Spare tire

[Tonka]

The other day I got a flat, when I pull the spare out it was 265,70 r17 however, my truck is 275,65 r18. I did not know this when I brought my truck I've had it about two years. I called the dealership they basically said if the height of tire matched then it should be fine to make it down the road; but I have never had a spare that is not the right size. I'm not even positive if it would fit long story short I ended up flying to the tire place to get it fixed before it went completely flat again. Should I press the dealership and try to get the right spare or just get a cheap spare from a tire place? I would much rather have a correct full size spare because I drive this truck everywhere.

 

[Trainmaster]

If the rim fits your car and the tire's holding air, I wouldn't worry about it. It's possible that it came from the factory that way.

I would check the cable end on the spare tire hoist though. The end broke off mine and left my spare in the middle lane of I-78 one night.

 

[bobmbx]

The dealer is right, if all 5 tires are the same height, you're ok. Besides, its called a "spare". You shouldn't count it doing any thing other than getting you to a place to get your flat fixed. As long as you are in 2WD, its not an issue at all, even if it is a different diameter.

What you're not going to get from the dealer is a fancy rim to match the other 4.

 

[Tonka]

Wow! That's crazy, thank you..

 

[99WhiteC5Coupe]

The other day I got a flat, when I pull the spare out it was 265,70 r17 however, my truck is 275,65 r18. I did not know this when I brought my truck I've had it about two years. I called the dealership they basically said if the height of tire matched then it should be fine to make it down the road; but I have never had a spare that is not the right size. I'm not even positive if it would fit long story short I ended up flying to the tire place to get it fixed before it went completely flat again. Should I press the dealership and try to get the right spare or just get a cheap spare from a tire place? I would much rather have a correct full size spare because I drive this truck everywhere.

I ordered and bought a new 2015 Ford Expedition Limited 4x4, which came standard with 20” wheels and tires.

After the purchase, I checked the air in the spare tire (which incorrectly inflated to over 80 psi). It was an 18-inch steel wheel and tire.

I contacted my salesperson who said he thought the wrong spare wheel and tire was installed at the factory, stating he would check further.

The salesman called me a week later and said the 18-inch steel wheel and tire was used for all the 2015 Expedition models, and it was considered a “full-sized spare”, even though a different size than the standard road wheels and tires installed installed on my model.

Ford intentionally misleads its customers on this matter, if you have road wheels and tires larger than 18-inches. Even the Ford salesperson had no idea about this matter, and their literature does not clarify the issue.

 

[Tonka]

Of course not lol! Thanks

 

[ExplorerTom]

First of all, wheel size and tire size are two totally different things. I have 18” wheels on my Expedition but the tires are smaller in diameter than the tires on my Explorer that are mounted on 15” wheels.

Second, while yes the sizes are slightly different, the difference is minor. Extremely minor. Plug in the sizes to a tire calculator like this:
https://www.tacomaworld.com/tirecalc?tires=265-70r17-275-65r18

It’s extremely common for spares to be slightly smaller than the regular tires. You haven’t stumbled across anything new.

Save your energy for getting worked up about something that matters.

 

[ExplorerTom]

And another thing- your 18” wheels have tires that are slightly larger than the tire on your 17” spare wheel. When NEW.

But as the tires on the 18” wheel wear down, the spare tire will get closer and closer to that size. Depending on what kind of tire you have and how much thread there is to wear off, it’s possible that at some point the spare tire will be larger than the regular tires.

Only other option is to get a matching wheel/tire and start doing 5 tire rotations so all the tires wear down fairly evey. That’s what I do on my Expedition.

 

[Traveler]

I've got 18" wheels on the EB, and a 17" spare. The door sticker says the truck should have 255/70/18s. The truck has 265/70/18s (previous owner put them on, but I like them) the spare is a 265/70/17. That makes the difference about 1". More than I'm comfortable with. Would love to get one of those steel 18" spare wheels the limited with 20" wheels came with.

