Replacing Your Spare Tire on the Cheap

Did you know spare tires are often rated for only 50 to 75 miles before needing replacement? Once you get a couple of flat tires, you may be getting close to that number! It might be time to buy a new spare - make sure you do it right.

If you want the best match, you should look to your car dealer first for a proper OEM tire. You'll be sure to get a perfect replacement that way. You'll find them to be pretty expensive there though - often running more than a normal tire!

A great alternative is the junkyard. Often when a car is totaled and sent to the junkyard, the spare tire is intact. Many have never even been used. So how do you find a great match there?

You'll want to get a list of junkyards in the area first. Try using a local directory, or a service like Google maps. Then you'll want to head outside and measure your car's tires. This is the most important step for a great fit! Pull out your spare and start measuring that. If you don't have the spare, you can measure a regular wheel.

With a piece of paper and tape measure in hand, measure the distance between all the bolts. Start from the center of the bolt, and measure across to the center of the opposite one. Keep a diagram on your paper and put down the measurements on the lines. Next, measure the distance to the bolt directly next to it. If you do the diagram to scale, you can punch the holes out and lay the diagram over the spare tires you're shopping for.

Continue by measuring the bolt sizes themselves. Take a bolt off and measure the diameter of the head, then the length and diameter of the thread. You may find the right bolt pattern, but the bolt doesn't fit!

Once you have your diagram with the measurements, its time to go to the junkyards. The staff will be able to show you where the spares are kept - often they'll have stacks and stacks of spares! Pull out your diagram and start sorting through the stacks until you find one that's a perfect match. Don't buy something that's kind of the same - you could damage your car if you put on the wrong spare tire size. Make sure it fits perfectly. Good luck in your search!

Jeff Campeal is the author of Spare Tire Size.