The right front wheel on my HHR was bent severely yesterday. I won't get the replacement wheel until later in the week. What is the best location of the space saver spare? That is, will it be safer and under less stress if I move it to the rear and put that tire on the front or does it even matter? It feels like the spare is really scrubbing the pavement on the front corner. My reasoning is that on the rear it is only dragged along while on the front it is called onto to pull the car and turn.

 

I would put it on the rear, the size is smaller so the front diff will have to work harder to make up .on the rear it can just roll along. IMO

 

That's the way that I am leaning. I noticed that I got a "Low Traction" notice when first started driving with it on. It should only be for 50 miles or so.

BTW- the replacement wheel new is $653 from GM and $490 from gmpartsdirect.com. I was lucky to find a single replacement wheel at $100. If you have the 17's be careful!

 

If you hit a pothole or something severely enough to bend the wheel you should have the front end checked for damaged/bent parts. I believe this would be covered under the comprehensive portion of your auto insurance. Check your deductible amt. It may be worth your while. Rates generally don't go up for comprehensive claims.

 

My insurance company considers that as a part of collision

 

I rotated the spare to the rear, rotated the tires on the other side to check for similar damage, did some rough measurements of the front end alignment and did a thorough road test. All appears fine other than the wheel. I used to be a certified mechanic years ago and I am comfortable with my ability to catch suspension issues.

After thorough interrogation and recovered memories, I was able to learn from wife that the tire may have been going down as she approached our subdivision and that she may have heard a louder than usual thunk she went across the dip in the entrance. After visiting the scene of the crime, I found the rubber marks on the road where it was going down. So the good news is that it wasn't a hard hit, just a very precise one. All will be okay by the end of the week.