Spare Tire

[Glassnpowder98]

I would like to have a spare in my car in case I ever get a flat but the spare tire I have is the stock 225/45/17 (I think) and the tires on the car are 245/35/19. My question is... if I ever get a flat (knock on wood that I don't), would it be alright to throw the spare on if I drive directly to the closest tire shop? Or is this going to immediately mess up my drivetrain? Should I take out the spare, save weight and just rely on AAA or someone to come pick me up?

[Vito Roma]

just buy another rim/tire and you don't have to worry about it

And i have stock rims/wheels and been debating since day one to take it out or leave it in there. and i haven't taken it out yet. What is total stock weight 40lbs?

[Glassnpowder98]

Haha It would be nice to buy another one, but I think i'm gonna save the $600 bucks for a wheel and tire and put that towards exhaust. I think the stock wheels and tires are around 35-40lbs. Take out that plus the widow maker and it will be like having a skinny driver!

[Auditude2.0T]

The 17 with a bigger sidewall and the 19 with a smaller sidewall and bigger rim circumference should be the same overall hight (roughly). You should be alright with the spare.

[IceMole]

the 19 is 3.1% bigger

[NashA4]

you should be fine. just think about all the people that have the donut spare and drive around on those things. changing the tire and driving to the nearest tire store should not hurt anything.

[cstarky15]

you should be fine. just think about all the people that have the donut spare and drive around on those things. changing the tire and driving to the nearest tire store should not hurt anything.

Yeah but they don't have quattro! And most people are retarted and will drive 100+ miles on the donut which isn't made to do that! until they have "time" to get it fixed!

[Audized]

just buy another rim/tire and you don't have to worry about it

And i have stock rims/wheels and been debating since day one to take it out or leave it in there. and i haven't taken it out yet. What is total stock weight 40lbs?

depending on what tire you have on the rim, it's right around 50lbs.

[kooltechie]

B7 stock 17" tire is 235/45/17.
compared to your 245/35/19, the stock tire is 1.7% smaller, which is acceptable.

fyi, here's a great website to compare wheel/tire/offset size:
http://www.rims-n-tires.com/rt_specs.jsp

hope this helps.

[Glassnpowder98]

Thanks for the help! While I want to save some weight, I'm not trying to be left stranded on the side of the road... Guess I'll just take it out when/if I autocross or take it to the track.

[Phrost]

You can definitely run it to get home, but I wouldn't drive on it more than you have to. The ratio is close enough, but nothing I would want to run for more than a day or two tops.

Think of it this way. If you don't keep a spare, you're going to have to pay $60+ for towing no matter what unless you can magically get your blown tire repaired or replaced within walking distance.

[supamannn99]

why take out the tire in the back for the track? it might make you faster by .1 second on the drag strip but it has a negative impact on cornering. taking weight out of the back makes the weight imbalance on our cars even worse especially on a front engine mounted car

[Glassnpowder98]

^^^ Good point... I hadn't thought of it that way. Maybe I'll get three fat broads to sit in my back seats so I can get the tail out. Ha JK

[Nico]

stock 17" split spoke wheel with CSC2 Tires (worn) weighs 46.5lb according to my scales.

[vedran]

Why do you want spare tire? Don't you have this spray "tires repairing kit". Why would someone wants to tow spare tire in his car and probably newer use it. It's a dead weight.