lexguynj

I have an ugly scrape on the passenger side wheel rim. I was going to replace this tire with the full size / same spare in the trunk and just swap them.

Am I looking at balancing issues, do you think the new tire (Spare/trunk) will have been balanced already and can be swapped with no problems?

Please advise your comments and any suggestions on the best way to do this.

Thanks again!

GS4Will

hey lexguy,

1.if the scrape bothers you, sawp it w/the full size spare from the trunk. i assume you will NOT be dismount the tyres from the trunk in exchange for the scraped one.

2.just take the new/spare one from the trunk including the wheel together, and do the sawp as if you had a flat.

3. the new spare one from the factory should be fine. but, drive around for a while, esp on freeway speed. if you experience any vibration within certain speed interval, then you would need to rebalance the new one taken from the trunk. otherwise, you are fine. just be careful on this new one.

4. when you have time, take the damaged that is now in the trunk out, put some soapy-water over the scraped surface, and check for any bubbles. if you see any, take them to your local tyre shops/costco for inspection. if there is really damages, chances are you might need a new spare one for emergency .

i hate to see you having a flat on the road, and this scraped spare one that you thought was ok is also damaged in the future. if would really need road-side assistance then.

william

lexguynj

Thanks buddies. I'll see if my dealer can do me a favor at the free 5K service when they rotate the tires and maybe, just maybe they will balance it for me too.

Thanks again.

Johnny Mo

I would have to disagree with you 1SICKLEX, I don't think that the factory differentiates between what is a spare tire and what is a regular tire. All of the tires are balanced and it should be a direct swap. The only issue would be the amount of treadwear on one side of the car versus the new tire, which may give you a little bit of a wobble.

Just an FYI for anyone switching to aftermarket rims, if the bolt that holds down your spare doesn't reach anymore with the new rims, get the hold down bolt for an RX300 from your dealer's parts dept. It's about 3/4 of an inch longer.