Check your tow vehicle spare tire.

[Aerowood]

I recently had a flat tire on my 2017 Ram 1500. I was on a rock covered road in South Park CO. Going uphill. No doubt what caused it, sharp rock sliced the sidewall on the right front. No problem I have a spare, this is where the games begin. I dug out the jack and the jack handle, and lug wrench. Both were basically a piece of sh*t. I broke the lug nuts loose with my foot as it is too short used normally. Next I had to lower the spare using the POS jack handle lug wrench setup. It's actually the only thing that worked halfway decent. The spare was another POS and I would never use it on the rear to tow with. On further inspection it's not even the same size as the rest of the tires. Marked as a Goodyear Spare on a 16 inch wheel while the rest are 20 inch. Jacking the truck up with the POS screw jack just pissed me off. Long story short I got it changed and drove home, I didn't have my GT as it was just a day trip.

New tires were needed anyway so I bought 5 new Cooper tires and was planning on Discount Tire getting a new wheel for the spare. This didn't happen as I was not willing to spend the money for an aluminum wheel. Steel would be fine but they couldn't source it. Damn. So back home I went and Googled a 20 x 8 wheel and found one for 164 dollars. Then I was worried it wouldn't fit in the spare tire well. Went back to Discount when it came in and had it mounted. It did fit in the well. I did notice that the lug nuts for the steel wheel are different then the aluminum so I picked up 5 lug nuts for the steel wheel. I also bought a hydraulic Jack, a long breaker bar and a 7/8" deep well socket. I added this to the socket and lug nuts I picked up to mount my spare on my Airstream.

So check your tow vehicle spare, jack and lug wrench. My wallet is now about 1600 bucks lighter.

[SallyForth]

I thought you were going to say you found your truck spare tire was flat.

I recently followed the suggestion of Brad Driver, of the YourTube channel Thirteen Adventures.

He uses the TST TPMS and suggested using six sensors -- the usual four sensors for the dual axle trailer tires, plus one sensor for the trailer spare tire and finally one sensor for the truck spare tire.

It would be a bummer to need a spare tire only to find it flat from a slow stem leak.

[21Airstream]

The last used truck I had (1995 F350) according to the guy who bought it after I traded it in had a Chevrolet wheel for a spare (obviously installed after delivery).

I learned my lesson on that truck, the transmission went out less than 10,000 miles after I bought it and the glow plugs not too long after that (while we were on vacation in Oregon).

The three RAM 3500’s I’ve bought (new) since then have come with factory installed spare tires. I also carry a spare in the bed.

[Bobbo]

Originally Posted by SallyForth

I recently followed the suggestion of Brad Driver, of the YourTube channel Thirteen Adventures.

He uses the TST TPMS and suggested using six sensors -- the usual four sensors for the dual axle trailer tires, plus one sensor for the trailer spare tire and finally one sensor for the truck spare tire.

I've been doing exactly that for the last 6 years. (I replaced all of my TV tires a few months ago, including the spare. There was some discomfort when I made them find the TST TPMS sender unit and put it on the new spare.)

[Lara Me]

Tekton tools line sells nice individual sockets, breaker bars, and torque wrenches. I always travel with a these and it sure makes it easy.

SafeJack sells a nice kit that includes a hydraulic jack and various mounts and extensions, packed in an ammo can. A tad pricey but it saved my butt when I had a late night blowout of two right side vehicle tires and had to change out late night on the side of I90. No thanks to Good Sam, which wanted to dispatch a tow truck for an additional fee with no guarantee it would show up. I did it myself and limped back to camp, and needed two jacks to swap the two tires for replacement.

Invest in a tire patch kit and a ViaAir compressor. This may be your ticket out of trouble, and you can easily add air. You might need to swap out a higher fuse for your cigarette lighter or get a model that clips to the battery.

[Bobbo]

Originally Posted by Lara Me

Invest in a tire patch kit and a ViaAir compressor. ..........You might need to swap out a higher fuse for your cigarette lighter or get a model that clips to the battery.

I recently replaced my ViaAir compressor with one of these, no cigarette lighter or battery clips needed. I won't go back. (I do carry two batteries in case one is low. And, it DOES come with a 12v cigarette lighter cord in case you have NO batteries charged.)

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07H39S9JQ...ix=dewalt&th=1

[B17drvr]

I’ve had multiple Ford F150 and F250 and they put the spare on a 18 inch wheel when you have 20’s. They all go cheap. I carry my own tools for tire change tires. The OEM stuff (as you found out) is junk.

[Boba911]

I have had the same Dewalt compressor for 3 years with extra battery and use it all the time. Carry it in the truck all the time. Very easy to use and compact. It might take a few minutes more than the gas station but who cares.

[Bunker]

I ran into this issue over the summer with my 2022 F150. Spare was round, but I wouldn’t trust it for 10 minutes on the back going 30mph with the trailer. In the front maybe 20 minutes. Maybe.

I have an air pump and just added lots of air to my slowly leaking tire and went to the tire shop. They weren’t able to fix it so I ended up with 4 new tires. Still trying to figure out what to do about a better spare tire.

