[Mark Chapmon]

My quest for a spare tire

I'll try not to leave anything out, from everything I bought and paid for to make me feel good, aka have a spare tire in my car. I know it’s ridiculous to some, but I can’t take a long distance trip without a spare tire. My comfort factor will not allow for it. So, here goes.

I bought a (1) “remanufactured” factory wheel, (2) Cooper Zeon RS3-G1 tire, (3) Ebay 2010 S-10 Jack, and (4) Harbor Freight tools.
The wheel came from https://midwestwheelandtire.com. I bought the $199.00 wheel + $35.00 shipping. It shipped promptly, was undamaged on arrival, and looked as if it were GM factory new.
The tire from: Tire Discounters, where my daughter is an employee, so I won’t list the price I paid, but from the lowest price competitor where I wouldn’t get a discounted price. That was $123.84, mounted / balanced & tax.
The jack for a 2010 Chevy S-10 was an Ebay purchase at $38.00 with free shipping from a salvage yard in Spring Hill, TN
The tools from Harbor Freight were an 18” ½” drive breaker bar and 19mm deep impact socket. The prices were $8.97 & $3.99 respectively plus 9% tax.
If my math is correct, the total comes to $409.97
I hate to admit it, but the Cooper w/o the TPMS weighs more than the Michelin by a half pound!
I used UPS scales in our shipping department for all weights (1) the new bare wheel, (2) the original wheel and tire and (3) the new wheel and tire. None are exactly correct since I included the weight of the wooden pencil but, if it helps, it was the same pencil in all 3 pictures.

One last thing. In order to get the tire in the car and install the lower load floor's lid / upper cargo area's floor without any strain, I had to lower the tire pressure to 30psi. Otherwise, it was very, very snug and I had to put far too much effort into installing the load floor over the wheel / tire combo.

 

[Mark Chapmon]

A few days after all the tire was taken care of, I took the time to make the jack fit in the foam organizer in the bottom storage well. Pictures and comments are included at no extra charge.....

Notice that I can no longer put the OEM EVSE in the organizer. I did use the Velcro ties for the EVSE to secure the jack in place when I finished though. We used X-ACTO tools and 60 grit woodworking sandpaper to create a snug fit.

We had to cut an inch wide full depth channel for the end of the jack to fit flat. Top left in the first picture, and second picture.

We had to trim back a bit of the ribs on the underneath side of the foam lid to make room for the part of the jack that contacts the car. We also used the sandpaper to relieve the lid of a “crater-like” cavity. I needed about half the thickness of the lid ground away to fit the top of the rounded part of the jackpad. It would be very easy to miss, in the lid picture, where we cut the end of the upper left rib off the bottom of the lid to clear the jack’s built in handle. Third picture

In the picture where you see the jack in the organizer and a brown t-shirt crammed down on the outside of the foam box, I used it to wrap around my 18” breaker bar. I couldn’t think of an easy way to mount it, and then noticed this open area was practically made for the breaker bar. Fourth picture.

Finally, the locking lugnut key and the 19mm socket aren’t secured to anything. They certainly must roll around in the box, but I can’t hear them rattle. I may get another old t-shirt to wrap them up in later on.

So, that's my story. My family thinks I'm nuts for weighing the tires and wheels and all the effort to show others, but I'm ok with that. If you've got any questions or comments, I'll try to help.

 

[raitchison]

Thanks for the write up, especially the weights. Sorry your family doesn't understand

Still I feel that an OEM wheel makes for a much too expensive solution though. My spare (wheel and tire) was less than half the cost of yours also for a full size (diameter) real tire.

The only real concern is lowering the tire pressure down to 30PSI, make sure you check that tire regularly because if you need it and the pressure has lowered much lower than that it probably wouldn't be safe to drive on.

This should probably be moved to the wheels and tires sub-forum BTW.

 

[ricardocabesa]

I've heard of range anxiety but no spare tire anxiety is new to me. Don't buy a Corvette if no spare tire is an issue. BTW,run-flats ride terribly.

