[Sean Nelson]

There is value in having a garage spare if you just drive around town and you need to use that cargo space.

I leave the spare in the car and remove it only when I make a trip where I need the extra space. Haven't had to so that so far, though - just folding the seats down has always given me as much space as I need.

 

[tomw]

Yep, "barely fit" is a pretty good description of the fore-aft clearance. Here are a couple more photos showing how I ended up configuring my lower storage compartment. I banged together a couple of storage trays which makes it really easy to unload everything in case I need the extra space:

Lots of room for all sorts of goodies down there along with the spare, and then the false floor goes very nicely on top. I bought two cargo mats, one for the bottom of the lower storage compartment and one to go on top of the false floor.

I put a standard Bolt size tire (215/50/R17 on a Sonic wheel and it did fit, just barely as shown by Sean above, but I neglected to take account of the fact that when the rear seat back is lowered the bottom of it rotates back about an inch or so (you'll notice there is a cut out in the plastic liner on the sides of the car to accommodate this). When it does so it grates against the spare tire and as a result the plastic seam holding the upholstery together ripped apart exposing the underlying foam. With the seat down the wheel is really jammed in there, very difficult to pry out. I was able to re-snap the upholstery back together with the tire out, but I am concerned that if I keep lowering and raising the seat it may permanently damage that plastic seam. I measure about 24 1/2" from the back of the car to the edge of the seat in it's down position. That's at a height of 8" off the floor - about the width of the tire. The tire is 25 1/2" O.D. A 205/50/R17 tire is 25.1", still too large. I regularly drive into the hinterlands in NV so need a spare and leaving it in the garage won't cut it. Guess I'll have to try to find one of those compact spares with a bolt pattern that fits the Bolt, or maybe fit some kind of slippery material between the seat and the tire to hopefully permit the upholstery to slide by the tire. Anyone have a solution for this?

 

[Sibilance]

Maybe a tire bag would help? They're usually made out of nylon or polyester.

 

[raitchison]

Guess I'll have to try to find one of those compact spares with a bolt pattern that fits the Bolt, or maybe fit some kind of slippery material between the seat and the tire to hopefully permit the upholstery to slide by the tire. Anyone have a solution for this?

FWIW I've never had a problem with folding the seat down with my spare in the back under the false floor. My tire is the same diameter as the stock size but it is a bit narrower. Also I keep my tire on the right side of the false floor maybe that makes a difference.

 

[GJETSON]

Maybe a tire bag would help? They're usually made out of nylon or polyester.

Definitely works for me.

 

[greendave]

I presume the advantage of going with the Sonic wheel over the stock Bolt one is cost and availability? And if so, any recommendations for where to source the Sonic one online? Thanks.

 

[raitchison]

I presume the advantage of going with the Sonic wheel over the stock Bolt one is cost and availability? And if so, any recommendations for where to source the Sonic one online? Thanks.

Well you could get a Sonic wheel from pretty much any junkyard, they aren't too uncommon so it shouldn't be too hard to find one with a wrecked Sonic.

If you want new you can go to Tire Rack (or pretty much any online wheel store) and tell them you need a wheel for a Sonic (FWIW when I bought my spare tire I specified I had a 2014 Sonic Hatchback).

 

[Sean Nelson]

I put a standard Bolt size tire (215/50/R17 on a Sonic wheel and it did fit, just barely as shown by Sean above... ...it grates against the spare tire and as a result the plastic seam holding the upholstery together ripped apart exposing the underlying foam. ... Anyone have a solution for this?

The right rear seat does indeed rub on the tire as it's raised, which is why I always make sure that the tire is centered left/right in the cargo area where the curve of the back wall gives it the most room, and also pulled back as far as possible against that back wall.

I've been putting my seats up and down twice or more a week for the past year and never had the seat material come off. It definitely gets scrunched when the seat goes back up, but so far it's holding together just fine.

 

[sly]

OK I think I'm going to buy a 15" steel wheel for a Sonic and a regular (non-temporary spare) tire to use as my spare. Should actually be cheaper than getting a used Cruze spare from a junkyard and then a temporary spare tire that's closer in diameter to the OEM tire size while still being smaller (thinner) and quite a bit cheaper than a full sized OEM wheel & tire.

