Scarlett's Boy
Member
Hello out there ! Upon my inspection of my recent purchase of an 81, I found that it still had the original Goodyear P195/80D15 spare. It had never been on the ground. Still has the stuff from the tire mold on the tread. Being a charter member of Murphy's Law where sharp metal objects jump up & attack my tires as I pass by, I really hated the thought of having a 33 year old spare. A local Vette specialty store told me that there is NO currently produced tire that will function properly on that temporary rim. I was also warned that there was a danger in putting a full size road tire & rim in the spare holder because the lid would be lower thus prone to hitting something (Murphy's Law again). I was also warned that you can't even break down the temp rim from the tire because they were sold as a unit! To make matters worse, I read some forum horror stories. ENTER MY HERO! Took temp tire & rim to TIRES PLUS! Left with brand new 205/70R15 on the rim. Fits holder great, same height as temp spare, about 1/2 inch wider but still much narrower that the road tires, thus no thickness issue with the holder/carrier. Original Goodyear popped right off with no damage. By the way, my local Chevy dealer was in a state of "DUH" over this issue. Surprised? 
