.
A crack ends the wheel and it is replaced.
About this store
The De Soto store runs seventeen services and is managed by Cathy Bequette.
See the national wheel refurbishing page for all 42 locations.