Anyone Flown with a Spare Tire in Baggage?

[traxiii]

My Mach1 was built yesterday, and I will be flying to the Mid-West (Iowa) from California to pick it up from Granger Motors. I purchased a AUTOMOTIVE AUTHORITY Spare Tire kit. I plan on throwing it in a suit case and checking it as baggage, that way I have it for the 2000 mile trip home. Has anyone done this before?

I would have shipped to the dealer, but they say they don't want to hold it. Too many people have sent them too many parts and pieces and they can't keep track of any more.

Somewhere on here, I think, I saw that someone had done this before and the one thing they make you do, is take the valve stem out to keep the tire from over inflating, even though flying at 40K Ft. would only increase the differential pressure of the tire about 12psi. I work at a wind tunnel and know these things.

Anyone else have input? Thanks in advance!

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[Firsttexan]

It's mighty heavy for baggage. There's a jack and wrench with it too. I liked mine a lot. Except my spare retaining screw was a few threads short of being able to secure in place. Kind of fits tight in the well too. It may be overfilled with air.

 

[TonyNJ]

My Mach1 was built yesterday, and I will be flying to the Mid-West (Iowa) from California to pick it up from Granger Motors. I purchased a AUTOMOTIVE AUTHORITY Spare Tire kit. I plan on throwing it in a suit case and checking it as baggage, that way I have it for the 2000 mile trip home. Has anyone done this before?

I would have shipped to the dealer, but they say they don't want to hold it. Too many people have sent them too many parts and pieces and they can't keep track of any more.

Somewhere on here, I think, I saw that someone had done this before and the one thing they make you do, is take the valve stem out to keep the tire from over inflating, even though flying at 40K Ft. would only increase the differential pressure of the tire about 12psi. I work at a wind tunnel and know these things.

Anyone else have input? Thanks in advance!

Send it to your hotel if you're getting one.

 

[traxiii]

It's mighty heavy for baggage. There's a jack and wrench with it too. I liked mine a lot. Except my spare retaining screw was a few threads short of being able to secure in place. Kind of fits tight in the well too. It may be overfilled with air.

The whole thing only weighs 42# and if I split the jack from the wheel/tire it will easily fit in the 50# max. free bag limit. I have an old suitcase it would fit in easily, the tire is only 27" diameter and 6" wide.

I just hate checking baggage, especially when having to change planes. You never know if it makes the trip with you. I was also wondering if there were any restrictions, though my brother checks his bicycle in a box all the time.

 

[traxiii]

Send it to your hotel if you're getting one.

That is an option, but on Southwest, bags fly for free.

 

[jcttraveler]

I'd probably roll the dice and install the spare when you get home.

I bought the spare tire kit for my car, but for a couple thousand miles I only had the jizz and inflator. I too flew to pick up my car (Virginia to Michigan) and drove it home (via Indianapolis). Since then, I've put over 40K miles on the car; most of those miles with the spare, but so far have had no need to use it.

 

[JG M1]

My Mach1 was built yesterday, and I will be flying to the Mid-West (Iowa) from California to pick it up from Granger Motors. I purchased a AUTOMOTIVE AUTHORITY Spare Tire kit. I plan on throwing it in a suit case and checking it as baggage, that way I have it for the 2000 mile trip home. Has anyone done this before?

I would have shipped to the dealer, but they say they don't want to hold it. Too many people have sent them too many parts and pieces and they can't keep track of any more.

Somewhere on here, I think, I saw that someone had done this before and the one thing they make you do, is take the valve stem out to keep the tire from over inflating, even though flying at 40K Ft. would only increase the differential pressure of the tire about 12psi. I work at a wind tunnel and know these things.

Anyone else have input? Thanks in advance!

I wanted to ship the AA spare tire to Granger in advance, but they told me the same thing about having no room to store it or it might get misplaced or lost. Granger told to ship it to FedEx and have them hold it for me to pick-up. FedEx will hold it for up to seven days. The only problem is AA does not use FedEx, so I'm looking into other options, maybe UPS to hold.

