[rslatkin]

The spare tire on my 2000 Insight has a slow leak. I need to pump it up about every week. I have tried to get a replacement tire from two local Honda dealers and a Firestone place, with no luck. The dealer that currently has the car for a battery replacement (more on that later) said they weren't able to order one from Honda and actually called a few junk yards but weren't able to find one. Their only suggestion was that they could get us a full size spare for several hundred dollars which probably wouldn't fit under the cargo area. Firestone tried to order one, but after about a month said they wouldn't be able to get it.

Surely we can't be the only Insight owners who need to replace their spare tire! Any ideas where to get one?

 

[hawkGT647]

As a temporary or maybe even a permanent fix, how about trying one of those tire sealants (Slime, etc.) that is injected into the tire.

I have used this type of product in motorcycle and ATV tires with no problems.

Regards,

 

[Rick]

The spare tire's made by Dunlop I think. I know I've seen people use full size spare tires. It looks iffy, but a full size spare will fit in the rear well.

 

[originalbadbob]

If you use a stop leak type of substance, make sure you drive on it for a while or it will solidify in one place, not stop the leak and you are likely to have a real balance problem.
robert

 

[rslatkin]

I keep a can of fix-a-flat in the car in case I need it, but I'd much rather get the spare tire replaced. None of the tire places I've looked on the web seem to sell compact spares, either. Any ideas?

 

[originalbadbob]

I would pump up the spare and spray soapy water on it to see exactly where it is leaking. If it is a hole, you can dismount it and patch it from the inside. If it is leaking from the sidewalls, then your options are to use the fix a flat type stuff. If it is leaking around the rim, then you can dismount the tire and clean up the bead area. There might even be a tube available that would fit inside, but you'd have to do some homework on that one. The last option would be to find a wrecked Insight (there have been several posts about wrecked Insights) and try to get one from there.
Other than that, I have no idea. I guess I had better check to see how my spare is holding up since I've never even looked at it. :shock:
robert

 

[Hambone]

A full size spare will fit in the space the normal spare sits in, but you have to kinda fold up the bottom part of the removable cubbyhole area that you would have to pull out to get to the spare. What I did when I had my Insight and travelled, was to fit the full size spare in place (no need to use the tie down bolt), fold up about the bottom two inches of the cubbyhole thingy, get it back in place, and put the matting back down. Once in, it'll stay. You can either put the jack in the cubbyhole thingy or wedge it in beside the fullsize spare below.

I always liked the idea of a full size spare when travelling on long trips, especially in the Insight, where finding an appropriately sized tire in an emergency situation in the boonies isn't a real pleasant idea.

For around town driving, I always used the normal spare to save weight. My full size spare on a steel wheel weighed around 35lbs with tire mounted, probably easily 15 pounds or so more than the donut tired spare on the lightweight aluminum spare wheel.

 

[rslatkin]

Bump.

I'm not against the idea of a full size spare, especially for long trips, but I'd rather just replace the original spare tire for now.

Does anyone know where I can find a replacement compact spare tire?

 

[Insightful Trekker]

AFAI know most any Honda that also has 14" rims with a 4 bolt pattern will interchange.

A junkyard?

HTH!

 

[Rick]

Look up HAP auto recyclers in California, I know they have a couple of totaled Insight's they're parting out. Let us know though, I think the ones they have were all rear ended so the spare may have been lost in energy absorbtion. Still worth a shot.

 

[originalbadbob]

I saw some 14" space saver spares on Ebay for around 10 bucks. You could have it mounted on your rim. If your rim is where it is leaking, have it dismounted and then use a wire wheel on a drill to clean it up, sand it smooth and repaint. Unless there is something major to the bead area, that will take care of it.
robert

 

[rslatkin]

I finally found the right size tire at my Saturn dealer, of all places. I did a google search for the size (T115/70R14) and saw that some Saturns use the same size spare. My other car is a Saturn wagon, so I called my dealer and they had the tire in stock. The Insight sure got a lot of attention at Saturn of Decatur! The service person wanted to write down the odometer reading for her form, so I got to show her the dashboard lighting up and the mpg display.

