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Oversized spare tire for GCs with bigger tires

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19K views 18 replies 6 participants last post by  Gofastr 
#1 · (Edited)
Just a little something for those sizing up a spare. I had a 255/70r18 hankook all terrain mounted on the stock spare rim today.

on my 2014 GC Limited Diesel ORAII the full size stock spare was full height but not full sized. This might be important to you if you are considering stuffing an oversize all terrain spare under the stock spare tire cover. My stock 18" steel rim spare came with a 245/65r18 Kuhmo Solus to match the 265/60r18 Lattitudes. Since the stock spare is 20mm narrower than the stock tires, dont just think that any spare all terrain equal to the width of stock tires will fit under the tire cover. A 265 width spare would not have fit under the stock spare tire cover. I tried one of my 265 stock wheel/tire and it lifted the cover up and kept it from closing.

I run 275/65r18 Duratracs now. I was able to squeeze a 255/70r18 (almost exactly same height and circumference as 275s) all terrain spare under the cover with other accessories and have it close and latch. It did not appear that there was ANY more room at all to fit a wider tire. The bottom of the cover sat perfectly on the side of the tire and latched and sat flat. When i put the stock jack and foam block in the center of the spare tire it seemed to bow the center of the cover up a tiny bit but it still latches. So tomorrow i will cut away a little material on the bottom of the foam block to see if i can get it to sit 1/4 to 1/2 inch lower in the spare rim.

probably doesnt help you 20inch guys out but for Limited owners a 255 tire on the 18 inch spare rim seems to be the max under the stock spare tire cover without modifying anything. But since that is big enough to have a full height all terrain spare for the biggest all terrain tire that will fit a a new Quadralift GC, it works out fine.
 
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#2 · (Edited)
Jeep, Jeep, Jeep... what are you thinking when you design your vehicles???
Your ads portent to all the offroad capabilities of the JEEP lineup, but some important details seem to be left out. Like having a full size spare and knowing that Jeeps will be modified. One of the first mods usually being tire upgrades! Granted that the majority of the new GC's will typically see never see anything more than a gravel parking lot, but come on Jeep you could have made the spare tire tub large enough to hold a spare the same size as what's on the ground!!! There are some of us that do take their Jeeps offroad and I’ve always been an advocate of having 5 tires of the same size when venturing offroad. Ok, end of rant!

The spare tire in the '13 GC Trailhawk is just like the spare in "Goonbash's", a 245/65r18 Kuhmo Solus street tire. The Hawks' other tires are Goodyear Silent Armor 265/60/18's - AT type tire. I've upgraded to the 275/65/18 Goodyear DuraTracs on another set of stock wheels. (See mods here: http://www.jeepgarage.org/f73/my-trailhawk-mods-70444.html)


The first two pics are of the stock spare in the "tub" and up against the DuraTrac.

I took out the original spare and tried fitting the Silent Armor 265/60/18 in the hole with the front face down so that the "tool pack" could be set down into the rim. Then I put the plastic tubs back in around the tire, unfortunately they don't fit. See the pic with the pencil in the gap. Yes, you can force the spare tire cover down if you wanted too.

If the wheel is flipped face up the cover will close, but then the styrofoam tool holder can’t be used and a new hold down bracket would need to be made. With the wheel face up the flat “spokes” don’t hit the raised section on the bottom of the tub. See pic of taped off section. This raised section could probably be reduced with a hammer and dolly. Another option would be to cut the “tub” out and section it to be large enough to fit a 275/65/18 tire as there appears to be enough room under the vehicle.
 

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#4 · (Edited)
Nice. They always look better with mud on them. I know what you mean. They almost did it. But at least it holds a full height all terrain spare, makes me feel ok about getting out of anywhere i got into if i had a blowout off road.







I live over a mile high in the mountains. That looks similar to my daily commute into town. (Not kidding nor making fun) Here are a couple from the desert last weekend. Looks like you might have bright white too.
 
#5 ·
I'm running 265/65/18 BFG A/T's on my 2011 and on the spare steel rim it fits and the cover can close, different tire side walls bulge more than others, try a few different brands in the size you want to run as you may find a different brand will fit.
I can defiantly say the BFG A/T 265/65/18 fits in the spare well and the cover closes, I'm not the only one in Oz running this tire for this reason
Yoda
 
#7 · (Edited)
If the wheel is flipped face up the cover will close, but then the styrofoam tool holder can’t be used and a new hold down bracket would need to be made. With the wheel face up the flat “spokes” don’t hit the raised section on the bottom of the tub. See pic of taped off section. This raised section could probably be reduced with a hammer and dolly. Another option would be to cut the “tub” out and section it to be large enough to fit a 275/65/18 tire as there appears to be enough room under the vehicle. [/SIZE][/QUOTE]

That is exactly what I did. I welded a 1/2" diameter rod extension to the stock threaded tie down bolt ( 9- 1/2" total length) and placed an OEM Jeep polished 20" wheel face side up on the stock Goodyear Fortera 265/50R20. I put the jack inside a cloth bag and it fits under the rim with no rattles. I hated the thought of the black spare tire with an 18" rim on this nice Jeep.
 

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#8 ·
Snoball - Did the same thing with threaded rod, but the top of the tire "tie-down/retainer" hits the bottom of the cover when its closed. Thinking about making a "cup" design that drops down into the rim.