 

[-1-]

I appreciate the original posters effort to assemble a spare tire solution for the Bolt. I have a friend who has a Bolt and informed me that he found a kit on eBay that includes a new full size 16" wheel and jack for the Bolt. I took his advice and ordered it, $169 to include free shipping. I don't plan to carry the tire and kit full time, just use it for a long trips, tire rotation, and keep it in the garage in case of a emergency. For those interested, search eBay, eBay motors, for a Bolt spare tire kit.

 

[james1]

This should probably be moved to the wheels and tires sub-forum BTW.

Leaving it here makes it easier to find. Waaay too many "sub-forums" on this website; my other vehicle chatroom (on old Dodge diesel pickups) is much more user friendly...

 

[raitchison]

Leaving it here makes it easier to find. Waaay too many "sub-forums" on this website; my other vehicle chatroom (on old Dodge diesel pickups) is much more user friendly...

I've been using automotive forums for about 20 years now, this one doesn't have that many sub-forums.

In any case if every topic people found useful were just dumped in the general discussion forum it would be nearly impossible to find anything because the forum would be so full.

 

[raitchison]

I appreciate the original posters effort to assemble a spare tire solution for the Bolt. I have a friend who has a Bolt and informed me that he found a kit on eBay that includes a new full size 16" wheel and jack for the Bolt. I took his advice and ordered it, $169 to include free shipping. I don't plan to carry the tire and kit full time, just use it for a long trips, tire rotation, and keep it in the garage in case of a emergency. For those interested, search eBay, eBay motors, for a Bolt spare tire kit.

I hate to be the bearer of bad news but what you pictured is actually not a spare tire kit for a Bolt, based on the picture that appears to be a spare tire kit for a 2013-2016 Chevy Malibu.

Can you post a link to the eBay listing you purchased from?

If it's really a Malibu wheel it won't fit on the Bolt because the Bolt and the Malibu use a different bolt pattern for the wheel studs. The Malibu uses a bolt pattern of 5x120 while the Bolt uses 5x105.

Also it's definitely not a "full size" tire it's definitely a "temporary spare" but I can't read the size based on the picture. With a "temporary spare" you are limited in how fast you car drive with it on (usually ~50MPH) as well as how far you can drive on it (usually 50-100 miles).

Also to be a "full size" spare you would need to at a minimum match or come very close to the diameter of the OEM tire size of 215/50-17. A 215/50-17 tire has a nominal diameter of 25.5", the only other tire sizes I am aware of that matches that diameter exactly are 205/65-15 (worth noting that the 205/65-15 is 0.4" narrower than 215/50-17) 135/80-17 and 155/70-17. AFAIK the last two are only available as temporary spare tires while the 205/65-15 is a fairly common size available with several full-service (drive it as fast as you want for as long as you need to) tires. (FTR there is one 14" and two 19" tires that have the same diameter as 215/50-17 but it's extremely unlikely that one could find a 14" wheel that would fit on the Bolt an 19" tires/wheels would be extremely expensive.

Finally, the jack shown in the picture is not compatible with the Bolt. That jack relies on being able to jack up the car on the "pinch welds" where the unibody frame is joined at the bottom of the car. This is typical for the vast majority of cars out there but not really suitable for the Bolt. The Bolt does have pinch welds but they aren't designed to be used as jacking points and you run the risk of damaging the vehicle if you try to lift using the pinch welds. What most people here have done (including @op and myself) is acquired a jack for a Chevy S-10. This jack is not designed to lift via the pinch welds it has a "dimple" that mates perfectly with the factory lift points on the Bolt.

 

[Sean Nelson]

One last thing. In order to get the tire in the car and install the lower load floor's lid / upper cargo area's floor without any strain, I had to lower the tire pressure to 30psi. Otherwise, it was very, very snug and I had to put far too much effort into installing the load floor over the wheel / tire combo.

My OEM tire on an OEM wheel fits just fine beneath the false floor fully inflated to 41psi (3 psi above spec). And that's sitting on the OEM rubber cargo mat (I have two of these - one for the lower floor and one to go on top of the upper false floor).

