# Spare Tires and Balance **URL:** \ **Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\ **Tags:** tires\ **Created:** [May 15, 2022, 1:10am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/spare-tires-and-balance/184150 "2022-05-15T01:10:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![JimLowther](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/4af34b/32.png) [@JimLowther](https://community.cartalk.com/u/JimLowther)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2022, 1:10am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/spare-tires-and-balance/184150/1 "2022-05-15T01:10:16Z")
How many of you all get your spares balanced? ---
**Author:** ![Tester](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/tester/32/15976_2.png) [@Tester](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Tester)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2022, 1:14am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/spare-tires-and-balance/184150/2 "2022-05-15T01:14:44Z")
Once the spare is balanced it stays balanced unless something fails in the tire itself. But most vehicles today come with either a limited service spare tire or no spare at all. Tester ---
**Author:** ![Nevada\_545](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/nevada_545/32/41232_2.png) [@Nevada\_545](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Nevada_545)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2022, 1:24am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/spare-tires-and-balance/184150/3 "2022-05-15T01:24:05Z")
I don’t recall ever seeing balance weights on a compact spare wheel/tire, I don’t believe there is much benefit in balancing the spare tire. ---
**Author:** ![Tester](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/tester/32/15976_2.png) [@Tester](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Tester)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2022, 1:33am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/spare-tires-and-balance/184150/4 "2022-05-15T01:33:26Z")
I’ve seen them on the spare tire for a pickup. ![image](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/original/3X/3/9/394fdcd793c92b57ba00d6e01645a3e21caa621f.png) Tester ---
**Author:** ![Nevada\_545](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/nevada_545/32/41232_2.png) [@Nevada\_545](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Nevada_545)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2022, 1:36am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/spare-tires-and-balance/184150/5 "2022-05-15T01:36:11Z")
Of course, trucks come with full size tires that require balancing. Not everyone drives a truck. ---
**Author:** ![oldtimer-11](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/e79b87/32.png) [@oldtimer-11](https://community.cartalk.com/u/oldtimer-11)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2022, 4:07am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/spare-tires-and-balance/184150/6 "2022-05-15T04:07:18Z")
If we all don’t drive trucks, there would not be any trucks. You meant we don’t all drive trucks. ---
**Author:** ![Nevada\_545](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/nevada_545/32/41232_2.png) [@Nevada\_545](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Nevada_545)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2022, 4:19am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/spare-tires-and-balance/184150/7 "2022-05-15T04:19:44Z")
Get your spare tire balanced. BTW this message board looks down on those with spare tires that are more than ten years old. ---
**Author:** ![Purebred](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/purebred/32/46796_2.png) [@Purebred](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Purebred)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2022, 12:04pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/spare-tires-and-balance/184150/8 "2022-05-15T12:04:51Z")
In the old days of full size, steel rims, and wheel covers (‘hub caps’) some people would do five tire, tire rotations. In that case, yes the spare would routinely be balanced. Only twice in my 50+ years of driving have I needed the spare. Once on a pickup, full size spare, once on a car, compact spare. ---
**Author:** ![MikeInNH](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a587f6/32.png) [@MikeInNH](https://community.cartalk.com/u/MikeInNH)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2022, 2:02pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/spare-tires-and-balance/184150/9 "2022-05-15T14:02:20Z")
Most tires these days are the small ones that are limited to 50 miles and reduced speed. No need to get them balanced. The only time I’d ever balance a spare was decades ago when I’d do a 5 tire rotation. Last time I owned a vehicle that could do that with was in the 80’s. ---
**Author:** ![George\_San\_Jose1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e5b9ba/32.png) [@George\_San\_Jose1](https://community.cartalk.com/u/George_San_Jose1)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2022, 11:48pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/spare-tires-and-balance/184150/10 "2022-05-15T23:48:31Z")
I’ve always balanced my truck’s full-size spare tire. ---
**Author:** ![JimLowther](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/4af34b/32.png) [@JimLowther](https://community.cartalk.com/u/JimLowther)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2022, 1:03am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/spare-tires-and-balance/184150/11 "2022-05-20T01:03:42Z")
Okay. Mine is brand new. The wheel of the OE spare (full-size–pickup truck) has no weights and that struck me as unusual. ---
**Author:** ![JimLowther](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/4af34b/32.png) [@JimLowther](https://community.cartalk.com/u/JimLowther)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2022, 1:12am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/spare-tires-and-balance/184150/12 "2022-05-20T01:12:05Z")
That’s a nice-looking wheel for a spare! ---
