[DeTomaso] Inflatable Spares

[JDeRyke at aol.com]

The OEM BFG space-saver spare was the subject of a Ford recall in the 
mid-70s, due to the thing being unsafe to use. This is the BFG that in the folded 
mode has a perfectly flat tread area with a sharp edge where the sidewall 
attaches, and it was on a std 7x 14" Ford steel wheel. There may be rubber 
flashing hanging on unused ones. These wre essentially 4-ply inner tubes, good 
for 50 miles at a max speed of 50mph. 

The original space saver tire was replaced by another from BFG with a 
rounder profile and more substantial appearance, the same tire size, same wheel 
etc. If you have added bigger brakes, the OEM 14" wheel will no longer fit, 
it being marginal to start with. But wrecking yards are full of 16" or larger 
space-savers from Ford, GM etc that will possibly fit over big brakes. I 
redrilled a forged-aluminum Thunderbird spare wheel to fit the Pantera that 
uses a high-pressure non-folding tire and clears the biggest brakes. The tire 
looks like a motorcycle tire and runs at around 50 psi. It will not fit well 
in the front trunk but does in the rear. I also converted a 16x8" Porsche 
forged-aluminum wheel to the Pantera bolt-circle and had a space-saver 
mounted on it for a high-dollar Pantera owner. Dunno where he mounted it....Your 
Posi clutches may indeed be at risk if you go very far on one.

You might have trouble getting a corner gas station tire shop to mount a 
collapsible space-saver tire on a rim, but a savvy shop can do it without 
trouble or damage. However, I've yet to find a shop that can DISMOUNT one 
already on some kind of wheel, so be warned. FWIW, I currently carry a 14x 7" 
drag-race rim with a late BFG space saver mounted on it. The 9-lb spun-aluminum 
Weld rim is supposed to be only for drag racing but the space saver tire is 
only good for 50 mph max, so I see no way the wheel will be over-stressed 
and the assembly is 1/2 the wt of the stocker & fits in either trunk. 

Finally, a collapsible spare does no good if you don't have an inflator 
can, and there are two types. One is a steel can full of pressurized PROPANE! 
Veterans will recognize this as a BOMB! How, in the nanny-state of CA this is 
sellable I don't know, but they are available in cut-rate auto parts stores 
all over. If it says "WARNING-EXTREMELY FLAMMABLE", set it down gently and 
leave the premises. These bombs have 'cooked off' in the hot front AND rear 
trunks of Panteras, causing substantial damage. The other type is full of 
non-combustable gases and I recommend this one. Be sure it also has the fill 
hose with an adapter to fit your valve stem.

In NV, there are huge areas with no people and zero cell-phone coverage, 
and many roads are so lightly travelled that the NV Highway Patrol advises 
carrying your own water.... So I do not depend on Verizon or AAA to bail me 
out. Good luck- J Deryke


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