Yoda42 - Yep, (running BFG AT's on my '97 XJ as street tires) sidewall surface is smooth like the Goodyear Silent Armor.

Goonbash - Bright White :thumbsup: Ha, ha,... People told me that "white" won't show the dirt... BS!!! It's worse than "black".
Are you out along 395 someplace? Ever get up around Mono Lake or Bodie?
And is that you on the slackline on the Lost Arrow?
 
#9 ·
Snoball - Did the same thing with threaded rod, but the top of the tire "tie-down/retainer" hits the bottom of the cover when its closed. Thinking about making a "cup" design that drops down into the rim
That is odd. The OEM retainer I used to extend does not hit my cover......
The OEM retainer is kinda cupped to fit down into the center hole and not protrude.
 
#10 · (Edited)
KJ97, I was outside of Joshua Tree. I love the brightwhite.
I dont know where you saw anything about me and Lost Arrow (since i never used my real name here) but I went there several times.

oh i see. I.wasnt aware my whole photo library was open just by posting the pics above. The first Lost Arrow Spire photo i saw when i scrolled down had Damian on the line and me on the flake waiting (left side of highline).

i think the ones of me are near the very end of the photobucket album. Thanks for the stroll down memory lane.
 
#11 ·
Snoball - I just used a threaded coupling and a piece of threaded road to test fit. I'll take another look at my retainer, wonder if there is a slight difference with the tire/wheel combos? I was checking the 265/60/18 DuraTrac on the stock 5 flat spoke rim.

Goonbash - The photobucket link showed up in the "subscribed thread" email notification. Good stuff !!! Never been up the Spire or climbs near the Falls. I'd be shaky and falling down like an old drunk trying to pass a field sobriety test if out on a slackline! :lol:

Ever do "Royal Arches"? The pendulum at the top is fun. Go to Yosemite often, 5-6 times a year, but unfortunately haven't done any climbing in a bunch of years. :(

Ha, ha... bet ya don't have one of these babies.
 

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#13 ·
Apologies in advance for the bump of a 1 year+ thread...

Goonbash - do the 275/65r18 Duratracs rub at all for you when off road, or when jeep drops into aero mode? Did you try putting that 275/65R18 in the tub while under inflated? I carry an electric air pump, so under inflating a spare to fit tub and inflating if/when needed wouldn't be a problem.

Anyone - not really the subject of this thread... but I'll try. Do you guys see any advantage/disadvantage in running a taller, narrower tire? My thought is doing so to get as much increase in ride height as possible while not rubbing in turns. Plus, I've heard that in off road snow it's better to have a narrower tire to reduce float and get better traction. Thoughts?
 
#14 ·
Gofastr,

Not sure if you read the first couple "posts" in this thread about fitting a full size spare? If not, might want too. The DuraTrac in that size is an LT tire (Light Truck), going to be pretty tough trying to squeeze a deflated tire in there.

No, the 275/65/18's do not rub in "Sport/Areo, or Park" mode.

As for a taller, narrower tire for wheeling in the snow... If you are wheeling offroad and snow conditions are that deep and crappy the only advantage of a narrower tire (and rim) is that it gives you more clearance for chains.

I'm going to guess that 95+% of the time you wouldn't be wheeling your GC offroad in conditions that you would even notice or warrant a narrower tire.

My 2 cents.
 

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#17 ·
Thanks XJ,
Yup, read through the thread (and the link to your TH mods - nice ride).

Since you mentioned the Silent Armor 265/60's fit in tub (w/o trays) and one could force lid to close, I haven't found where anyone has commented on getting 275/65s into the tub, and 255/65/18 fits (i.e. the 32" diameter seems ok going into the tub), my question about deflating 275/65's to get them in there.

You do have the Duratracs on (nicely pained) stock 18x8's, yes? I think you noted you've got ~ 1/2 clearance to knuckle with those - does that change with ride height? Root of my question is that I'm wondering if these 275/65s on stock 18s would allow me to run chains in raised mode. Though I'm closer to 5%+ in terms of miles in conditions tha warrant chains (no, this isn't my daily driver... and I get into the hills in the winter a lot!), I agree that wider (with room for chains) is better than narrow.
 
#16 ·
The 275/65/18 tire is a wider tire, which doesn't allow the cover to close correctly. Also, depending on manufacturer, tires of the "same" size can differ by a fair amount.

255/70/18 vs 275/65/18 and differences

Diameter inches (mm)
32.06 (814.2)
32.07 (814.7)
0.02 (0.5) 0.1%
Width inches (mm)
10.04 (255)
10.83 (275)
0.79 (20) 7.8%
Circum. inches (mm)
100.7 (2557.88)
100.77 (2559.46)
0.06 (1.57) 0.1%
Sidewall Height inches (mm)
7.03 (178.5)
7.04 (178.75)
0.01 (0.25) 0.1%
Revolutions per mile (km)
629.17 (390.95)
628.78 (390.71)
-0.39 (-0.24) -0.1%
 
#19 ·
Yeah, that's close XJ - no chain will fit there. Thanks for the pics.

Why/where chains? 4th season elk hunting all over Colorado, where it's not uncommon to get 2-3' of snow in a storm. If I'm fortunate enough to be successful, I just throw my elk in the back of the GC...
 
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