BajaNomad

2 Spare or not 2 spare?

mgray - 2-18-2008 at 07:03 PM

The back of our truck is filling up so we need to short list supplies. Do we need our 2nd full size spare? We are 4x4 and will be surf exploring the coastal dirt roads.

I have Bridgestone Dueller 693 285/75/16's with around 80-90% tread left.

I have a compressor and tire plugs and as a last resort a can of flat fix. I don't plan on crawling around sharp rocks, unless of course they keep me from great surf!

Roberto - 2-18-2008 at 07:13 PM

I would take it if I were planning on spending a lot of time in the dirt.

805gregg - 2-18-2008 at 07:17 PM

Baja is far from being a frontier anymore one spare should be enough. There are llanterias everywhere.

DENNIS - 2-18-2008 at 08:18 PM

Listen to the pros, Grover and Roberto...

Never try to out think Mother Baja and be prepared for everything.

Have a great trip.

bajalou - 2-19-2008 at 07:59 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by 805gregg
Baja is far from being a frontier anymore one spare should be enough. There are llanterias everywhere.


Tell that to the guy from Campo Lupita who had a flat in Matomi Wash, then another just before he hit the highway. Nearest llateria 15 miles and it doesn't have service trucks. (Of course he had NO spare to start with)

shari - 2-19-2008 at 08:04 AM

It is not unheard of to get 2 flats here, particularly if you are a stubborn gringo who doesn't listen to local knowledge and have overinflated tires...I've know guys with brand new skookim tires get 2 flats because he just had too much air in them. NOw, only having one spare is also fun because it would be the start of a cool baja adventure...waiting for your rescue angel...maybe get taken to their house for lobster...etc etc...it's the best way to make new friends! So ummmm....sorry I cant help you decide. Either way you're gonna have fun...this weeks surf has been epic here.

bajabound2005 - 2-19-2008 at 08:30 AM

Check Bajacat's recent post on the Matomi trip...note he says "...my first flatS in Baja..."

surfer jim - 2-19-2008 at 08:37 AM

Never needed more than one myself....and I am ...SURFER jim.....:biggrin:

BajaTrooper - 2-19-2008 at 09:22 AM

Mount it on your front bumper, I have never needed my spares...yet.:O

bajabound2005 - 2-19-2008 at 09:10 PM

We had a regular, uh...donut?? tire as a spare. We were on the highway between Otay and Ensenada (not quite on Blvd 2000, still Blvd Industrial)...and we got a flat. Took us about an hour to get our rusted regular wheel off (that's another story) and then the donut on. We took the real tire to a llantera in Ensenada the next day (the same brand of tire...) they said NO ,IT CAN'T BE FIXED; and once they put some air into into it we could see why! So we went hunting for a new tire. Turns out this is a hard to find tire size. Does not exist in Mexico, even by special order. Even in the US it was a hard to find! We had to have it ordered and sent to the dealer...well, there's a lot more to that story but not worth telling. Moral: check your tire size and know if it's common or not! You don't want' to be driving around on a donut tire!

BAJACAT - 2-19-2008 at 09:25 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by bajabound2005
Check Bajacat's recent post on the Matomi trip...note he says "...my first flatS in Baja..."
Yes Im a perfect example,I get this flat 40 miles up a wash our end of the trip, so I have 40 miles to go back with only one tire remaining,having no spare was now in the back of my head all the way downthe road:(,you see I run 17" wheels,because of my oversize's rottors,and nobody had one that match. so 2 are better than one. I was lucky I had alot of Nomads to help me:saint: if I had another flat,but don't take chances..

MATOMI TRIP PRESIDENTS DAY-2008 068.JPG - 48kB

airmech - 2-19-2008 at 11:13 PM

Theres nothing to make you wish you had two spares than getting a huge hole in a tire, putting your spare on and then realizing you don't have a spare for the rest of the trip. We were in BOLA this weekend with that situation.

airmech - 2-19-2008 at 11:40 PM

The things you see when you don't have a spare

vultures.jpg - 8kB

mgray - 2-20-2008 at 12:58 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by airmech
The things you see when you don't have a spare


Wow, is that the famous Tire Cactus? I've never actually seen one, but do you know if they grow in a 285/75/R16 in Mexico?

What about tire shops, is that a hard size to find down there?

BAJACAT - 2-20-2008 at 01:34 PM

They are no tire shops in Matomi,the near one is 50 miles in Puertecitos or San Felipe 75 miles away.
And AAA doesn't have service ove there,neither Verizon Wireless Network.

DanO - 2-20-2008 at 01:43 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by BajaTrooper
Mount it on your front bumper, I have never needed my spares...yet.:O


The roof is a good spot too.

bajalou - 2-20-2008 at 05:12 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by bajabound2005
We had a regular, uh...donut?? tire as a spare. We were on the highway between Otay and Ensenada (not quite on Blvd 2000, still Blvd Industrial)...and we got a flat. Took us about an hour to get our rusted regular wheel off (that's another story) and then the donut on. We took the real tire to a llantera in Ensenada the next day (the same brand of tire...) they said NO ,IT CAN'T BE FIXED; and once they put some air into into it we could see why! So we went hunting for a new tire. Turns out this is a hard to find tire size. Does not exist in Mexico, even by special order. Even in the US it was a hard to find! We had to have it ordered and sent to the dealer...well, there's a lot more to that story but not worth telling. Moral: check your tire size and know if it's common or not! You don't want' to be driving around on a donut tire!


And maybe change wheels/tires for a more common size if you spend much time in Baja.

Barry A. - 2-20-2008 at 05:36 PM

I ALWAYS have carried 2 fullsize spares, and have used them both at least 5 times over the years. I hate to be without a spare-----partially ruins my whole trip------I would take both.

barry

Bob and Susan - 2-20-2008 at 06:14 PM

i got a flat today:lol:

Holy smokes Catman!

Sharksbaja - 2-21-2008 at 02:16 AM



Good lord man how fast were you goin'? :lol::lol:

Really, that tire looks like it got hot and delaminated. What caused it to go flat?
How'd the truck do aside from the tire?
Good to hear all had fun! Hey, Baja flats brings folks closer together!

BajaNomad - 2-21-2008 at 02:43 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by mgray
Do we need our 2nd full size spare?...

I have Bridgestone Dueller 693 285/75/16's with around 80-90% tread left.
2nd spare will give you peace of mind if you find yourself in Bajacat's situation. The Bridgestones are excellent tires to have though.

Make certain you're airing the tires down considerably for pretty much any off-road use. Use your compressor to air them back up for the highway.

bajalou - 2-21-2008 at 07:47 AM

The area we we in was one of the worst for tires. Some soft sand then rocks. You air down for the sand spots which makes them more susceptible to cuts from rocks. BajaCat's flat was at the fast point on this particular stretch of trail - we probably got up to 25 after crawling at 2 or 3 mph.

TMW - 2-21-2008 at 07:56 AM

Confucius say "if you take it you won't need it. If you don't take it you will need it".