joe.abp

I was cleaning out my trunk and noticed the spare tire felt too squishy. I unbolted it and it had a 0psi reading. I thought there might have been an air leak so I pumped it to 60psi and let it sit for a few days (and did a soapy bubble test as well) and it ended up holding it just fine. Considering the age of these cars I'm assuming the air just leaked out over the past 2 decades (The tires otherwise looked new and never used). Unlike newer spare tires the valves stems on ours face the bottom and require the minor annoyance of unbolting it to check air pressure.

Save yourselves the hassle if you ever get a flat tire and keep it apart of your maintenance checklist.

Superunknown

If you still have an original spare you should get rid of it.

AJCxZ0

Thank you for the reminder, @joe.abp. I just inflated mine from 9 and the one in the 2014 RDX from 13 to the recommended 60 PSI with my Fanttik X8 APEX. While really low, the tire at 9 PSI did not feel in any way deflated to the casual touch.

While we know it's because they harbour evil spirits which feed on the sub-bass and convert it into forum posts with titles such as "Help" or "Car", perhaps you could explain the problem and recommended solutions with appropriate references to the ignorant?

thoiboi

Reason: rubber has a shelf life. Time and temperature just cause it to degrade even without driving on them. That’s why tires have date codes on them and i would not drive on anything more than 5/6 years old. The original spare on a car like the TL could be upwards of 19 years old now (if bought in 2004)

Slpr04UA6

^so just replace the tire then, correct? I haven’t checked mine, but it’s on my list. Mise well buy new tire for it.

thoiboi

wizurd

Finally did this today. It's never been used. Had 0 psi. :o

joe.abp

@Superunknown As much as you're correct, the cost just isn't worth spending on a new custom identical tire. The spare is just meant to be a 2nd safeguard. The 1st being making sure your tires are propely inflated. In the rare event theres a puncture I'm just going to snail it to the nearest tire shop. At which point I would probably spend the money on a new spare.