Story time!

I've been refilling my front passenger side tire every 2 days for about two months now. A while back I bought a set of rims from a guy to replace my leaking chrome set (10 spoke '02 rims). The ones I bought were the same type but not chrome. They had been painted however. As it turns out, the inner lip of the wheel was bad and had been JB welded to hold air and then painted over to hide the evidence. I didn't notice. One of the "welds" broke free and when taken to a shop I was told they're irreparable. Couldn't get back in touch with the guy who sold them to me.

The tire inflator tip for my air compressor went missing and when I finally got a replacement, I took the car up my driveway (I live on a steep hill) and went to air it up. Tire was completely flat at this point and I only drove the car about 20 feet, but it rashed the rim and the sidewall is caked with dust from the concrete. Is the tire screwed? The rim already was so that's not as important. Anyway, I go to get the pump ready and it catches fire. Air compressor is fried, no one around has one to lend, I can't drive anywhere. I hurt my back in September resulting in job loss and I'm still unemployed so I have no money for a new compressor or new rims or tires. Any advice would be appreciated.

 

put the spare on. its good for short term.

 

How long should I have the spare on for maximum? Do you think the tire I mentioned is ruined?

 

Per your owners manual, page 5-35, you can drive the compact spare up to 65 mph for a distance of 3,000 miles... so you have a little time to fix your bad wheel/tire. Keep in mind the space savers have has less plies (those steel/polyester belts you may have heard about) that makes up the structure of a tire. Some may have as little as half of what a standard tire has, so they are not as durable. Just don't drive the car like it has a performance tire, or you may regret what could happen. Don't have an owners manual? Go here: Owners Manuals
If the wheel sliced or cut the sidewall, then yes it's ruined. If not, then it's likely ok....but can't say for 100% sure without being there to see it in person.

 

There are no cuts on the sidewall or anywhere else that I can see. I was worried that the sidewall had simply been worn and could cause a blowout or something. Thanks for the in depth info.