I found that centering the tire left/right worked best because it can sit a little more "aft" thanks to the bulge in the rear wall. When I tried putting the tire on one side it prevented me from raising the right part of the split rear seat once it had been lowered. With the tire in the centre there's a very tiny amount of rubbing when you raise the rear seat, but not so much that it bothers me.

With the tire in the centre, I slapped together a couple of trays for each side to put junk into. Between the trays and the space inside the wheel I have room to store the jack, tools, Tesla UMC, TeslaTap, battery jumper pack, and more. The trays keep everything snug so it doesn't rattle and they make it a lot easier to lift everything out of the cargo compartment in case I need to get at something like the tow bolt in the foam insert beneath the lower load floor.

 

[hatchy]

I went with a rusty s10 jack and a 16x7. I think I spent about what Raitch spent for the warm fuzzy feeling of knowing its back there. I had to piece together similar setups for relatives cars... more for the not getting screwed at a random mystery tire shop rather than fear of being stranded. But both to some extent. Roll on the full size spare for a few days and have time to shop for a good deal on the correct tire. Better than being rushed into the wrong tire for the wrong price.

Porsche makes some interesting lightweight aluminum compact jacks... their bump is ovalized rather than perfectly round though. Might take a little machining to get it to work in the Chevy round hole properly. Some of their newer models are just as heavy as a Bolt.. I think 3500 pounds is pretty much the low end for cars these days, which is slightly disturbing... also disturbing that its normal for cars these days to not have a spare.

 

[Sean Nelson]

Roll on the full size spare for a few days and have time to shop for a good deal on the correct tire. Better than being rushed into the wrong tire for the wrong price.

Of even more concern to me is the fact that it took two months from the time I ordered it until the OEM tire finally showed up. The Bolt has a unique tire size and supplies are scarce - the last thing I want is to have my car out of service while I'm waiting around for a tire to arrive.

 

[Mark Chapmon]

In response to raitchison, in the 3rd post You raise a valid concern on not having enough air in the spare. I've seen more than a few folks bolt a flat spare tire on and wonder why it was flat after years of sitting in the trunk and never checking it.

I considered the tire slowly losing pressure but don't think I'll worry about that. I check all 5 of my tires at the same time on all our vehicles. {To make it easier on our pickup truck, I rotated the tire until the valve stem was at the very back so it would be easier to reach. I throw a moving blanket on the ground and crawl under with an air pressure gauge and the business end of my compressor hose/air chuck.}

That said, the factory air compressor is still in its place and my plan is to pull the spare out, connect the compressor and start adding air before I take the unserviceable tire off the car. By then, it should be good enough to install. If I'm not satisfied with the pressure by the time I am ready to install it, I'll reconnect as soon as it's bolted on and reconnect the compressor. I'll let it run while I stow everything except the compressor and by then, it should easily be past 35psi.

 

[Mark Chapmon]

I have a friend who has a Bolt and informed me that he found a kit on eBay that includes a new full size 16" wheel and jack for the Bolt. I took his advice and ordered it, $169 to include free shipping.

Shame we all don't have a friend like that. I would have, at least, considered it.

 

[Mark Chapmon]

My OEM tire on an OEM wheel fits just fine beneath the false floor fully inflated to 41psi (3 psi above spec). And that's sitting on the OEM rubber cargo mat (I have two of these - one for the lower floor and one to go on top of the upper false floor).[/IMG]

Before I commited to this project, I took a 2' level and laid it across the stock Michelin and measured the distance from the bottom of the level to the face of the wheel. I saw my Michelin only bulged about 1/4" beyond the wheel face. Inflated to 35psi, the Cooper bulged about 1/2" from the wheel face. I speculate the Cooper, @ 35psi, is about 1/2" wider than the Michelin, if we guess (and it is accurate) that both sides bulge equally. I had not considered that tidbit ahead of time or I would surely have scrutinized width specs before I bought it.

At least I know that, if I have a flat, the OEM wheel/tire will easily fit in the space my spare came from.

