If I had a spare tire.....

[SoCal RH 2SS/RS/1LE]

Originally Posted by SSteven

I have an update on my spare situation. As mentioned through the posts above, I originally planned to get an almost full size spare, but found out that the load index wasn't sufficient (according to GM and Discount Tire anyways) for the Camaro's weight. Our stock tires are 103 while the best in the smaller tire was the 95. The lowest load index Discount approves for our car is 99. I ran across a used, non-directional, full size spare (245/45/20) tire for about $20 with 80% tread life and no plugs/patches..

I tried to fit it down into the spare area, but it wouldn't go, so I got to thinking about letting the air out first to make it fit. I let the air out to 0 PSI and managed to push it down in there with a little effort. To preserve the seal, I put about 5-10 lbs. pressure back in. I've attached pics of the end product, but it's essentially the same result I had hoped for with the smaller diameter tire. Sticks out just the same amount I had planned based on others posts (~3 in).

I bought one of those vinyl tire covers to put over it, but wanted to make use of the piece of carpet I cut out. I ended up cutting the vinyl cover to only leave the part that would cover the rubber. The part I cut out is the part that normally faces outward and covers the wheel. I put the remaining vinyl tire cover on and put the round piece of carpet under it. This allows me to easily remove that piece of carpet to access what I have in the battery bay (i.e. lug wrench, jumper cables, etc).

Everything packed under the wheel is insulated for sound and to ensure no contacts with the battery terminals. I got an old piece of rubber floor mat from my last car and cut it to the size of the top of the battery. I placed it on top and ran the bolt through it that previously held the doughnut screw/plastic wheel cover on. The only thing I don't like is the section on the bottom left where the vinyl splits to universally allow it to fit various tire sizes. I normally tuck that part down to the side more, but forgot to for the pics.

Now I have the best of both worlds. I have a full size spare I can use on the front or back of my 2SS without any worries of issues and I can run it for an extended period without having to worry about doughnut speed limitations. I carry a good air pump with me, so I will just have to air it up to regular PSI before mounting. My air pump takes about a minute to do this. I highly suggest getting a good air pump and not one of those cheapo Wal-Mart ones.

As an added bonus, it allowed enough space for my little sub box to fit in front of it. That and adding a little Velcro to its feet keeps it snugly in position in front of the tire.

Thanks you everyone (especially BronxxBombers213) for all the pics and advice in this thread which helped make this work for me.

I've same setup with 1LE sized tire with a newer 20x8/35mmOS RS OEM rim.
Works great on all 4 corners without worrying about being stuck having to wait for help then the tire and can b run 24/7 without worrying about the diff

[SoCal RH 2SS/RS/1LE]

[myold88]

I've used a full sized front tire and wheel as a spare on my '10 SS for years and
shown this here many times. I strap it down on the right rear using the right rear
body panel eyelet. As you can see this way you can still get a full sized carry on
suitcase and other small items inside the trunk. And piece of mind when on a trip.