Colin - 4-1-2005 at 05:23 PM
I'm going to baja for two weeks. I'll be driving off-highway on some of the better dirt roads to access prime camping spots. Not sure exactly where
... we're just going to explore.
I have a 4wd Toyota Tacoma, with four brand-new 31" Wildcat All season 6-ply steel belted tires. They're supposed to be especially resistant to snags
and leaks. My spare is a fairly beefy steel-belted tire that came with the truck.
I'm going to be pretty tight on space, and taking a 2nd spare would probably keep me from brining a kayak. How important is the 2nd spare?
Colin
Bruce R Leech - 4-1-2005 at 05:35 PM
it just depends on how lucky you are and how much you like to walk pushing a tire down the rode. also it makes a difference if you carry enough tools
and patches that you can repair and re inflate tires your self. I have made many trips where I could have left both spars at home and I have made some
where 2 was not enough.
there are times when a spare tire is a mater of life or death.
[Edited on 4-2-2005 by Bruce R Leech]
Spare Tires
bajaloco - 4-1-2005 at 07:08 PM
I always take two but it really depends on where you are headed. Last trip down I had three tires cut but didn't fail, on the sharp rocks on the
Gonzaga to San Felipe road. Be prepared and you will have the best times, if not you could really be sorry.
woody with a view - 4-1-2005 at 07:12 PM
if you have no way of re-inflating a flat-here's a poor man's technique. if you can re-inflate....
go to the auto parts store and buy a couple of tire plug kits. buy 4 (one for each) or more fix-a-flat cans. if you get a flat all you do is install
the plug and 1 can of fix-a-flat. they have about 10 pounds of air in a can and the sealant is a bonus. use two cans if you need more air. 
try to save your spare until it's absolutely necessary.
[Edited on 4-2-2005 by woody in ob]
Bruce R Leech - 4-1-2005 at 07:22 PM
Hay that is a Nice Baja rig yankeeirishman
the best spare......
Sharksbaja - 4-1-2005 at 07:54 PM
is the one you have and the only one you need if you do what I do. This is especially handy for those extra large tires. Get an inner tube(s) for
that size tire(s) and two tire irons and inflate with a small compessor or tire-in-a-can. You can lay rubber sheet or ?? between the tube and tire for
extreme cuts and rips. It means removing the tire stem also. I have had times when I've had two or more blowouts simultanously(usually those pesky
Federali spike strips) but that is quite unusual. Carry lots of tire repair stuff and two jacks if poss., very valuble in Bajas desolate places. Be
very careful you dont fall prey to salt flats or sand pits. If not sure, make an attempt to scout it out first, as its easy to find yourself in a
place in which you may not want to stop your forward momentum. Always airdown tires to their best advantage but it will cost you in mileage if not
necessary.
quote:
go to the auto parts store and buy a couple of tire plug kits. buy 4 (one for each) or more fix-a-flat cans.
------------------------------------------------------
long ago.....
on the ALCAN HWY I took a rock shaped like an ice cream cone in the front mega-tire. I heard this tappity tappity sound and pulled over. I got my
plugs and glue ready and pulled the rock out. I glued and inserted plug after plug until it stopped leaking. There must have been 10 plugs crammed in
there. I waited 10 minutes, cut them off low and continued on my way to Homer AK. I must have driven another 10,000 miles before I remembered the
plugs. They are still in that tire somewhere in my spares for my old Dodge Power Wagon.
Scratchin' my head
thebajarunner - 4-1-2005 at 08:00 PM
over these answers!
We pre-ran all the 500's and 1000's (At close to race speed!)
for 12 years with a single spare, never needed two.
If you pop one, then take it easy til you get back to a llantera.
First race we ran we took two spares....
Dummmmbbbbb!!!
Lots of extra weight and totally unnecessary.
Use your head, not your sidewalls.
(I must be missing something here?!?!)
Baja Arriba!!
Bob and Susan - 4-1-2005 at 08:15 PM
You're fine with one spare.....
The roads are the best they've ever been.
Buy a used kayak or borrow one or two.
Most kayaks are in the garage and only used a couple times a year.
If you buy a used one for the trip you can sell it when you return. Gamble!
Just have fun and relax..there is a tire shop on EVERY CORNER in baja....
tim40 - 4-1-2005 at 10:58 PM
One and only one...don't even care how remote of baja you are going to....The only other thing to carry is a can or two of fix a flat....worst of
worst lucjk (never has happened to us) is that you limp in on a flat should the 2nd one be needed. Baja ain't what it use to be...many more
places/people to get assistance from.
Spare time
latitude26n - 4-1-2005 at 11:22 PM
At the beginning of your trip, having only one spare when you're out in the boonies can add to the adventure. But if you squeeze every last minute of
your vacation time in to Baja as we tend to do, that second spare may someday impact whether you still have a job when you finally get back.
Since you're short on space and it's for only one trip, you're probably fine with one spare. But allow plenty of time on the return trip to deal with
any mechanical mishaps.
yankeeirishman - 4-2-2005 at 12:50 AM
We carried supplies, kayak, and the tire repair stuff (air compessor, tire kit, tube) too. We had a side wall blow out. Nothing worst than doing a
putt putt for 6 hours because you fear another blow out. Side wall damage is kind of hard to repair of a tire! Gone on the wilds for 2 weeks? Feel
secured. Thats a good thing! Mmmmm. Never leave home without two!
[Edited on 4-2-2005 by yankeeirishman]
Neal Johns - 4-2-2005 at 12:56 AM
For the "better dirt roads" one spare and several string plug kits.