 

[Fivedoor]

Before I commited to this project, I took a 2' level and laid it across the stock Michelin and measured the distance from the bottom of the level to the face of the wheel. I saw my Michelin only bulged about 1/4" beyond the wheel face. Inflated to 35psi, the Cooper bulged about 1/2" from the wheel face. I speculate the Cooper, @ 35psi, is about 1/2" wider than the Michelin, if we guess (and it is accurate) that both sides bulge equally. I had not considered that tidbit ahead of time or I would surely have scrutinized width specs before I bought it.

At least I know that, if I have a flat, the OEM wheel/tire will easily fit in the space my spare came from.

Another solution rather than lowering the pressure would be to shave down the thickness of the foam tray in the below the floor storage space by half an inch or an inch.

Personally I love the extra storage space under the load floor, so I don't want to give it up by putting a spare tire in there... how much space is available if you pull out the foam tray? I would consider getting a spare if I could stow it and associated hardware down where the foam tray is. I would also be fine with a space saver spare if that was needed to get it down there.

Later,

Keith

 

[frenchfry]

Donut / spare tire misinformation

I hate to be the bearer of bad news but what you pictured is actually not a spare tire kit for a Bolt, based on the picture that appears to be a spare tire kit for a 2013-2016 Chevy Malibu.

Can you post a link to the eBay listing you purchased from?

If it's really a Malibu wheel it won't fit on the Bolt because the Bolt and the Malibu use a different bolt pattern for the wheel studs. The Malibu uses a bolt pattern of 5x120 while the Bolt uses 5x105.

Also it's definitely not a "full size" tire it's definitely a "temporary spare" but I can't read the size based on the picture. With a "temporary spare" you are limited in how fast you car drive with it on (usually ~50MPH) as well as how far you can drive on it (usually 50-100 miles).

Also to be a "full size" spare you would need to at a minimum match or come very close to the diameter of the OEM tire size of 215/50-17. A 215/50-17 tire has a nominal diameter of 25.5", the only other tire sizes I am aware of that matches that diameter exactly are 205/65-15 (worth noting that the 205/65-15 is 0.4" narrower than 215/50-17) 135/80-17 and 155/70-17. AFAIK the last two are only available as temporary spare tires while the 205/65-15 is a fairly common size available with several full-service (drive it as fast as you want for as long as you need to) tires. (FTR there is one 14" and two 19" tires that have the same diameter as 215/50-17 but it's extremely unlikely that one could find a 14" wheel that would fit on the Bolt an 19" tires/wheels would be extremely expensive.

Finally, the jack shown in the picture is not compatible with the Bolt. That jack relies on being able to jack up the car on the "pinch welds" where the unibody frame is joined at the bottom of the car. This is typical for the vast majority of cars out there but not really suitable for the Bolt. The Bolt does have pinch welds but they aren't designed to be used as jacking points and you run the risk of damaging the vehicle if you try to lift using the pinch welds. What most people here have done (including @op and myself) is acquired a jack for a Chevy S-10. This jack is not designed to lift via the pinch welds it has a "dimple" that mates perfectly with the factory lift points on the Bolt.

Raitchison...your handing out alot of "presumed knowledge" to other forum members...most of which is completely inaccurate. How you can decipher from that picture that spare comes from a Malibu I will never know. As long as the bolt pattern lines up (5 x 105), that is all that matters.

The original post by -1- was a donut he bought on ebay....I bought one also... thanks -1- for the post. I however did not buy the jack, just bought the tire. Your comments on the jack are correct however your comments on the donut/spare tire are completely inaccurate.

Per your diatribe above you present a case that is essentially useless.I'm not trying to be harsh but rather straightforward.

First. DO NOT INSTALL ANY SPARE/DONUT OR ANY OTHER FULL SIZE TIRE ON THE FRONT OF A CHEVY BOLT THAT IS NOT THE EXACT (and I mean exact) SAME TIRE (manufacturer and tread) AS IS ON THE OTHER FRONT WHEEL!!!!

The Bolt uses a unique through axle design which essentially runs through the center of the electric motor. Extra care related to the tires is essential to this type of design. Especially when it relates to tire size. The first picture shows the axle passing through the electric motor and transmission. Screw that up and your in for it...

