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OT - Full Size Spare - Or Is It?
DerbyDad03 posted for all of us...
And I know how to SNIP Ashton Crusher wrote: On Sun, 29 Dec 2013 23:24:21 +0000 (UTC), DerbyDad03 wrote: I rented a car this weekend. The tire pressure indicator came on. At my next stop I checked the tires and it turned out to be that the left front tire was low. I filled it up and decided to check the spare to make sure it was full of air just in case I needed it. When I opened the trunk, I initially thought that the spare was a full size spare, because it sure wasn't a donut. After closer inspection I noticed that the tires on the car were Bridgestones, 205/55-16, while the spare was a Pirelli 195/65-15. Under the numbers it had the words "Standard load" OK, so it's not quite a full size spare when compared to the tires on the car, but at least it's a real tire. Then I noticed that the rim had the familiar "donut labels" on it. Limited Use, Do Not Exceed 50 MPH, etc. So what's the deal? Why would a full size tire, even if it was slightly smaller than the original tires, have the Limited Use, reduced speed labels on it? Granted, the smaller tire might make the handling a little weird. Could that be the reason they label the spare as "limited use", etc? How do you know it's a "real tire"? Sure, it may be 'standard load' but does it really have the same amount of "carcass", tread plies, sidewall plies, same amount of tread depth, same tread compound, etc. It's pretty close in size but about 0.1" different in diameter. And at what inflation pressure did it have "standard load"? Same pressure as the other tires or did it need to be pumped up to 60psi like the donut spares needed to be? My guess is it's not a "real tire" but was specifically built as a temporary, limited duty, spare with all that implies. I called a local VW dealer. Spoke to a service rep. He said that they have also wondered why they mark the spare as 50 MPH only. He said they have never gotten a clear answer from anyone. He said it's a real tire on a real wheel, so there is no reason that he can think of that it should be marked as limited use. However, here's an additional oddity: He was surprised that the rental had a different sized spare tire than the 4 on the car. He said that typically the spare is the same tire as the ones on the car, yet still marked as limited use. So, I did a little research. The Bridgestone 205/55-16 came standard on the VW Jetta SE, while the 195/65-15 were standard on the Jetta S. Why the SE I rented had a spare from an S is beyond me. There's another dealer I can call tomorrow. I'll let you know what they say about the markings on the spare. Like I stated before the rental place stole it out of another car. Why mess with the details? They needed a tire and some clunker or crashed car had one... -- Tekkie |
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