Darth Menace
Enthusiast
Is there any real benefit to taking out the spare? I assume being 15 years old the tire is crapped anyway. Weight savings in the rear?
taking out spare
- Thread starter Darth Menace
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mgeorge
Enthusiast
I believe the spare is part of the crumple zone structure for rear end collisions, I was going to take mine out as well until Tator warned me not to.
01sapphirebob
Enthusiast
uvbnbit
Enthusiast
That's what I hear too.
VIPER GTSR 91
Enthusiast
This has been talked about before and it is part of the crumple zone. Plus you may just need it sometime. Cheap to replace the tire if you are concerned about age. Check the pressure according to the manual. Its high, and if its in decent shape keep it. If you do have to use it as a temp you will not be driving on it for very long anyway. I hope !!
Darth Menace
Enthusiast
Lame...ok. I guess I have to pay for weight loss/performance gains 
thanks for the info guys
thanks for the info guysuvbnbit
Enthusiast
Lame...ok. I guess I have to pay for weight loss/performance gains
Kind of a "risk/reward" dilemma.
Long trips, I take ours out. We can get extra bags in trunk. If I had a flat, where would we put 335/30/18 anyway? I carry a plug kit and small compressor.
I've been reading this a few times in different threads lately...
I was toying with the idea of taking it out and replacing it with a custom made storage tray of some sort. I put the idea on the back burner b/c of the crumple comments. Two things have come to mind though....
I thought for the US standards, there had to be some structural support for the bumpers on the car. Since the Viper glass body is not structural (it's not a unibody) then there has to be something going to the frame rails.... Right? I have not really looked that closely when I've been under the car...
Second, assuming the spare, held down by a single bolt, is truly structural, can I replace it with a steel welded ring or bowl with a couple of spokes/bars. Right?
I was toying with the idea of taking it out and replacing it with a custom made storage tray of some sort. I put the idea on the back burner b/c of the crumple comments. Two things have come to mind though....
I thought for the US standards, there had to be some structural support for the bumpers on the car. Since the Viper glass body is not structural (it's not a unibody) then there has to be something going to the frame rails.... Right? I have not really looked that closely when I've been under the car...
Second, assuming the spare, held down by a single bolt, is truly structural, can I replace it with a steel welded ring or bowl with a couple of spokes/bars. Right?
If the spare is truly part of the crumple zone, which seems very strange, how would such a design be allowed when considering potential for a rear-end collision while driving on the spare? Are they assuming the driver puts the flat tire back in place of the remove spare? I've seen a lot of posts on this topic while searching for other information and always wondered about it. Wouldn't a detail like this be referenced in the owner's manual?
Darth Menace
Enthusiast
ya, I think I will take it out and just get a can of fix-a-flat. As long as taking the spare out would actually serve some performance purpose
I do not believe Dodge could design the crumple zones with a removable piece like a spare as such a crucial safety feature REQUIRED to meet a minimum safety level. I am sure it helps in someway but doesn't add up as a mandated requirement. Driving is a risk and if a person was that scared to drive without a spare for fear of a rear end collision, you would be looking at another car other than Viper. Pull it, leave it, whatever works for you.
You guys think like me... I too find it too hard to believe myself. It just makes no sense that a tire on a rim can be part of the impact protection.
Matt M PA
Enthusiast
The spare tire does play some role in crash protection. There's a cable that runs from one frame rail to the other...this is where the spare tire hold-down rod is connected. It's visible in the parts books.
You guys can argue all you want...I remember reading about this many times on there forums over the years.
You guys can argue all you want...I remember reading about this many times on there forums over the years.
The best argument yet for keeping the spare in a GTS!!!!
slitherv10
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So ...safety first....lol...This way you can use the spare when you get a flat and if you get in an accident, it will save your life. lol...but,,,in each case it seems shady...firstly, yuou use the spare to get to a safe place to fix the car and, BANG !!! on the way to your safety zone youget rear ended and with no spare now in the back....your dead !!...or secondly...you get in a rear end accident and the tire gets thrown right into your back and squeezes you into oblivion !