In the second picture you can see 3 tire sizes shown in the green band. They all have the same tire diameter..25.5. However as you scroll through the other 2 pictures, note that the revolutions are different. Note that the original equipment Michelins are 25.5 inches in diameter but the revolutions per mile are 815 (not shown).

This is because tire diameter measurement really isn't that precise...the circumference of a tire is what matters most. The last 2 pictures show tires at the same diameter but one has a .1" difference in circumference. Thus, this changes the revolutions per mile.

All you are interested in is to get as close to that number, no matter the configuration. Naturally, both front wheels should be turning at the same revolutions per mile. The back wheels however do not matter. The closest donut/spare I could find was the GOODYEAR CONVENIENCE SPARE - SIZE: T135/80D17 at 808 revolutions per mile. It is not cheap though. You can also get close using a 16" rim and taller tire.

As the GM manual clearly states on page 292....Mixing tires of different sizes(other than those originally installed on the vehicle), brands, or types may cause loss of control of the vehicle, resulting in a crash or other vehicle damage. Use the correct size, brand, and type of tire on all four wheels.

Except of course in an emergency...

So back to the donut/spare bought by myself and -1-. If the rim fits with no interference and bolts line up to the 5 x 105 pattern, that is all that matters...AS LONG AS IT IS ON A BACK WHEEL!!!

In fact, ANY donut/spare that has the correct bolt pattern will work as long as it does not interfere with the calipers and suspension...as long as it is on the back wheel!

IF YOU HAVE A FRONT TIRE FLAT, REMOVE A REAR TIRE OF THE SAME MANUFACTURER AND TREAD AND INSTALL IT ON THE FRONT WHEEL THAT IS FLAT. PLACE THE SPARE ON THE REMAINING BACK WHEEL.

That is the proper and safe way to care for your Chevy Bolt...and not to mention that having an original on the front is far safer than any spare...

So to close...if -1- follows the correct procedure for emergency tire replacement, his donut/spare is perfectly fine. But for safety, he needs to get the proper S10 jack...

 

[lookieloo]

I think that you may be mistaken about the front axle being a solid shaft from wheel to wheel. There must be a differential somewhere in the drive line. Otherwise going around any curve would be a very destructive experience with lots of loud squealing noises.

 

[GJETSON]

I think that you may be mistaken about the front axle being a solid shaft from wheel to wheel. There must be a differential somewhere in the drive line. Otherwise going around any curve would be a very destructive experience with lots of loud squealing noises.

Yes. There is a differential in there, on the end of the axle running through the motor shaft, and inside the last gear of the two stage reduction. A bit more compressed than a typical drivetrain, but the same precautions apply to the Bolt as to any other car.

https://plugin-magazine.com/media/cache/upload/Photo/2016/01/12/chevy-bolt-4_biggalleryimage.jpg

 

[james1]

First. DO NOT INSTALL ANY SPARE/DONUT OR ANY OTHER FULL SIZE TIRE ON THE FRONT OF A CHEVY BOLT THAT IS NOT THE EXACT (and I mean exact) SAME TIRE (manufacturer and tread) AS IS ON THE OTHER FRONT WHEEL!!!!

So how sensitive is it? That is, would a slight difference in inflation PSI from one front tire to the other matter? How about carrying an OEM wheel/tire as spare -- when the spare has zero wear on the treads but the four tires on the ground have 40k miles on them -- is the tread height delta enough to cause problems?

It seems to me that the differential would allow for minor difference between the two front tires?

 

[frenchfry]

Sorry if my poor choice of words on the axle/shaft led anyone astray. Of course there is a certain amount of play in the differential to compensate for differences in tire pressure, rotations per mile and the like between the left and right front wheels. However given the lack of a factory spare, it is common knowledge that on all front wheel drive cars, the same exact tires on both sides is recommended.. all the time.

Since the shaft runs through the electric motor in this case, extra care should be used on the Bolt. There is a differential as shown in the section cut of the second picture to the right of the motor.

Simply put, while ingenious, it is complicated. Ask yourself if a simple incorrect tire swap is worth it...

Given what I paid for mine...the answer is no.