**Author:** ![eddo](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/eddo/32/2594_2.png) [@eddo](https://community.cartalk.com/u/eddo)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2022, 6:58pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/spare-tires-and-balance/184150/13 "2022-05-20T18:58:42Z")
> [@JimLowther](#): > > Okay. Mine is brand new. The wheel of the OE spare (full-size–pickup truck) has no weights and that struck me as unusual. did you ask the installers to balance? Did you pay for balancing? It’s completely possible the wheel weights are on the side of the wheel you cannot see from below the truck, or that it didn’t need much to balance. ---
**Author:** ![JimLowther](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/4af34b/32.png) [@JimLowther](https://community.cartalk.com/u/JimLowther)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2022, 9:36pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/spare-tires-and-balance/184150/14 "2022-05-20T21:36:50Z")
I took it off the truck because I wanted to paint the wheel (and OCD thing). There were no weights on either side, which puzzled me. It only costs $12-15 to balance locally, so it makes sense to me to go ahead and dot. OTOH, I suppose you could make the argument that it will likely be on only as long to get the tire fixed, so why bother? But I have had unrepairable damage in times past. ---
**Author:** ![Beancounter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/59ef9b/32.png) [@Beancounter](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Beancounter)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2022, 9:54pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/spare-tires-and-balance/184150/15 "2022-05-20T21:54:20Z")
Thjs is silly, my 2005 Chrysler Crossfire came with no spare, jnust a can of fixaflat, a pump and a jack sufficient to get you to a real tire shop where a real tire could be mounted… After 5 years any tire is questionable so why would anyone drive on a spare of questioinable age? ---
**Author:** ![eddo](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/eddo/32/2594_2.png) [@eddo](https://community.cartalk.com/u/eddo)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2022, 10:17pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/spare-tires-and-balance/184150/16 "2022-05-20T22:17:05Z")
> [@JimLowther](#): > > I took it off the truck because I wanted to paint the wheel (and OCD thing). There were no weights on either side, which puzzled me. It only costs $12-15 to balance locally, so it makes sense to me to go ahead and dot. OTOH, I suppose you could make the argument that it will likely be on only as long to get the tire fixed, so why bother? But I have had unrepairable damage in times past. $12-15 to balance? even with your contacts in the tire industry? I get personal tire work at just the cost of the tires. All labor is free or greatly reduced. #MyIndustryContactsValueMe ---
**Author:** ![JimLowther](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/4af34b/32.png) [@JimLowther](https://community.cartalk.com/u/JimLowther)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2022, 10:29pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/spare-tires-and-balance/184150/17 "2022-05-20T22:29:16Z")
Mount, balance, new stem. I might find better. I have got this done yet. I’m an old guy and get pretty slow sometimes. My mobility is a bit restricted these days. My contacts are all engineers, not mechanics or service people. I don’t really know anyone who works in a tire store, except an Iranian guy I have done business with before. so yes, I pay like everyone else. I am glad you get free installation and balance. I did get the tire free, though. I figure this way–I did not have to pay for a tire until I was 29, and still got reduced pricing through company coupons until now (I think–It ages out at some point). That’s after any sale price, etc. Seem okay? ---
**Author:** ![JimLowther](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/4af34b/32.png) [@JimLowther](https://community.cartalk.com/u/JimLowther)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2022, 10:41pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/spare-tires-and-balance/184150/18 "2022-05-20T22:41:10Z")
Well, thanks, I guess. I really don’t like going through this again. It is an OCD thing. It is like locking the door and having to check it a few times to be sure (which I do). This truck has been hardly used for several years and lightly used before that. It only has 30,000 miles on it. I hadn’t thought about the spare for years, since I never got a flat. I haven’t driven on it. When I looked at it I noted the date, but also how pristine the tires looked. Yes, I knew it needed replacing, but the OCD tells me I must double check. OCD probably is silly, I suppose, but I am stuck with it. Please forgive me, but this has come up before. I don’t really like talking about OCD, I don’t like having it. I kind of regret having found the site at this point. ---
**Author:** ![MikeInNH](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a587f6/32.png) [@MikeInNH](https://community.cartalk.com/u/MikeInNH)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2022, 1:50pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/spare-tires-and-balance/184150/19 "2022-05-21T13:50:16Z")
> [@JimLowther](#): > > Okay. Mine is brand new. The wheel of the OE spare (full-size–pickup truck) has no weights and that struck me as unusual. It is rare, but I have seen new tires on rims that were perfectly balanced without any weights. ---
**Author:** ![JimLowther](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/4af34b/32.png) [@JimLowther](https://community.cartalk.com/u/JimLowther)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2022, 5:54pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/spare-tires-and-balance/184150/20 "2022-05-21T17:54:59Z")
Hadn’t thought of that. We had a set of test tires back in the '70s that were specified not to be balanced. I don’t know the back story was, but I have wondered at times. I just know any time this came up I was told not to get those tires balanced. [Next page](https://community.cartalk.com/t/spare-tires-and-balance/184150.md?page=2)