Exterior Makeover: Spare Tire Cover & Giveaway

When we started our exterior makeover last year, I knew we needed to get a new spare tire cover.  The one that was on there had definitely seen better days.  In fact it had so many holes in it, I’m not sure it was protecting our spare tire much at all.  😛

We had painted the exterior and repaired the body panels last year.  (I know!  I still need to get a post up about painting the exterior.  Where does the time go?)  The outside looks so fresh and pretty now, but that spare tire cover was sticking out like a sore thumb.  I put off purchasing a cover, though, for a couple of reasons.  First, I wasn’t entirely sure what size to buy.  I can talk paint, fabric, and flooring all day, but sometimes I have to get into the nitty-gritty details of pop up campers–like bearings, and hitches, and tires–and I hit a road block.  But life can’t be all makeovers and glamping, right?  I knew I had to do the maintenance stuff, too.  😉

Second, we had spent so much time on the exterior of the camper that I wanted to make sure the spare tire cover we ordered was high quality and added to the new look.  I didn’t just want to order a plain Jane black cover off of Amazon.  I wanted something custom.  So I scoured the Internet and spent way too long e-mailing companies and checking out reviews.  I came across Custom-Tire-Covers.net, and fired off and e-mail.  They made it so easy, and it turns out my procrastination was totally unwarranted.

The folks at Custom-Tire-Covers.net walked me through how to order the right size, and it is so simple.  I should have done this ages ago.  The first thing you’ll want to do is remove your old cover and check your spare.  We had just replaced our tires and had the mechanic check condition of the spare and the date code to make sure it was going to be reliable in the off chance we needed to use it.  If you need more information on camper tires, you can find some great information here and here.  The PopUpPortal is also an invaluable source of information.  Jackie and Patrice at Custom-Tire-Covers.net asked us for the size printed on the tire, which can be found on the side wall.  It should look something like the picture above.  Ours is ST175/80D13.

Want to know what all those numbers and letters actually mean?  Yeah, I did, too.  Here’s a great post on deciphering them.  The really important measurement for my tire cover, though is that “D13” at the end.  The “13” is my wheel size, so that was the size cover I needed.  Custom-Tire-Covers.net takes it a little further, though.  They custom make each cover to ensure an accurate fit, so they also asked what type of tire I had.  That’s where the “D” comes in.  That “D” indicates that I have diagonal or bias ply tires.  An “R” would indicate radial.  Custom-Tire-Covers increases the size of the material over the tread by 1″ to accommodate bias ply tires, so make sure you know your wheel size and tire type when ordering.Ordering is super simple.  They have hundreds of different stock tire covers, so there is something for everyone.  They’ve even got a “CUSTOM ITEMS” area where you can design your own tire cover.  I had a little bit of fun playing with the design tools, but ultimately, I just e-mailed Jackie and Patrice my logo and had them work their magic.  Within a few hours, they sent me a proof for my approval and a PayPal invoice.  A couple days after paying the invoice, I had shipping information and a tracking number in my inbox.  Less than a week after ordering, my cover was on my doorstep, waiting to be installed.  I was amazed at the customer service, too.  Jackie and Patrice let me know that they typically try to fill orders within a week, but if they are swamped (like during Christmas), they may take a bit longer.

The installation process was pretty simple.  The covers come with a 90# cotton rope that you use to secure the cover.  We placed the cover on the spare tire, took up the slack with the rope, and tied it off underneath the tire.  I had bit of trouble getting a tight fit, but it may just be that I am a bit of a perfectionist.  I enlisted Mr. TypeTwoFun’s strong hands to pull the rope tight and tie it off.

Once we were happy with the fit, we threaded the enclosed zip tie through the metal grommets at the bottom of the cover.  This is to prevent theft of the cover, not to secure the cover itself.  The installation instructions caution against tightening the zip tie too much.  You just want to make sure it is snug, but not pulling on the grommets.

That’s all there is to it.  Less than a week after deciding to order a custom cover, my little PUP was sporting some new bling.  Easy-peasy–and I’m super happy with the quality of the cover.  It seems to be constructed better and will be more durable than the original.  I’m thinking this spare tire cover will last us a good long time… and now we are easily recognizable.  So if you see us in the campground, come by and say hello.  (But if I’m yelling at my teenagers, just pretend you didn’t hear it, okay? 😀 )

Thanks, Jackie and Patrice!  You guys rock!

Has your spare tire cover seen better days as well?  Want to win a new cover of your own?  Custom-Tire-Covers.net has been generous enough to send us one stock tire cover (valued at $59.99) to give away to a lucky Pop Up Princess reader.  All you have to do is like Custom-Tire-Covers on Facebook and visit Custom-Tire-Covers.net, peruse the enormous selection of tire covers available through their website, and come back here to leave a comment on which cover you’d pick if you are selected as the winner.  Bonus entries are available for following Custom-Tire-Covers on Instagram and The Pop Up Princess on Instagram and Twitter.  See the entry form below for more details… and good luck!

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Happy Camping!

 

***Disclaimer:  I was not financially compensated for this post.  I purchased the custom spare tire cover you see in this post myself, but was given a small discount on the custom fee in exchange for giving an honest review of the product.  The opinions expressed above are completely my own based on my experience.   Please know that I write my honest opinion on all product reviews.  The content of my review will always be my true and honest experience with the product.  If you see a review here on The Pop Up Princess, you know I like the product enough to give it my stamp of approval.***

Happy Camping!