Doughnut Spare for GM Box Wagon?

I'm curious to know: What do other GM box wagon owners do about carrying a reliable spare tire on board?

I still have the original "doughnut" spare for my wagon, but given its age I of course would never consider using it if I found myself stranded; even if it would still hold air (which I've not yet tried). And without a 5th wheel, I'm not sure a full size would fit in the spare storage compartment.

The tire shop I just hired to replace all four of my tires seemed to think these doughnuts are no longer made.

Anyone have thoughts to spare? (Sorry, couldn't resist).

Thanks in advance!

 

They aren't made anymore, but I would think you can get newer used ones from the Whale community that would fit. I took one from a Town Car for Babe, my Ranchero, because the behind-seat spare storage was a hassle and a half. The pizza cutter fits so much better and is matched to the tires on Babe, as they all came from the same Town Car.

 

The donut spare is only designed to get you to the next exit. The fact that it has been stored inside the spare tire compartment and not exposed to UV means that the rubber has not deteriorated like that on the four primary tires. I wouldn't lose a lot of sleep over it. The spare tire compartment is designed to hold a full size spare.

 

Thanks Andrew. I have to admit, the idea of putting my wagon on a donut sounds scary, no matter how short the distance and slow the travel speed. I'm just trying to figure out if there is still a way to have a spare tire on board in case I need one (as opposed to having to get towed somewhere due to a flat). Thanks for confirming these are not made anymore!

 

Thanks Joe, that answers that question too. Looks like my shopping now turns to finding a fifth 15" steel wheel.

 

Make sure the rim is 5x5 and NOT 5x4.5 these rims are getting hard to find and fetch $40 plus shipping.

 

Yup. Full-size spare in mine. Which now begs the question: Is the spare good?
Guess I'll have to check.

 

I made an investment years ago on a portable tire inflator. That little sonofagun has saved my bacon sooooo many times. For example, in May, I got a screw in one of the Exploder's tires, and it allowed me to pump the tire up so I could get my niece to work and then to Sears to exercise the warranty.

 

AAA is may friend.

 

I used to spend a lot of time hunting in the wilderness, sometimes up to 60 miles from the nearest town and 15 hundred miles from home. I took the hose from my compression checker, an air hose, a chuck, and a tire repair kit along. I would fix the tire, take out a spark plug, screw the compression hose in the hole, start the engine and pump up the tire. We once lost an alternator belt and made one from a double wrap of nylon paracord that worked good enough to get us back to town for a replacement.

The trouble with donuts is that people used them as regular tires because they couldn't afford a new one. I had people come into the shop wanting me to repair them when they went flat, or remove the donut and put a regular tire on the rim. NO WAY, JOSE. The caused untold numbers of accidents because of this.

 

YES, I am also a AAA member. Maybe I'm just making this more difficult than necessary. I'm just thinking of the possible scenario where I would find myself miles from home on the side of the road with a flat. Having a spare on board would at least allow me to have AAA switch the tires for me to get me home as opposed to having to be towed because I had no spare on hand at all.

Peter4821: Where have you found the 5x5's? Am I looking at junk yards exclusively or are these for sale somewhere? Thanks in advance for helping me fine-tune my search!

 

S10's and GMC Sonomas have 5x5 wheels, at least the 4WD ones do. Don't know about the center hole. It might be a bit larger than the wagon. I was always going to try mine on my wagon but never got around to it. Somewhere on the internet, I downloaded a template of bolt patterns that can be transferred to a piece of cardboard or Plexiglas to measure them.

 

I need to find that template page. I had it bookmarked on my first computer, then promptly lost it when the motherboard dumped. I could not find it after that.

 

I have found 5x5's on various sites. If you google it you will find lots of sellers. The other thing to look for is the offset. some 5X5 wheels post 1989 are different. they will stick futon the rear like a hot wheels car! expect to pay anywhere from $40 to $80 for new ones. Just shipped 4 wire wheels from Maine to Wisconsin $98.00 so expect . Remember all B bodies will fit.

 

All of the 1977-1990 box wagons used 15x7 wheels with zero offset and 5x5 bolt pattern. The whale-body cars used a different offset.

You can also find 5x5 wheels on RWD Olds Ninety Eights, Buick Electras, Caddy Fleetwoods, and all B-body cars with HD brakes (taxi, police, etc) in the 1977-1990 timeframe. The 1971-76 GM full size cars also used the 5x5 bolt pattern, as did some half-ton pickups and Astro vans.