Born and grew up in Nevada, currently in Oregon. "Hoosier" means "citizen of Indiana" to me, but only because I read
Tamara's blog.
Otherwise, it probably wouldn't mean much to me. Intellectually, I'd still understand it had something to do with Indiana, but I wouldn't automatically make that connection. Might take a few seconds for my synapses to reach that point.
I think this is the first time I've heard it as a reference to "rural person of low character or small means" or a tire, though. 'Round these parts, "rural person of low character or small means" are usually referred to as hicks or rednecks, or occasionally, hillbillies.