Mike,
It was loose. Could be cable stretch, cable getting slack, or tire
getting smaller as the air seeped out over the years. I suspect loss of
air.
On the subject of loss of air--- Yesterday the air temp was 12 degrees
F here in coastal CT. I checked tire pressures. All vehicles were down
4 - 5 lbs from the pressures that they had when the air temp was 60
degrees a month ago.
Bob
On Sun, 3 Dec 2000 00:47:48 -0500 "Michael Lupynec"
<mlupynec@globalserve.net> writes:
> When I removed the cable mounted spare on my 98 F150, it had very
> defined indentations, (wear marks) where the tire sidewall had
> abraded against the frame members.
>
> Could it have been loosening up or was it too tight? Whatever -
> it's a bad design.
>
> Mike L.
> 60A,67E,59Bug
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: David Deutsch <mgman@optonline.net>
> To: mgs <mgs@autox.team.net>
> Sent: December 2, 2000 8:35 PM
> Subject: falling spares
>
>
> > There is a bumper sticker that reads something like ' the parts
> falling
> > off this car are made with the finest British Craftsmanship'
> that I have
> > found amusing. There is something happening on a regular basis
> these
> > days that is not amusing however and it's going to increase
> dramaticly
> > as time goes on. I'm talking about spares, as in spare tires,
> dropping
> > out from under mini vans and SUVs. I believe it was Chrysler
> who began
> > placing the spares under the rear of their mini vans back in the
> early
> > / mid-80's. Now almost ever mini van and SUV uses this method
> of
> > storage. A spooled cable raises and lowers the spare. The
> problem is the
> > cables are wearing and breaking.
> >
> > As a tow truck driver / roadside assistance provider I have gone
> out to
> > at least a dozen tire change calls where the spares are missing
> and only
> > a frayed cable end is under the vehicle. In most cases the owner
> had no
> > idea that it was missing and in few cases, that this was even
> where the
> > spare was supposed to be. This passed week I was called to an
> accident
> > site where a driver lost control after hitting a spare that
> dropped out
> > of the vehicle in front of them. Guess what? the vehicle did not
> stop
> > and probably didn't know that it had lost it's spare. Luckly it
> was a
> > donut spare that caused this accident. The all wheel drives are
> required
> > to use full size spares. I don't even care to think about the
> havic that
> > is going to be wreaked when the 17" wheels start dropping out
> of
> > Navigators and the like.
> >
> > So if you happen to own a vehicle with a cable secured spare
> under it
> > please check the condition of the mounting, especially in older
> models.
> > Additionally if you happen to be traveling behind one of these
> vehicles
> > please be aware of this hazard.
> >
> > Safety Fast (but not to close),
> > David Deutsch
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