Originally Posted by
vze2sgxa
Mike, does that tire protector trap moisture on the rim and tire? Shouldn't it have small drain holes? I just pulled my spare two months ago and used it when I had a flat, and in the process (because I hadn't had the spare off in three years) that the rim had some rust on it, so I removed the rust and spot painted several sections. Also noticed (and repaired) the area where the tire touches the underbody had some rust. I am wondering if closing off the air to that area with the protector would accelerate corrosion. What has been your experience on the test vehicles?
The Spare Protector has 4 drain holes to prevent moisture build-up.
On these vehicles we have seen no increase in corrosion - in fact it decreased since you are protecting the rim from all the road grim.
There is no protection that can protect these spare 100 % from corrosion
we have seen some pretty BAD looking spare tire because on their exposure. But with this protector in place at least you will certainly extend the life of these spare tires. Every year these need to be dropped and review to make sure that they will be functional when required. So many times I hear issues that they get a flat tire and they can't get the tire down and when they get the spare finally removed from the frame it also flat. Some cases we have heard that the spare tire was not even their! It had fallen off the vehicle and they were not even aware that this has happened. Bad design by OEM's - best bet is to have them in the bed - not under the vehicle.