Hi Mike, It isn't the sunlight that kills the spare tire... it's the constant stream of hot air from the radiator that cooks the rubber. Back in 2008 we blew a tire on Dad's westy due to some debris on the road. The spare was old... no idea how old exactly but we do know it was there from before my Dad bought the van in 2004. Within an hour of driving that tire started bumping, and within the next two hours after that it threw the tread completely. Luckily it gave a bit of warning before it completely delaminated and I was able to keep control of the vehicle. I suppose it also helped that it was on the passenger side rear when it went. I'd suggest that the best way to handle this is to rotate your spare back into service. That will spread out the exposure across three or five tires and allow you to get full use from the tire before it is damaged by the heat. I wouldn't use that tire... the sidewall probably wouldn't hold up well. At least that's been my experience. Happy Trails, Greg Potts Toronto, Ontario Canada 197x Westfakia "Bob the Tomato" 1987 Wolfsburg Weekender Hardtop (ND Graphics graphics wrap) 1988 Wolfsburg Weekender Hardtop (Colleen's ride) www.pottsfamily.ca BUSES OF THE CORN - AUGUST 13-15th, 2010 www.busesofthecorn.ca
On 9/13/2010 9:48 PM, Michael A. Radtke wrote: > Hello, > > I was filling and checking my tires today and I was surprised to find > the spare flat. > SNIP > So, what caused this problem? All the leaks are on the side that was > up. My first thought was rust, but I live in Phoenix and we get little > rain. Besides, the rim doesn't look rusty. Do other Vanagon owners see > the same problem with old spares? SNIP > Information and advice please? |
Please note - During the past 17 years of operation, several gigabytes of
Vanagon mail messages have been archived. Searching the entire collection
will take up to five minutes to complete. Please be patient!
Return to the archives @ gerry.vanagon.com
The vanagon mailing list archives are copyright (c) 1994-2011, and may not be reproduced without the express written permission of the list administrators. Posting messages to this mailing list grants a license to the mailing list administrators to reproduce the message in a compilation, either printed or electronic. All compilations will be not-for-profit, with any excess proceeds going to the Vanagon mailing list.
Any profits from list compilations go exclusively towards the management and operation of the Vanagon mailing list and vanagon mailing list web site.