And as a bonus I could drive on his tire for as long as I needed if I had to (like if I wanted to order a replacement tire that would take a few days to arrive) and I could drive at highway speeds.

15" Steel Wheel for Sonic

205/65R15

According to the tire size calculator (see attached) these two tire sizes even have the exact same diameter so I could in theory run this as a spare on the front if I had to (probably wouldn't)

Thoughts?

Did you go this route? If so, how well did it work for you?

 

[sly]

My Bolt is in getting new set of tires today, I decided to just go with good regular tires. Based on availability and reviews I am giving Continental PureContact LS tires a try. Found some good reviews from other EV owners on road noise, efficiency and they should be much better for wet/snow traction than the OEM tires which just suck in rain and snow.

Now to go find a decent tire inflator kit. Anyone have recommendations based on experience?

How did the PureContact tires work for you? Any difference in range? Any difference in road noise? I've previously considered the TrueContact Tour because it has the best noise rating and gets many good comments.

 

[sly]

I put a standard Bolt size tire (215/50/R17 on a Sonic wheel and it did fit, just barely as shown by Sean above, but I neglected to take account of the fact that when the rear seat back is lowered the bottom of it rotates back about an inch or so (you'll notice there is a cut out in the plastic liner on the sides of the car to accommodate this). When it does so it grates against the spare tire and as a result the plastic seam holding the upholstery together ripped apart exposing the underlying foam. With the seat down the wheel is really jammed in there, very difficult to pry out. I was able to re-snap the upholstery back together with the tire out, but I am concerned that if I keep lowering and raising the seat it may permanently damage that plastic seam. I measure about 24 1/2" from the back of the car to the edge of the seat in it's down position. That's at a height of 8" off the floor - about the width of the tire. The tire is 25 1/2" O.D. A 205/50/R17 tire is 25.1", still too large. I regularly drive into the hinterlands in NV so need a spare and leaving it in the garage won't cut it. Guess I'll have to try to find one of those compact spares with a bolt pattern that fits the Bolt, or maybe fit some kind of slippery material between the seat and the tire to hopefully permit the upholstery to slide by the tire. Anyone have a solution for this?

Maybe you could just deflate the spare tire. Then if you need it, inflate it with a manual or electric pump. It should give a bit of extra space, perhaps just enough.

 

[Pete Blair]

How did the PureContact tires work for you? Any difference in range? Any difference in road noise? I've previously considered the TrueContact Tour because it has the best noise rating and gets many good comments.

If there is a difference in range it is small enough that it isn't easily noticed. I haven't tracked the data year over year to compare but my efficiency numbers seem to be similar. I expect there is some minor effect though, I mean better grip requires more energy, but it seems to be minimal. That or the lower weight of the tires is enough of an offset, the weight difference between the stock tires and these are pretty big.

Road noise is much lower than the stock tires.

I am still happy with the PureContacts.

 

[sly]

I'm working out a spare tire kit. Here's my current thoughts: Sonic 15" wheel with a Kuhmo Tire Solus TA31 P185/65R15 86T SL. This tire has 819 revs per mile, close enough to the stock Michelin RMP of 815, so it could probably replace any tire position in a pinch, but I'd likely still limit it to the back wheels. The diameter is just 24.4" and sectional width is just 7.4", so it will fit more easily in the storage area. Also weight is only 17 lbs. Max load is 1,168 which is sufficient. I'm not too concerned about the smaller diameter since the RPM is really what counts. It likely has a stiffer sidewall than the Michelins which would account for the similar RPM despite the 1.1" difference in diameter. Price is ok on TireTrack at $89.74 (9/9/19). A Sonic 15" wheel on TireTrack is $76.23, but I might be able to find one locally at a junkyard. Anyone see any problems with this setup?

 

[raitchison]

Did you go this route? If so, how well did it work for you?

Yes this is exactly what I did, you can see the full thread here:

My 15" Sonic Steel Wheel + 205/65-15 ~$145 spare...