[overlander64]

I expect that I will be purchasing three new spare tires next spring. I am virtually certain that the spare in my tow vehicle is its original factory spare which will make it 32 years old in the spring. I acquired the car six years ago, and it had been sparingly driven by its original owner, a retired college professor and now has only 91,000 miles. When I replaced the tires on my Overlander this spring, the spare hasn't been on the ground, but is over 30 years old so is in need of replacement, and when I double-checked the Minuet, its spare was its original, never on the ground Good Year Marathon Bias Ply so it too will need to be replaced.

[21Airstream]

Originally Posted by Bobbo

I recently replaced my ViaAir compressor with one of these, no cigarette lighter or battery clips needed. I won't go back. (I do carry two batteries in case one is low. And, it DOES come with a 12v cigarette lighter cord in case you have NO batteries charged.)

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07H39S9JQ...ix=dewalt&th=1

I’m definitely gonna need one of these. As it is, I carry all my DeWalt power tools & spare batteries when we’re on the road (& it sure makes emergency tire changes faster & safer).

[Minno]

Kip, your story mimics our own discovery of our 2018 Ram 1500 spare tire situation. Chris did some sleuthing, but didn't find a 20 inch steel rim, and Discount Tire told him that no one makes one, and it wouldn't fit in the spare tire well anyway. If we had to change a truck tire while towing, that POS spare we have would go on the front for a very short tow, with a lot of prayer.
Where did you find a steel rim?



Kay

[SallyForth]

Originally Posted by Lara Me

Invest in a tire patch kit and a ViaAir compressor. This may be your ticket out of trouble, and you can easily add air. You might need to swap out a higher fuse for your cigarette lighter or get a model that clips to the battery.

I went a different route with my previous rig which had a 3,000 watt inverter powering all of 120VAC circuits. I used a small 120VAC air compressor attached via a heavy duty extension cord to the exterior curbside 120VAC outlet. This allowed me to easily reach every tire on the trailer or truck.

[Aerowood]

Originally Posted by Minno

Kip, your story mimics our own discovery of our 2018 Ram 1500 spare tire situation. Chris did some sleuthing, but didn't find a 20 inch steel rim, and Discount Tire told him that no one makes one, and it wouldn't fit in the spare tire well anyway. If we had to change a truck tire while towing, that POS spare we have would go on the front for a very short tow, with a lot of prayer.
Where did you find a steel rim?



Kay

Road Ready Wheels
SKU 560-2459

[FMSports]

Always a good idea to check spare and rehearse a change. I keep a break bar on board because the wrench is too short. The jacking locations aren't that straightforward either.

Wheel size doesn't matter if it clears the brakes.
My RAM spare is 235/85-17 and I run the stock 275/60-20s
Both are 32.x" diameter.

[majorairhead]

I'm a slacker when it comes to checking spares, but before our trip out west this past summer, I dropped both truck and trailer... sure enough they were both low on air. Should probably check em annually ��

[SnowWanderer]

Originally Posted by Aerowood

I recently had a flat tire on my 2017 Ram 1500. I was on a rock covered road in South Park CO. Going uphill. No doubt what caused it, sharp rock sliced the sidewall on the right front. No problem I have a spare, this is where the games begin. I dug out the jack and the jack handle, and lug wrench. Both were basically a piece of sh*t. I broke the lug nuts loose with my foot as it is too short used normally. Next I had to lower the spare using the POS jack handle lug wrench setup. It's actually the only thing that worked halfway decent. The spare was another POS and I would never use it on the rear to tow with. On further inspection it's not even the same size as the rest of the tires. Marked as a Goodyear Spare on a 16 inch wheel while the rest are 20 inch. Jacking the truck up with the POS screw jack just pissed me off. Long story short I got it changed and drove home, I didn't have my GT as it was just a day trip.

New tires were needed anyway so I bought 5 new Cooper tires and was planning on Discount Tire getting a new wheel for the spare. This didn't happen as I was not willing to spend the money for an aluminum wheel. Steel would be fine but they couldn't source it. Damn. So back home I went and Googled a 20 x 8 wheel and found one for 164 dollars. Then I was worried it wouldn't fit in the spare tire well. Went back to Discount when it came in and had it mounted. It did fit in the well. I did notice that the lug nuts for the steel wheel are different then the aluminum so I picked up 5 lug nuts for the steel wheel. I also bought a hydraulic Jack, a long breaker bar and a 7/8" deep well socket. I added this to the socket and lug nuts I picked up to mount my spare on my Airstream.

So check your tow vehicle spare, jack and lug wrench. My wallet is now about 1600 bucks lighter.

When I ordered my 2019 RAM Limited 1500, I ordered a full size spare instead of having the temporary spare. The wheel and tire were identical to the four installed on the truck. I get a five-tire tire rotation every five thousand miles. The tire fits fine under the truck. The only issue is manipulating the retention cable end with the retaining hardware through the smaller center hole of the wheel. By sliding the two retention pieces apart and putting them through the wheel hole one at a time, there is no difficulty.