The tire's been on for about a week now, and seems to be holding pressure just fine.

 

[flymuck]

I'm confused...

I'm the person who recently had my Insight stolen, and recovered a week later, stripped. After fighting with the dealership and the insurance company, I finally got the car back in my possession, and am fixing it.

I need a spare tire, so I got the rim from Majestic Honda (good online prices), and now am looking for the tire. On the estimate of damages from the dealership, they specified a tire of size P165/65-R14. But someone else above said something about T115, so I'm quite confused. What size is the spare?

It's hard enough to find 165/65-R14... if that's not it, please let me know before I get the wrong thing! Also, it sounds like a "full-size" spare will fit, according to some people... does that mean, using the spare tire rim? What size tire is considered "full-size" in this case?

Thanks for the help...
-fly

 

[Billy]

Hi flymuck: don't be confused...... first, SPARE tire means the temporary, small tire that is stored in the bottom of the cargo hatch. This tire size is 115/70R14. The spare wheel, or rim, is yellow in color and is a beautiful piece of casting/machining. Very high quality. Is THAT the one you purchased from Majestic Honda?

If you mean an additional wheel and tire (normal size) the wheel size is 5 1/2 by 14, and the tire size 165/65R14. If you want the highest fuel economy, be SURE to get the original, Bridgestone Potenza RE 92. They can be found for about $52 each, if you search. They have a hard rubber compound and low rolling resistance rating.

 

[Dougie]

Will the regular wheel and tire fit in the spare tire space?

 

[HafNHaf]

from earlier in this thread:

A full size spare will fit in the space the normal spare sits in, but you have to kinda fold up the bottom part of the removable cubbyhole area that you would have to pull out to get to the spare. What I did when I had my Insight and travelled, was to fit the full size spare in place (no need to use the tie down bolt), fold up about the bottom two inches of the cubbyhole thingy, get it back in place, and put the matting back down. Once in, it'll stay. You can either put the jack in the cubbyhole thingy or wedge it in beside the fullsize spare below.

in other words, yes.

 

[flymuck]

Hi Billy, thanks for the reply. I guess I'll be looking for a spare tire (I did already buy the spare tire rim) in the size that you mentioned. I'm glad I had asked, because I had initially read the parts list from the dealership wrong -- they had the spare tire rim listed, and right above it as the first line item, "TIRE P165/65/R14" -- I had naturally assumed the two items went together, but then noticed the other column... QTY 4. Doh!

The Miller Honda guys didn't even list the spare pony tire on the parts list. Tires.com and BigOTires.com don't list the size either. Is this gonna be a real pain in the rear to find? Am I better off putting a different size tire on the spare rim, whatever's cheap and easy to find?

 

[Dougie]

Is the spare the same size as on a Civic? I bet it is, and there are probably plenty available in your local junkyard...

 

[flymuck]

From what I've seen (on eBay), the Civic is a slightly different size -- I've seen both 105/70R14, which would potentially work (depending on the lug nut configuration), and a 13" size.

What gets me is the fact that this spare tire does not seem to be available anywhere! (I checked HAP's website too) I called the dealership yesterday and the parts guy called a bunch of tire places then called me back to tell me "I must have told him the wrong size" -- LOL. I told him the size is based on OTHER INSIGHT OWNERS and besides, they're the HONDA DEALERSHIP -- they should KNOW what size the spare is. And furthermore, Honda is required by federal law to make sure parts are available for -- 10 years? 15 years? So, I told him they better find me one, that's all there is to it.

Sure, I could fit a different size tire in there. But I *should* be able to get the OEM tire, brand spanking new. Is this so much to ask? I just want my little rollerskate to be back to pre-theft glory... with a nice double-din nav system rammed into the Console (that's another project for another thread -- I'll post all about it when/if we finally get it done!!).

Thanks all...
-fly

 

[Dougie]

You might also think about asking around to see if you can buy one from an Insight owner. For example, I would be happy to give you mine if I had a decent OEM regular wheel and tire...I hate those little mini-spare tires...