Compact Spare
 

Does anyone know if the compact spare is the same size wether you have 20" or standard 18" wheels? A silver R/T came in at a great deal but in Silver and without the compact spare, Hood/Fender stripes, and in 18" wheels. It has all the other options. White was my fave and the color I was going to order but I guess silver is OK. I'm going to see if he'll through in the compact spare but I need to make sure that the one he gives me will be for the 18" wheels. Thanks, Craig

RE: Compact Spare
 

I have the 20 inch wheel option and the compact spare. The designation on the sidewall of the spare is: T145/80D 18. I don't know if that is the same compact spare as someone with 18 inch wheels but I suspect it is because it is an 18 incher. Just something to get me by on the way to a tire shop.

RE: Compact Spare
 

It is not the size of the wheel that matters, it's the overall diameter of the tire, which I heard is only .6 of an inch difference between the 18's and 20's, therefore neglegible by all counts, expecially as a temporary spare.

The only way wheel size would matter would be if the brake calipers were different sizes but since both wheels are availabel on the R/Ts that is not an issue either.

RE: Compact Spare
 

Thanks for your help. In this day and age and with auto manufacturers cutting back....I hope they throw in a jack with the spare. Nothing would surprise me anymore.

RE: Compact Spare
 

It comes with a jack, and I think you can even order one that has a portable air compresser with it. I bet that will be a rare option.

RE: Compact Spare
 

Mine didn't have the compact spare or a jack. It did have the air compressor. When I finally ordered the compact spare, it DIDN'T come with the jack. Or the jack handle. They're separate orders. In fact, the spare wheel and the spare tire itself are separate orders. As is the hold-down unit for the entire assembly. Hence, when the separate wheel and tire orders showed up, my kind salesman got ahold of a jack somehow, ordered me a jack handle and wound up stealing a hold-down unit out of a Charger on the lot. ;)

Oh yes...I keep the air compressor in the trunk, just in case.

RE: Compact Spare
 

I never heard of that. I thought that if you order the compact spare, then you don't get the air compressor.

RE: Compact Spare
 

This is a very interesting topic. Being the anal engineer type, I definitely feel better with a spare. But when I ordered my car (TWICE, since I'm the guy where the 1st one came damaged), the salesman didn't think he could get a spare and in any case, I doggone surely did not want to complicate my order & risk not getting the car before Chrysler goes away, so I ordered both cars without a spare and I figured I'd easily find a spare in a junkyard when the car arrived.

Well, when the car arrived & I measured the METRIC bolt patterns, I quickly realized it didn't fit the universal spare I had sitting down in my basement from my 68-72 GM a-body days. No surprise there, it should just be an easy find in a junkyard because what the heck, there are a million Dodge Chargers with 18" wheels that should fit my Challenger R/T.

Well, I'v known for years that all yards in my area have been picked clean of 60s muscle cars for years but what I didn't know is that you can't mosey into one in therse parts these days & rummage around. No prob, someone else at the counter can do that for me.

Well, seems like these days they dissect everything they want to keep and sell off the rest to insurance companies & the like and apparently spares isn't something they keep. As NOBODY around had ANY type of spare anywhere :(

I finally found a yard a little up north of me with a pleasant counter girl who understood my CHALLENGER dilemma and she searched her network & found an 18" x 4" spare rim & tire in a yard in Md (a state away from me in Pa) - cost would be $100 + $20 shipping.

Hmm, maybe the Dodge dealer's new one wouldn't be MUCH more than that (yeah right).

I called my dealer, explained how the salesman couldn't get me the spare with the car, so hw much would it be to order one. Guy hemmed & hawed, went to see his supervisor, eventullycame back & said " I can't sell you one for liability reasons. Since the car didn't come with one, I can't sell you one or we'd be liable it if it doesn't fit & doesn't work right".

HUH? You have a part # for one for my car, can't you just order it? My supervisor says no. You gotta be kidding. No I'm not.

WHAT? Can you at least give me the part # so I can go find one in a yard? (as if there are any to be found in yards). No I can't, sorry, I can't give out that info

Can you at LEAST tell me if the part # in your book for 2009 Challenger R/T spare is same as 2008 Charger R/T 18" spare. Umm, I'm not supposed to but yeah they're the same.

Can you tell me what a new one would cost from you if I could buy one from you? Umm, just under $300 by the time you buy the spare rim & tire & holdown bolt combo.

I went back & called the nice counter girl at the yard up north & told her to o get me that 2008 Charger R/T spare rim, tire & holddown form Md.

This was Wed. Y'day she called late in the day and said it's in and I can pick it up that day (it was pouring rain here & my Challenger was home in the garage where it's dry). I asked her if Monday would be OK since I didn't want to bring the Challenger out in the rain to go get a spare tire for it. She said she completely understood, so Monday I should finally have a spare tire, rim & holddown (and I already have an extra hydraulic jack in a nice box that wil ride in my trunk compartment above the floor while the tire is bolted down below the floor).

Whew, after ordering 2 Challengers and waiting for both in order to have once and now chasing all over creation for a spare, I wonder what my next hunt for the grail will be with this car?

But it IS an AWESOME car!!!