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Under-Slung Spare Tire
Our Tip of the Week concerns under slung spare tires. If you have a pickup, van or a sport utility you probably have an under slung spare. These are good things because they save you a lot of cargo space in the vehicle by getting that seldom used tire out of the way. Once in a blue moon when you need that spare tire you want it to be accessible, serviceable and you want it to be safe under there as well. The problem with these things is that they sit under their unused and they corrode. What I suggest you do is lower the retractor down at least once a year and clean out the wheel and tire.
There is all kinds of grit and gravel that gets in there but most importantly; road salt gets in there and sits in the tire. Also the bottom 6 or 8 inches of the cable is prone to corrosion, and eventually it will corrode the strands of the cable so badly it will break and drop the spare tire somewhere and you'll lose it. I suggest you clean the tire in the springtime to get rid of that winter road salt. Drop it down, clean the wheel and tire out. Lubricate the cable with oil or grease then put it back together. It's also a good dry run for when you need to put on that spare tire.
That's your Tip of the Week.
From the archives...
Fuel Filling TipsBattery Capacity
Breaking In A New Car
Checking Your Brakelamps
Flooded Engines
Fuel System Additives
Gear Shifter Positions On Your Car
Mechanical Fixes For Winter
Punctured Tires
Seized Spark Plugs
Spare Tires
Starter Motors
Proper Tire Inflation Pressure
Tire Noise
Tramlining
Under-Slung Spare Tire
Warming Up Your Vehicle
Winter Finishes
Winter Tires
Winter Weather
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