Team-BHP > 4x4 & Off-Roading > 4x4 Technical


Reply
  Search this Thread
8,342 views
Old 17th March 2010, 19:25   #1
Distinguished - BHPian
 
Tejas@perioimpl's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: Bombay
Posts: 4,423
Thanked: 9,577 Times
Spare Wheel Cover - Do i really need it?

I'm going in for a tyre upgrade in my Mahindra Classic and the original tyre cover will not fit onto the new spare tyre and i will have to get a new one made.

Old: 215/75/15
New: 235/75/15

That got me thinking, is a spare wheel cover that important? Somebody has told me the spare tyre will deteriorate if not covered.

My tyres are directional, so rotation will be only one sided. Thus, not very practical. Otherwise rotating with the spare is the best thing to do.

A quick web search gave the following results:

Quote:
So, are you going to buy covers to put on the other four wheels? Didn't think so, yet they are going to cop the same amount of sun, rain and God knows what as the tyre on the back (or underneath). So why aren't you worried about them?
Quote:
The truth is that sunlight will deteriorate that tyre over time.
The tyres stored underneath copping mud etc are much more likely to be usable when you need it as a spare.
Tyre life is generallt recognised to be best used within 5 years of the date of manufacture, so if I where you I would be covering up.
Many blow outs occur due to a spare being fitte after years of sitting in the sun on the back of a vehicle.
Quote:
The only advantage that I see in a cover is it may hide an expensive brand new tyre from some thieving ****'s eye sight. and make him do more work to remove the cover to steal the tyre.
Quote:
the only advantage is that you can give a personalized look to your jeep
Put in your thoughts and insights...
Tejas@perioimpl is offline  
Old 17th March 2010, 19:30   #2
Senior - BHPian
 
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: Bangalore
Posts: 2,089
Thanked: 715 Times

Depends how costly is spare wheel cover. On a Safari for instance the wheel cover is around 8K and it is more likely that cover will be stolen rather then tyre.

If you are going for 5 Tyre rotation I do not see any particular value in putting a spare wheel cover.
amitk26 is offline  
Old 17th March 2010, 19:33   #3
Distinguished - BHPian
 
Tejas@perioimpl's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: Bombay
Posts: 4,423
Thanked: 9,577 Times

Quote:
Originally Posted by amitk26 View Post
Depends how costly is spare wheel cover. On a Safari for instance the wheel cover is around 8K and it is more likely that cover will be stolen rather then tyre.
Not costly. A cheap rexine one.

Quote:
If you are going for 5 Tyre rotation I do not see any particular value in putting a spare wheel cover.
Can't do 5 tyre rotation due to directional tyres.

I'm looking for answers to the fact that does the spare wheel cover help protect the tyre?
Tejas@perioimpl is offline  
Old 17th March 2010, 20:10   #4
Senior - BHPian
 
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: NA
Posts: 1,224
Thanked: 93 Times

I would put a cover on even if only one of those cheap ones. Someone told me with the wheel hanging off the rear, the sun directly shining on it can lead to spares cracking etc in the long term.

If you have trouble getting one just ask your local car seat wala to make you a custom on out the material they use to make the roofs for jeeps. Should not take him more than an hour.
bigman is offline  
Old 17th March 2010, 21:17   #5
Team-BHP Support
 
Jaggu's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Bangalore
Posts: 20,207
Thanked: 15,848 Times

Quote:
Originally Posted by Tejas@perioimpl View Post
That got me thinking, is a spare wheel cover that important? Somebody has told me the spare tyre will deteriorate if not covered.

My tyres are directional, so rotation will be only one sided. Thus, not very practical. Otherwise rotating with the spare is the best thing to do.

Put in your thoughts and insights...
I prefer not to cover it up, keep it cleaned and rotate every 5k kms, directional or not. As simple as that.
Jaggu is offline  
Old 17th March 2010, 22:02   #6
Distinguished - BHPian
 
SS-Traveller's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: New Delhi
Posts: 8,161
Thanked: 27,103 Times

If this was Delhi, with over-50-degrees-C temperatures and less than 20% humidity, I'd say cover the tyre up - a cheap white/light-coloured rexine cover would do. Since you're in Mumbai, where the peak temperatures in summer are not that bad, and the ambient humidity is much higher, you can happily leave the spare wheel uncovered.
SS-Traveller is offline  
Old 18th March 2010, 04:52   #7
Senior - BHPian
 
DirtyDan's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: Dharamsala, H.P
Posts: 2,074
Thanked: 1,554 Times

When you have a puncture it is maddening to have to fool around with a lock that is full of dirt and dust and will not open to release the spare tyre. I suggest you at least find a way to cover the lock.
DirtyDan is offline  
Old 19th March 2010, 10:28   #8
Distinguished - BHPian
 
Tejas@perioimpl's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: Bombay
Posts: 4,423
Thanked: 9,577 Times

I got the new tyres. Thankfully the old cover fits the stepney. So problem solved.

However, i want to know if there is a disadvantage of not covering the spare!
Tejas@perioimpl is offline  
Old 19th March 2010, 10:32   #9
Team-BHP Support
 
Jaggu's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Bangalore
Posts: 20,207
Thanked: 15,848 Times

There will be no disadvantages if you plan to use it in regular intervals, which you should ie if you want to make the purchase VFM.
Jaggu is offline  
Old 19th March 2010, 10:36   #10
Senior - BHPian
 
ashthedivx's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: Delhi
Posts: 1,356
Thanked: 24 Times

Even I do not find any good reason which can be termed as disadvantage of not covering your spare wheel.. however, "the more you cover the more use" is always there..
ashthedivx is offline  
Old 19th March 2010, 10:45   #11
Senior - BHPian
 
SPIKE ARRESTOR's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Germany
Posts: 2,854
Thanked: 1,529 Times

Quote:
Originally Posted by Tejas@perioimpl View Post
I got the new tyres. Thankfully the old cover fits the stepney. So problem solved.

However, i want to know if there is a disadvantage of not covering the spare!
Tejas, as you know tyre properties change and tyres degrade if not put to use, this is one reason why tyres (without wheel rims) are supposed to be stored in a cool dry place away from sunlight. You just need to rotate the tyre as per prescribed intervals. Also you should be careful while buying tyres which are more than 6 months old.

Spike

OT- IIRC "rubbers" also come with expiry dates, isn't it?
SPIKE ARRESTOR is offline  
Old 19th March 2010, 10:53   #12
Distinguished - BHPian
 
Tejas@perioimpl's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: Bombay
Posts: 4,423
Thanked: 9,577 Times

Quote:
Originally Posted by SPIKE ARRESTOR View Post
Tejas, as you know tyre properties change and tyres degrade if not put to use, this is one reason why tyres (without wheel rims) are supposed to be stored in a cool dry place away from sunlight. You just need to rotate the tyre as per prescribed intervals. :
These are directional tyres. So rotation will be one sided only (left side in my case)

Can anybody put down what exactly happens to the tyre compound on exposure to sunlight, over age and when not used for a long time. Why does a tyre which is in use daily have a better life than the spare?
Tejas@perioimpl is offline  
Reply

Most Viewed
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search

Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Team-BHP.com
Proudly powered by E2E Networks