Frank V.

I bought this beautiful Polo Green 1993 convertible in February of 2006 and have driven it proudly since then. Well, while my son was driving her he had a flat tire. Upon dropping the spare tire tub in the back, he was apparent the spare tire had been thrashed...blown clean out the side some how. I have since bought new front tires, and was told at the tire store that a new tire can't be placed on that temporary rim. So my search began trying to locate a replacement spare for my '93, but for the life of me, I can't seem to locate a new or replacement spare "temporary" tire. The tire that came out of the bucket was a T155/70R17. My question is, will a full size tire and rim fit in the spare tire tub? Not necessarily a full 255/45, but a standard tire on a basic Chevrolet rim? And would a basic rally rim fit my '93s lug pattern? Any help?

pianoguy

I have read here a couple of times that a GTO spare will fit - if you can confirm that, perhaps that is an option for you.

ultraviolet70

Did you post a WTB thread in the F/S section? Alot of people remove their spare and might be willing to part with it. To answer your question if a full size will fit in the carrier, the simple answer is yes. The problem with this is if you have the carrier in the position to hold a full size it limits ground clearance and looks horrible.

StealthLT4

Yeah I've heard that those size tires are no longer available. I just ditched the whole spare tire assembly and put a can of fix-a-flat in my roadside emergency bag.

jaclt

I've seen several for sale on eBay. There is one on eBay now. Item number: 170272577699

c4cruiser

You could try one of the Corvette salvage yards like Vette2Vette to see if they have one. IIRC, there were two different sizes and the wheels may be slightly different because of the diameter of the rotors.

Finding a "basic" Chevrolet road wheel that will fit could be a problem. You will have to get a wheel diameter that will fit over the rotor and suspension components and have enough clearance between the inside of the wheel center and the caliper. The most likely fitment would be a stock wheel from a late model Camaro or Firebird. The wheels would be something like a 16x8 but should fit the 93 if you have the stock brakes (not J55). You could then run a small tire that would fit the wheel but it shold be fairly close to the diameter of the Corvette tires.

And as ultraviolet70 pointed out, the carrier would have to be in the lowered position at the front and that reduces ground clearance.

l1sikes

Instread of buying a 10 year old spare from a C4, go to your local Toyota dealer and get a new one.

The T155-70D-17 spare was used on the 2008 Camry, 2005 Acura, and probably a number of other vehicles.

And contrary to an earlier post, the rim is not temporary, its the tire.

95PoloVert

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Parts...em120319393071

ED77KATR

Best idea i saw here. Do one better, buy a spare from a late model wreck at a yard...$15-$25 bucks? mount it on your rim. Ive done it!! Spray it with Silicon spray before you put it back under the car[slows aging process of rubber.]

85corvettekws

The carrier is supposed to be able to hold a full-size tire. The instructions on the inside of the luggage compartments show how to adjust the carrier to hold a tire, as would be the case in putting the spare on. The factory thought about the owners and realized that we wouldn't like to put a blown out full size tire in the back of the car so they made the carrier able to hold a tire.

CoolVette86

This is correct. However, this is only meant to be temporary. The carrier with the full size tire/rim stick down quite a bit. I wouldn't drive it around like that.

85corvettekws

Ahh, I didn't think about that and I haven't tried putting a tire up there myself. Good info!!

proracr

I dropped the spare tire carrier last weekend to check the spare and discovered that the temporary donut tire was flat. I cleaned it up and put air in it only to learn that it leaks around the bead. Took it to my the local tire store that I deal with and they wouldn't touch it because the tire has a 1993 date on it and I can't blame them for that.

Anyway, they checked around for me and found that a replacement tire is $155 I'm currently trying to decide whether to "bite the bullet" and shell out the bucks or just remove the spare tire carrier and get a can of Fix-A-Flat. Any thoughts, or anyone our there have a donut for a 94 convertible? Also, I would appreciate any feedback if you have personal experience with the use of Fix-A-Flat on a tire, such as difficulties getting a tire store to wash the stuff out of of your tire and fix the flat.

BTW, if/when you buy a C4, this is something that you should check as soon as possible as you don't want the have a flat at midnight with pouring rain, with no cell phone signal, etc. (Murphy's Law will get you if you ignore this!)

PLRX

FYI

If you are running C5 Upgrade Kit, the spare will not work. Just
remove it, free the weight and get a AAA tow service.

The spare tire delete bracket will not save a Vette from collision...

proracr

Thanks. Given the outrageous price for a replacement tire that may never be used, I think that I will go ahead and remove the spare tire carrier and store it.

Bronze85

socalman

See what happens when we yell 'search first!'. 3 yr old threads get brought back to life.

Anyway, Get a C5Z06 tire kit. Anyone running their spare in their C4 is looking for a huge disappointment.

proracr

socalman, thanks so much for busting my chops!

socalman

Hey, it's still a good thread

Crankpin

I bought a 1990 Vette last year and found my spare tire to be dry rotted. I called Contemporary Corvette (Used Corvette Parts) in Bristol,PA (800 367-8388) and inquired about a used spare. They sent me a pristine one in 2 days. $75 which included shipping to Maryland. I have ordered a few items from them and have received either new or slightly used items. Very happy with them.