Flat tire - spare size question

[Anita]

My truck is running tires 255.55.18. I have a spare wheel that has the stock 245.60.18. size bridgestone.

I have a flat on a rear wheel. Can I safely put the stock spare on without the truck bucking up a storm? It needs to get home 10 miles and back.

THE stock does sit taller so I am hesitant to do it without asking. HELP!!!

[wendysmiling]

We had a flat and had to drive 25mph on the spare to keep from messing up the TOD. Of course your tire is bigger. I hope you get a more knowledgeble person to answer your question. Sorry I wasn't much help, but I understand your concern.

[etlsport]

anita how about if you air down the spare tire a bit.. that should bring it down to the size of the rest of your tires? im not sure how low is safe though.. whatever you do, drive her safely home!

also maybe try a can of fix-a-flat? ive never used it but was told i should keep a can in the vx and to try that instead of tryin to use the spare if i just have a small puncture to the tire

[etlsport]

just checked some info... the stock spare is 165/90/17 which is roughly equal to 28.7" which is smaller than the stock vx tires... and smaller than your tires as well... so long as you put the spare on the front and move one of your front wheels (preferably the one on the same side of the vehicle) to the back you shouldnt be far from the intended use of the spare

[Ldub]

I'm with ETL...rotate the front to the rear & install the spare on the front.

Then take it easy on the way home. ;)

[IndianaVX]

i have used the fix a flat, and it does work on some flats/punctures/air leaking from chrome peeling....however, the guys at the tire shops hate the mess it leaves on the inside of the wheel.

i did have to run the spare, on the front, and the way it steered, i didnt want to go very fast. take the back roads nice and slow, and try not to notice everyone looking at the bright yellow spare ;)

be safe

[Raque Thomas]

Anita - know your problem was yesterday so you've probably already driven it home - but....seems to me you could pull the fuse for the TOD and eliminate that as a worry? I would have the same problem as you since I have that size tire as well - that was my plan if I ever had to run on the spare (pull the fuse). Also - somone mentioned putting the smaller tire on the front - I think I remember reading from someone here that was a definite no-no with the TOD (unless maybe you pulled the fuse?).

Anyway - let us know how it went for you with the spare - I may find myself in the same situation one day!

[Ldub]

Also - somone mentioned putting the smaller tire on the front - I think I remember reading from someone here that was a definite no-no with the TOD

Check me if I'm wrong here but... :confused:

The TOD system senses rear wheel slip & transfers power to the front...wouldn't two different size tires on the rear be "sensed" as wheel slip ?

Also, wouldn't two different size tires on the rear axle be turning at different speeds, eventually burning up the LSD clutches ?

[etlsport]

yeah spare wants to go on the front.... its even printed on the spare tire itself that you are only supposed to put it on the front and the stock tires are like 1/2" taller than anita's

[uncle_asa]

My truck is running tires 255.55.18. I have a spare wheel that has the stock 245.60.18. size bridgestone.

I have a flat on a rear wheel. Can I safely put the stock spare on without the truck bucking up a storm? It needs to get home 10 miles and back.

THE stock does sit taller so I am hesitant to do it without asking. HELP!!!
Should be no problem, Anita. BUT! Spare tire can only be installed on the front! So, put spare on the front instead of one of the good one, then put good one instead of flat.

[Anita]

Thank you everyone for the good advice. I REALLY did not want to drive the truck with the donut on so I had it flatbedded to a repair shop. Against my better judgement, I left it in an open lot at the shop overnight. Boyfriend had to hand me a couple of gin n tonics to calm me down and get to sleep. All was well in the morning - truck was okay. Unfortunately, the tire had a rather large hole on the inside side wall - so no repair could be done. A replacement shall be arriving this afternoon. Also I ordered a full size spare tire to be mounted on my spare Isuzu wheel. I should have done that from the start, then I wouldnt be whining about the donut...

[etlsport]

anita since youre getting two new tires anyway i would recommend taking both rear wheels off and putting both new tires on the rear of your vx.. then using the one in good shape as your full sized spare... that way there is 0 differnce in your rear tire heights

[Anita]

Do you think the new tire paired with one with about 9K miles on it cause a problem?

[Anita]

Okay, so I have a new Kumho 255/55/18 on the left rear. I am noticing a slight whine while coasting - just like the whine I get when i have a low air tire. The kumho definitely has more knobby tread.. my Nitto has the flat street design.

Next question: Do I buy another Kumho and run two new tires in the back with the Nittos on front, or do I buy a Nitto and replace the Kumho (leaving the Kumho as an emergency spare)? If the latter, would the truck react to a new Nitto and a used one on the back?

[Chopper]

Unless they are gumball re050s or you drive really, really hard....no.

[IndianaVX]

yeah spare wants to go on the front.... its even printed on the spare tire itself that you are only supposed to put it on the front and the stock tires are like 1/2" taller than anita's


i KNEW i read that somewhere, and since i dont have an owners manual, i figured i read it on the wheel cover, or a sticker somewhere back there.

[uncle_asa]

Next question: Do I buy another Kumho and run two new tires in the back with the Nittos on front, or do I buy a Nitto and replace the Kumho (leaving the Kumho as an emergency spare)? If the latter, would the truck react to a new Nitto and a used one on the back?
It is bad for transmission if you have tires with different threads because of different contact with the road, so it is better to order the one you already have on the rest 3 tires and use different thread as instructed for donut. Otherwise you have a chance to kill your limited-slip differential so it become regular open differential or you might have TOD/ABS to fail in some cases.

[Anita]

Yesterday, I spoke with my mechanic and he thought it was a bad idea to have tires with very different tread patterns on the truck. The differences of "wander", i.e. how the tire tracks can cause unusual wear on the tires and a potential problem in general for the truck. Replacement Nitto should be coming this week and the Kumho will be placed on my spare rim for emergencies. Thanks to all for good advice and a great discussion about spares.

Epilogue: New Nitto was put on and the whining stopped. All is well with the world. Maybe I am super sensitive to sound but its interesting that same size tires with some difference in tread wear and pattern can create enough change in the mechanism to produce unfamiliar sounds.