I have a 2009 Cadillac STS sans spare. It came with a tire repare kit. I would like to replace it with a compact spare. The car has 17 inch wheels. My question is will the compact spare from othe makes of GM cars fit my car.
Yes, it probably will… Look for one out of a Buick or a Cadillac…Try to install it right there at the salvage yard…
But be warned, When used on a drive axle, or on cars equipped with ABS brakes, the different rotational speed will RAISE HELL and damage the tender transaxle and/ or activate the ABS brakes and traction control…Make room for a full-size tire and wheel or do without it…
Now THIS is an excellent question. And one we haven’t heard before. Have you tried GM or a tire store?
I tried an internet search and was unsuccessful. You may have to go to a wheel website that provides the wheel information (bolt patter, center hole size, and offset, and then get a wheel fitting those criteria with as narrow a rim as possible (same diameter) and select a tire to fit it that will be of similar rollling daimeter based on the www.tirerack.com charts. Perhaps even a tire and wheel combo sized to fit the spare tire well if you have one. You may even try to find a “run flat” on the desired size, so that if iit’s low on air when you go to use it it’ll at least be usable for a short distance. Just remember that it’s a limited use spare. It won’t have the same load rating etc. as the full service tire has.
What is in the tire repair kit?
Do you have to give up trunk space for the spare?
Some vehicles now are coming with a can of fix-a-flat rather than a spare. It’s a tradeoff to nudge the CAFE numbers up a notch by reducing weight. It also compensates for reducing body sizes (again for CAFE reasons) whil trying to maintain usable space.
Run-flats are another thing getting common for the same reasons.
To the OP: does this Caddy have run-flats?
I think you will probably have to settle for a full-sized spare, but I think it would be better anyway. You can drive farther on a full-sized spare, and that can come in handy if you are on a long trip. Perhaps you might find a compact spare at a junk yard from a previous generation Cadillac that used the same size wheels.
Compact spares are unusable on ABS / traction control cars…
Cars with ABS come with compact spares. Mine has one. The key is a comparable rolling circumference.
And it doesn’t have to be the same rolling circumference, only not too far different such that the ABS system doesn’t register a stopped wheel when they’re all turning. The Tire Pressure Monitoring system may light up, but that affects nothing but your peace of mind.
“Some vehicles now are coming with a can of fix-a-flat rather than a spare. It’s a tradeoff to nudge the CAFE numbers up a notch by reducing weight. It also compensates for reducing body sizes (again for CAFE reasons) while trying to maintain usable space.”
Or they just want to save the money they’d spend on the spare tire.
Cynical JT told me to say that.
BTW, I take no prisoners! That’s my beloved Cadillac were talkin’ about!
Hey! I just thought of something useful. You have a 5-lug, 17-inch wheel, but you don’t know the dimensions of the bolt pattern. Get a straight edge and measure the distance from the center of one stud to the one almost opposite it. Also measure the distance between from the center of one stud to the center of the one next to it. When you go wheel shopping, find one with matching dimensions, and you have an exact fit. BTW, don’t use a tape measure unless you start at a mark on the ruler. Don’t start at the end.
The Vehicle does not have run flats. As for comments about potential problems with ABS. I had an older Caddy with ABS and a compact spare that I had to use. Because of the time of day it happened I had to drive about 80 miles on the compact spare before I could get a new tire. It worked fine. But I never went over 45 mph
You might get a 15 inch, or 16 inch wheel, with a tall skinny tire for a spare. It would be a lot cheaper than another semi-custom Cadillac wheel. You would just need to insure that it is the same HEIGHT as the other tires.