Do you keep a spare tire in your car?

[Mike DC]

IIRC the LX cars use different lug bolts/nuts, but the actual bolt circle is still 4.5 inches.  That's why the offical size of the metric circle is such an oddball number (114.3 millimeters).

 

[Kern Dog]

Their lug nuts are still acorn style but a wider contact area. I have some Ford lug nuts with a similar wide contact pattern.

[lloyd3]

Another thing to consider, that spare in my car is at least 28-years old.  I shocks me to think of that but...that is likely the case. I'd bet that most spares in most of the cars here are darn old as well. 

Speaking of old tires, I have a buddy with a nicely restored '67 442 Olds. He finally looked closely at his tires the other day and discovered them to be 24-years old. Time flies, eh?

[Mike DC]

                     
Ancient tires are a rampant issue in the hobby.  Both spares and regulars. 

Modern tires seem to come apart from age more than old tires did decades ago.  I'm surprised it hasn't caused more wrecks in the classic car hobby already.  Tire stores don't even like dealing with 5yo tires and tons of classics are on 15yo tires. 


Paul Walker from 'Fast & Furious' got killed in that wreck in 2013.  It's been theorized that old tires may have been a factor.  They were a very hi-po sticky design which is not going to age well (especially in a dry sunny climate).  It was a 10yo car with the factory original tires.  It had spent most of its life parked in storage and then suddenly it was being run very hard.