My 15" Sonic Steel Wheel + 205/65-15 ~$145 spare tire solution - test fit with pics So I know there are a few threads already talking about spare different spare tire solutions for the Bolt for those of us who don't feel comfortable relying on the self sealing OEM tires and roadside assistance...

www.chevybolt.org

 

[sly]

Got my spare wheel + tire + S10 jack today. I was first planning on getting a 15" sonic wheel and a smallish tire to go with this from TireRack. Cost would have been about $165. But, I heard of some 15" wheels that weren't working properly with the Bolt, and that gave me some concern. So, instead I opted to get the donut spare tire for the Bolt listed on Ebay sold by Edgar Rivera (blacklabtire1) because it had a 16" wheel. Listed cost was $185 but Ebay gave me a $5 discount for some unknown reason. So total cost was $180 and that included shipping. It also included the jack. The standard jack included with the tire was for a pinch weld placement. I asked Edgar if I could get the S10 jack with the nipple instead and he made the substitution. The Ebay website listed the tire size as 115/70D16. What was delivered was a 135/90R16, so a bit different. However this is probably better. According to TireSize.com, the donut spare diameter is actually just 0.1" larger than the Bolt stock tire. My guess is that with vehicle weight applied, the diameters would be basically identical. So, it's a spare that could go anywhere, though probably better on a free wheel rather than the drive wheel. Tire width is 5.3", about 3.2" narrower than stock. Tire weight is 29.4 lbs and the jack kit is 7.8 lbs, so 37.2 lbs total. The spare fits easily in the lower trunk compartment without rubbing up against the seat, and there is enough room to tilt the false floor up at a good angle, but not enough room for the false floor to fit into the angled slots, I don't think. I haven't had a flat requiring a roadside tire swap in decades, so this is mostly for peace of mind. But, I'm happy with the purchase and how well it fits in the trunk, even if I never need to use it.

 

[Darren Donovan]

Reviving a dead but useful thread.
So I've tried to read through 255 posts, not sure how much info I was able to take in, Lol. I see that there are several options.
One of which is: 2011-2015 Sonic/Cruze spare wheel.

Please clarify/confirm for me.

So I go to the junkyard and find the spare, replace the tire that's already on there with a new tire sized 135/90 R16.
Is that correct? Is it not recommended to just use the Sonic/Cruze spare wheel/tire combo as is?

Thanks,

 

[davidjmelv]

The self-sealing tires are ($#&*). They are heavy, have no traction, and aren't worth the money. Purchased Vredestein Quatrac 5 tires (low rolling resistance all season with good reviews from both Tire Rack and Consumer Reports, and VERY inexpensive compared to OEM), a Viair 88P ($62.03) compressor from Amazon, a can of Slime 60190 Quick Spair Tire Inflator ($13.50), and Slime 20133 9-piece Tire Repair Tackle Kit ($7.88). These set me back about $90 with tax, and went in an old gym bag in the trunk. I can now seal and fill or plug a flat. Still no help if there is a cut sidewall, or you wreck a tire/wheel in a pothole. There is always AAA for that: have them tow you to the nearest tire shop that stocks your current brand.

 

[Sean Nelson]

Still no help if there is a cut sidewall, or you wreck a tire/wheel in a pothole. There is always AAA for that...

Not if you're out of cell range.

And even if you can contact AAA, it doesn't do you a whole lot of good if it takes a week or two for the tire shop to get a new tire that fits...

 

[Ray G]

I doubt there will be. There is no good place for a spare and the jacking equipment. Of course you can probably buy and carry all that stuff around if it's really that important to you.

I've been driving the last 10 and half years in a car that came from the factory with no spare. That car came with some sort of emergency inflator kit. It has some sort of goop that gets sprayed into the tire and then there is an electric battery operated air pump to air the tire up again. I can't tell you how well it works because I've never used it.

The Bolt comes with self sealing tires, so they already have the goop in them. I think we'll be fine.

Do tire plugs still work on these self sealing tires?

 

[Bolt2019]

I just recently took a nail into the side wall. Tried the goop and air pump. Not seeing anything in particular happening and not RTFM'ing...what's this orange button do...sealant all back in through the pump and really no air left in the tire.
I've now acquired a steel wheel and am using the worst of the three remaining tires on it. I got an S10 jack. And a nice lug wrench. Never again.
This was still 4 hours away from home. Not pleased.