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[Black]

I've got 18" wheels on the EB, and a 17" spare. The door sticker says the truck should have 255/70/18s. The truck has 265/70/18s (previous owner put them on, but I like them) the spare is a 265/70/17. That makes the difference about 1". More than I'm comfortable with. Would love to get one of those steel 18" spare wheels the limited with 20" wheels came with.

Sent from my LML413DL using Tapatalk

Then go to you local junk yard.
18” Ford 6 lug steel wheels are a dime a dozen.
Go on FB Market place you can find one with a tire for $50 or less.

Rim size does not matter. Similar overall diameter is what matters.

 

[Traveler]

Yea, I know overall diameter is what matters. Its just easier to find (and pay for) a matching size when the wheels are closer (or the same) size.

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[rjdelp7]

A $60-70k full size, 4wd vehicle, should have a full size matching spare. My 1st gen has a steel rim, with the same size tire.

 

[Black]

A $60-70k full size, 4wd vehicle, should have a full size matching spare. My 1st gen has a steel rim, with the same size tire.

Why? Vehicles are ridiculously priced anyway why add unnecessary cost? A spare is just that a spare. Meant for temporary use what would the point of having an expensive rim and spare spare tire be aside from adding more cost.
On your typical road driven vehicle.
17” to 18” rim makes ZERO difference.
Mine came with a 17” spare. Sure I’ll be swapping to an 18” with same tire as the rest but I also off-road I lose a tire off road is a whole different ball game than a flat in the road.

 

[MuddySpokes]

Agree for the most part that on a 2WD / 4WD vehicle that a spare is a spare and using a lesser cost item compared to the main wheels makes sense unless the customer specifically orders a higher quality spare. Another thing to consider is the spare is riding under the chasis, collecting crud, and (typically) only gets any attention when one of the primary tires fails.

Different game for an AWD vehicle as it really should get a 5 wheel rotation, so the spare should have the same quality / appearance as the rest.

If we are going to raise a stink about the spare tire, then what about other things that come with the vehicle like who made the headlight bulbs or the transmission?

Only issue I have with Ford's choice of spare wheel material is that mine is showing a rust which is looking like it is heading past the surface stage. Same for the hanger as I do not have confidence that it will stay structurally sound for more than a couple more years due to rust.

 

[Flexpedition]

Lots of good reading material in the owners manual.

You should replace your spare tire when you replace the road tires or after six years due to aging even if it has not been used.

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Note: Your vehicle may be equipped with a dissimilar spare tire/wheel. A dissimilar spare tire/wheel is defined as a spare tire and/or wheel that is different in brand, size or appearance from the road tires and wheels. If you have a dissimilar spare tire/wheel it is intended for temporary use only and should not be used in a tire rotation.

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If you have a dissimilar spare tire/wheel, then it is intended for temporary use only. This means that if you need to use it, you should replace it as soon as possible with a road tire/wheel that is the same size and type as the road tires and wheels that were originally provided by Ford. If the dissimilar spare tire or wheel is damaged, it should be replaced rather than repaired.

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Full-size dissimilar spare with label on wheel: This spare tire has a label on the wheel that states: “THIS TIRE AND WHEEL FOR TEMPORARY USE ONLY”

When driving with one of the dissimilar spare tires listed above, do not:
• Exceed 50 mph (80 km/h)
• Load the vehicle beyond maximum vehicle load rating listed on the Safety Compliance Label
• Tow a trailer
• Use snow chains on the end of the vehicle with the dissimilar spare tire
• Use more than one dissimilar spare tire at a time
• Use commercial car washing equipment
• Try to repair the dissimilar spare tire

Use of one of the dissimilar spare tires listed above at any one wheel location can lead to impairment of the following:
• Handling, stability and braking performance

 

[Tonka]

Ok, so turns out that spare is actually what comes from the factory. I found it by accident after I talked with you all on here the spare being different didn't matter so I was done with it. Anyway, I'm researching tires, and inquiring about the difference between and LT and 4s the clerk told me to look on my label inside my driver's door panel to see if there is a P or any letters before my tire size, and on it was the spare information lol.