| Two reports in Sept & Nov. 2010
I. Sept 18, 2010: Just
had a call from a friend with a 2002. His Firestone spare tire "blew" just
sitting in the trunk of his car and his car is garaged all the time (another
low mileage tbird). He's never had to use the spare but did have it aired
up to specs.. .
Update on the above situation. Owner replaced his with
another old Firestone spare from a 2000 Lincoln LS. It blew up in
the trunk in early 2012.
2. Here's another report on TBN:
Nov. 5, 2010: "When Sally was getting orders together for
a spare after the first report at above, another member did not think it
was needed as "what would happen to a spare that never been out except
to check the pressure." Well, below you will see what
he found today when he was putting the 2011 sticker on the regular license
plate that is kept next to the spare in the tire well.
The license plate was between the spare and the tire well, he could
not remove the license plate. He had to the let the air out to remove the
tire from the well, yes it was still air tight, but had a large knot in
the failure area."[revised to be read on this site]
The Production date on the Firestone tire was 3101 or the 31st week
of 2001
A report from 2011:
3. From July 31, 2011:
Paul Thomas just reported that his spare in the trunk of his
2002 bird, blew while on the road trip he just started yesterday.
and later
he reported with photos on TBN.
A report from 2015:
#8. From May 16, 2015 Another spare in the trunk
bites the dust. This one reported in Massachusetts. This one
was for a 2002, another Firestone. Age, not use, was the culprit.
A report from 2017:
#9 April 2017: New owner of used '02 Thunderbird
reported that he looked in the spare tire compartment of his California-bought
car after reading about them on Thunderbirdnest and found it in this condition:
 ...
and it was still holding air!
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My own thoughts?:
Replace your spare
Here's a couple of 2012 Reports:
4. From a new TBN member as she
reported on TBN with photos:
February 29, 2012: "Thanks for the tip on Maxxis - I ordered
a spare replacement today but price is now up to $159. (Ford dealer couldn't
find any replacements.) Here's a couple photos of my 2002 Firestone temp
spare that blew out just sitting in the trunk - just an amazing amount
of damage on a tire that was never used and a car that spends most of it's
time in the garage! "
5. Received this report today, May 22, 2012 of another
blow up in the trunk. The only difference from the other reports
is that he had actually used his in a previous month.
Quote:
Thanks Dot, valuable information in the Newsletter. I had a flat on
my bird on the way to Hot Springs, changed with the space saver spare and
made it to a tire shop. Several months later I was charging the battery
and discovered the tire had blown in the trunk! I was talking to some of
the guys with the North Texas Vintage Thunderbird Club and they had never
heard of this either. I have searched everywhere for another tire, appreciate
the info! /quote.
Not sure when his happened but he must have missed my last newsletter
article about the spare tires. At least he didn't this time! and...At least
his didn't blow when he had to use it.
Here's the spare he found in his spare tire compartment:
6. March 7, 2013 Another report, this time from Tennessee,
not quite as hot a place as some of the others, particularly this winter.
"Just joined the 'Club'. A couple of weeks ago we were watching TV, and
heard what sounded like a shotgun blast.Yep it was the spare, which had
a mfg date of 3001 (30th week of 2001). Glad to know it now than on the
way to Pikes Peak! See you in Colorado. It'll be fun" G. Himes. [G.
Himes has a 2002 Tbird]
Here's his pics:
 ..
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