Yukon spare tire and wheel

shaper · May 25, 2005

I just purchased a 2005 Yukon SLT with the 17" wheels. Today I happened to notice as I was putting the rear plate on that the spare tire was a different tread pattern. Upon closer inspection not only is it a different tire but it is a 16". This just doesn't seem right to me so I told my salesman about it and he said he would look into it. I really don't expect to get anywhere with him.

My question is, is this a normal practice for GM to do, upgrade the tires and rims but not the spare? I've always been under the impression that a different size spare can do harm to the vehicles differentials. I know for years a lot of vehicles had the little tiny donut spares which were a different size than those on the vehicle. Should I make an issue out of this or is this the norm?

99-2door · May 26, 2005

That is the correct spare. If you check out the wheel you will see it is made to clear the 17" brakes. Since the Z71 Tahoes came out with 17" wheels they have been including a 16" spare. The overall height of the tire is the same, it is a fullsize spare.

MS3DALE · May 26, 2005

Yes,That is correct,A 16" spare wheel is still standard on the 1/2 ton SUV's for '05. There is nothing wrong with your Yukon.

But on the 1/2 trucks for '05,A 17" spare wheel is standard because of the bigger front calipers,GM didn't give the SUVs the bigger front calipers as they did on the pickups for '05 (so naturally the 16" wheel won't work on the 1/2 ton pickups for '05)