Spare Tire

[soltys]

I upsized my rubber from the stock 275/55/20 to 275/60/20 so my question is, how many people have upsized their spare tires to match or is this something that I shouldn't give much thought over as it is only a spare and will be solely used to get me back home or to the next available place to repair it.

[300 Blackout]

It’s main purpose is to get you home. If you have the coin to upgrade the spare, sweet. If not, I wouldn’t worry about it.

 

Personally, I removed my spare tire along with the retaining mechanism. Changing a tire on the side of the road is so dangerous, I’d rather use the money I would have spent on upgrading the spare to pay for a tow. Not worth the risk to me.

 

[Artie61]

If your spare is a lot taller or smaller , you can damage the rear diff . if you  drove too long on it ,

 

I would change the spare to the front (,if you did get a flat on the road )and make sure the rear had matching tire heights , so your good to go with leaving it as is , also take it out of 4 wheel drive

 

but if its dry rotted  might as well buy the 5th tire 

 

also you should practice dropping the spare because when you happen to need your spare its usually rusted or frozen in place and the side of the highway is not a place you want to be if its your first time taking it down , 

[300 Blackout]

also you should practice dropping the spare because when you happen to need your spare its usually rusted or frozen in place and the side of the highway is not a place you want to be if its your first time taking it down , 

Very good advice.

[soltys]

Totally agree with dropping the tire periodically.

5 hours ago, Artie61 said:

If your spare is a lot taller or smaller , you can damage the rear diff . if you  drove too long on it ,

 

Stock wheel size is 275/55/20 approx. 31.9 with a 275/60/20 is approx 33. 

[Artie61]

17 hours ago, soltys said:

Stock wheel size is 275/55/20 approx. 31.9 with a 275/60/20 is approx 33. 

Yea You are right there !  If your not driving on it very far ,couple of miles , you would be ok. 

not sure if a 33 will fit up in the spare tire spot though !

[Penguin VII]

I've got 35s and I've often wondered about this. I don't want to rob myself of the already small amount of bed space by putting in a full size spare (even more when I eventually jump to 37s) so I just keep that triple A number handy. Additionally, if I go off road ever I stay with a buddy that way we can worth together to get it out if needed (he has a spare and although much smaller we can do the front/rear swap and get it out before getting it towed).

I'm currently looking for a little air pump so I can go with a tire seal and pump it back up. If I were ever doing a lot of off road where you were far from civilization I'd look into one of those rear tire carriers you install into your hitch.

[Donstar]

A flat can happen at any time so I always carry a spare.  When I lived miles up a gravel road, I use to throw a matching wheel/tire into the box of the truck when travelling distances on rough roads.  I frequently travelled the Alaska Highway before it was paved and you could find yourself hundreds of miles away from a tire repair facility.  You didn't want to rely on a temporary tire setup!  If I was regularly off-roading, I'd mount a matching spare in the box.  

[Penguin VII]

Really depends on where you live. I'm personally not willing to let a full sized spare eat up all the room in my bed, and I live in new england where you can throw a rock and hit 5 dunks. A wool blanket and cell phone in the winter and worse case you're sitting in the cold a little. Even the worst storms aren't life and death unless you're really out in the boonies, in which case def carry a full sized spare. Just day to day most people don't need to, depending on location.