You have the spare tire already, so maybe FedEx is an option for you.

 

[traxiii]

I wanted to ship the AA spare tire to Granger in advance, but they told me the same thing about having no room to store it or it might get misplaced or lost. Granger told to ship it to FedEx and have them hold it for me to pick-up. FedEx will hold it for up to seven days. The only problem is AA does not use FedEx, so I'm looking into other options, maybe UPS to hold.

You have the spare tire already, so maybe FedEx is an option for you.

Be here tomorrow.

 

[JG M1]

Be here tomorrow.

Well, that won't work either then!

 

[traxiii]

OK, we are going to be in Des Moines for a day and a half, so I figure if it misses my flight there is time for it to find us, I ordered these to store my Cup2's in and I'll use one to check my spare in baggage. It should be just under the weight limit, and easily within the size limit.

 

[Angrey]

They'll probably want you to verify that it's deflated and not pressurized. When you fly with dive tanks, they don't want stuff exploding in the cargo hold.

 

[traxiii]

They'll probably want you to verify that it's deflated and not pressurized. When you fly with dive tanks, they don't want stuff exploding in the cargo hold.

I've heard that and it's kind of funny, as the pressure differential in the tire or scuba tank only increases by about 12 psi from sea level to 40,000 feet. Atmospheric pressure at sea level is approximately 14.7psia, and it's around 2.5 psia at cruising altitude. I work with instrumentation in wind tunnels and know these things. It could slightly over pressure the tire, but would not be of any danger.

I think the main reason they don't want filled scuba tanks on the aircraft is that if the valve gets damaged (knocked off) it can turn into a torpedo. That could put a hole in the skin of the plane, damage control cables, hoses or surfaces, and seriously disable the aircraft.

P.S. I plan on removing the valve on the tire, just in case.

 

[Angrey]

I've heard that and it's kind of funny, as the pressure differential in the tire or scuba tank only increases by about 12 psi from sea level to 40,000 feet. Atmospheric pressure at sea level is approximately 14.7psia, and it's around 2.5 psia at cruising altitude. I work with instrumentation in wind tunnels and know these things. It could slightly over pressure the tire, but would not be of any danger.

I think the main reason they don't want filled scuba tanks on the aircraft is that if the valve gets damaged (knocked off) it can turn into a torpedo. That could put a hole in the skin of the plane, damage control cables, hoses or surfaces, and seriously disable the aircraft.

P.S. I plan on removing the valve on the tire, just in case.

Yeah, I don't think they care about low pressure at altitude, they care about something pressurized being a stored energy hazard that can't be checked on in the cargo hold.

 

[Hoose71]

OK, we are going to be in Des Moines for a day and a half, so I figure if it misses my flight there is time for it to find us, I ordered these to store my Cup2's in and I'll use one to check my spare in baggage. It should be just under the weight limit, and easily within the size limit.

I was just curious, what day are you going to pick up your car? I'm flying up Tuesday morning to pick up my wife's ecoboost.

EDIT: just realized you said it was built yesterday, so you're probably looking at a few weeks before you pick it up I guess.

 

[traxiii]

I was just curious, what day are you going to pick up your car? I'm flying up Tuesday morning to pick up my wife's ecoboost.

EDIT: just realized you said it was built yesterday, so you're probably looking at a few weeks before you pick it up I guess.

Right now it looks like Aug. 24. Work, available flights, and just in case shipping takes a little longer. By booking 4 weeks in advance the tickets were a little cheaper, and they are still changeable.

It was either that or wait till the last minute and pay through the nose, if there were even any seats available. Des Moines is not the most popular place to fly to, though most flights are full.

This plan also gives some time to get PPF and whatever done before pickup. With a 2000 mile trip home through desert and mountains, PPF off some kind is a really good idea I'm thinking.

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