When your car has factory Brembos, any ol’ spare tire will not work.

Getting a flat tire, while a minor inconvenience, can turn into an even bigger headache if you’re not paying attention, much like what happened to this 2020 Subaru WRX Sti owner. According to a Subaru mechanic, who goes by /u/yowiedingo on Reddit, a Subaru WRX Sti customer rolled into the shop, complaining that his WRX Sti with the spare tire mounted didn’t seem right. When they pried off the spare, this is what they saw!

Check out the aftermath photos below.

“I got a flat tire on my STI, borrowed a spare from a different car, drove for 5 minutes and something didn’t seem right so I pulled over.” from r/Justrolledintotheshop

The key phrase here is, “borrowed a spare.” Subaru, in all their wisdom, still includes a temporary spare tire in most of their cars except for some of their special edition models.

The size on these WRX STIs is listed in their manual.

Subaru temporary spares are engineered to fit over even their largest brake caliper sizes, giving important clearance so, even if it looks small, they won’t rub against the temporary steel wheel.

Cool kids, to save a negligible few pounds (#BecauseRaceCar) take the spare tire out, but forget to include a contingency plan, like making sure they have roadside assistance when they DO get a flat.

One can’t simply slap on any ol’ spare, it must be one made for your car.

This WRX STI owner found that out the hard way.

According to BestBuySubaru.com, a new front caliper runs at least $1,049 before tax. And, if you plan to get this installed at a dealership, there’s the labor, too.

Use this man’s mistake as a cautionary tale. If you’re going to remove your spare tire, make sure you have a backup plan!

Also, it’s a good idea to only mount spare wheels/tires in the back. Since most cars, with the engines up front, rely heavily on the front wheels, mounting the spares on the back is that much safer if you need to drive more than a few miles.

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