Don't drive into the boonies further than you can walk out.
If you get down to no spare, drive real carefully to the nearest tire shop.
Neal is right
thebajarunner - 4-2-2005 at 03:47 PM
If you are going to take two spares then might as well take an extra driveshaft, an extra tie rod, extra battery (maybe 2), extra radiator, extra
spindle, extra fuel pump.
Why the above list?? Well, I have broken all of the above on different pre-runs, but never broke two tires before we got back to get one fixed.
Only once saw a guy with two busted at once.... the Dempsey brothers, running big bore bikes in the 1000, took out both right side tires (sidewalls)
on their pre-run truck on the same rock. We came upon them, loaned them our spare and went on without it.
Leave the paranoia at home, this ain't the Dakar Rally...
Baja Arriba!!
Spares
jrbaja - 4-2-2005 at 03:58 PM
When in the rural areas of Baja, you can drive for two days without seeing a soul. But, when you get a flat, 4 or 6 people generally show up from thin
air to help with the problem.
I carry two spares. Since carrying two, I seldom get flats just because I am prepared. I have had as many as 5 flats on one trip down years ago
but two of them were on atvs we had then.
I have also been able to help out some others by loaning them a spare.
If you have room, why not? If you don't, aint no thing!
bajajudy - 4-2-2005 at 06:36 PM
Take a piece of plywood to put the jack on. It takes up no room and it makes wonderful table on a milk crate. Cutting board. y mas
LLantera....learn that word!
[Edited on 4-3-2005 by bajajudy]
and then you lose the jack
thebajarunner - 4-2-2005 at 08:43 PM
Oh yeah, it happens.
Happened once on a pre-run, once in a race.... some idiot left it behind in the hurry to get back on the road.
O.K., so now we have another flat and no jack... what to do?
Easy, you build a little pyramid of rocks under the axle, get your trusty little shovel strapped to the roll bar (assuming the same idiot has not also
left the shovel behind) dig out from under the ailing tire, change tire, both drivers then put shoulders to the fender and push truck off the pyramid,
boogie on down the road.
Sounds easy?!?
Try it when you are on a really hard and rocky road.... makes it easier to remember to stow the jack next time.
(also, if you have a rear end locker you don't have to do the push and shove, just drive off with the grounded wheel)
Baja Arriba!!
surfer jim - 4-2-2005 at 09:46 PM
Correct answer....ONE......
Phil S - 4-3-2005 at 07:40 AM
I don't do a whole lot of off road while I'm down here, but do my share. Like San. Felipe to Cocos corner & Hwy 1. San Javier to Comondu. Valley
de Trinidad to (hwy 1) North of Colonet. Plus arroyo runs, etc. Since '96 I've been running 10 ply Toyos on my Dodge 4X4 3/4 ton pickup. Never a
flat. Original tire on two pickups during this time never has been lowered. My suggestion to those who travel down & off road is have a set of 10
plys in the garage at home, and put them on before coming down. Plus you'll have no hassle at border crossing for the "extra" tire.
Two spares?
John M - 4-4-2005 at 05:44 AM
Our experience over a lot of off-highway miles in Baja is that one spare is sufficient. The best advice I'd offer is that if you intend to buy a tire
plug kit is to spend a little extra money and get something on a par with the "Safety Seal" kit. Last time I looked they sold for
around $40.00 - great quality, unlike the six dollar ones in the corner auto parts store. Of course you'd need a source of air - and compressors can
be a lot of $$$$$ but a less expensive one would get you by in a pinch. Spare tire in a can is something I've seen, carried once in a while, but never
used. It might be a dandy idea. And has been said, careful driving helps. Surprisingly, no one said much about good tires and same sized spare - maybe
we all assume everyone is aware of how important that is. It all begins with a good set of tires, lots of tread, good sidewalls. Tire loyalty has been
discussed in the past and most opinions were, as I recall, favoring B.F. Goodrich All Terrain or Mud Terrain tires. Whether or not they are the "Best"
may be debated but at least they seem to be most commonly used.
There are lots of tire repair shops along the highways.
And the spare parts list Bajarunner provided......heck, I carry most of that stuff, but then I drive an older Jeep.
(just kidding fellow Jeep owners - my list is actually much longer)
[Edited on 4-4-2005 by John M]
Diver - 4-4-2005 at 07:07 AM
Amazingly, well over 50 trips to La Paz or south, with lots of four wheeling, always in a ford pick-up with camper, we have never had a flat. E-rated
tires probably help.
I have always carried two spares;
The one that comes with the truck and the one I always carry around my middle !! The second one never seems to go flat, no matter what I do !
David K - 4-4-2005 at 07:20 AM
On my 15 day trip to Baja, I had two new tires and 2 that were at 50% on my Tacoma... I only had flats on the 50% tires... the stock 16" BFG Rugged
Trail TAs... I was glad to have a second spare on that trip. However, with the heavier tires, and all 4 being new, I would suggest just the one good
spare... plus the above mentioned repair kits, tire in a can (several), and elec. air pump. Tire repair shops are all over Baja... and if needed you
can buy a replacement used tire if you happen to destroy one of your 4 new tires.
Depends on the season
The Gull - 4-4-2005 at 07:36 AM
If it is pothole season (figure when that is) like right now in BCN, you need one spare and a nearby llantera.
In BCS, I run with a real spare, a donut spare and two cans of spare tire stuff.
Haven't had to use the donut, but it packs better than the biggie. Haven't had to use the spare in the can either.