While working on repairing the clutch hydraulics, I tested my spare tire and discovered that it would not hold air for more than a few hours, even though the tire looked like it was in perfect shape. It felt hard as a rock to the touch, which gave the impression that it had a lot of air pressure, but when tested, it would register zero.
Thanks to the vast info available online, I discovered that you can't buy a spare tire from a regular tire shop, and that the best option is to go to a junkyard and find a newer car that has the same spare tire size and to swap the newer rubber onto the DeLorean spare rim.
I also discovered that the spare tire size of T125/70 D15 is a very common spare tire size today. I went to the pick-a-part junkyard and had a bit of trouble initially finding one, but eventually found a few. I picked one that had the most recent date stamp on the tire. I paid $10 for it and headed over to Discount Tire to have them swap rims.
I was hoping that they would just do it for free since I have bought so many tires from them in the past, but they charged me another $10 in labor to switch them out. I didn't bother taking any pictures of the newish tire, but it is holding a steady pressure of 60 psi, in case I ever need it in the future. This was a very easy thing to do, but I just had to take the time to go find a tire and pay to have them switched. More time consuming than difficult.
A 30-year old spare tire? Oh my, why was it left unused for three decades? Anyway, just be sure that the spare tires you buy from the junkyard are still in good condition. Spare tires are as important as every tire you are using on your car right now, so be sure that your spares are up to par in terms of quality.
ReplyDelete[Rita McCall]
It was left unused because it is a donut sized spare that is only used in emergencies and is not a full size spare. The spare tire that I replaced it with is in great condition and is only a few years old. It should last for many years to come.
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