Spare tire worth the upgrade?

[CrazyCooter]

I'm going 37s so I ordered a 35x10.50r17 for a spare to tuck under. Figured if I needed to drive any distance I'd air down a 37 and max out the 35 on air pressure.

Advertisement

 

[PDiddy]

What if it's used as a TRUCK? To haul stuff? (sometimes long distances)
It IS a truck, after-all.

If your using it for truck stuff, then you run no spare and hang truck nuts from that area. Everyone knows that.

By the way, that blue with those rims is a really nice combo.

 

[Gladman]

The only JT owners who have something extra to watch out for are the Overland owners.
Overland has 18" wheels/tires - except the spare. The spare is a 17" rim/tire.

The High Altitude ver has 20” rim/tire. I wonder what the spare will be?

 

[MadMojave]

Yes. I upgraded the spare tire when I compared side by side the stock vs 37. I would do the same if I went with 35”. The 37 did not fit (even deflected) under the bed stock spare tire, so I had to buy a bed tire carrier.

 

[SuburbanGP88]

I guess neither. I kept the stock spare which is the 17" aluminum alloy Sport S wheel which came in the standard silver. I painted the 4 wheels on the car black to match the blacked out trim theme. So I have 1 stock silver spare and 4 painted stock wheels. Neither upgraded nor kept stock like the rest.

 

[TexasTJ]

I went with a matching spare wheel and tire for my 37s, but I will also do 5 tire rotations (don't forget to add a TPMS to the new spare). 37x12.5r17 Falken Wildpeak fit under the bed. Last thing I want is an undersized spare on an off-road trip.

 

[TJDave]

I have always carried a full size spare and matching wheel on my Jeeps. You never know when you are going to need it. One time I did in the middle of nowhere. Stick through the sidewall, not patchable.

 

[redrider]

How well does the TracLok operate when a different size tire/wheel is on each axle? Or perhaps you have lockers and need the traction?

 

[KurtP]

Depends. If you're just building a mall crawler, then it may not matter? I think for people who actually plan on using their truck, go ahead and do 5 wheel/tire that are the same and run a 5 tire rotation. The tires last longer, and you dont have issues if you actually have to swap a flat.

 

[Orange01z28]

I go offroading

Full size is a must

I did keep the stock steel wheel so the spare won't get into the rotation and will last me for another set of tires after this one

 

[Russ75]

If you off road and don’t upgrade the spare you are setting yourself up to get stranded somewhere. I upgraded my tires to 35s and I bought a cheap kenda klever as my full time spare. If you don’t off road and use a smaller spare you need to put the spare on a passive axle not the drive axle. The variation in wheel rpm will put a large amount of stress on the differential. This means you if your rear tire gets a flat on the road, you need to put the spare on the front and move the full size tire to the active drive axle in the rear. Just buy the cheapest tire in that size and make it your spare.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

That’s why I got the max tow on mine.

Yup - that makes sense, especially for those towing more than I do. But then this has turned into sort of a daily driver (am considering selling my prized WJ) and my wife was involved in the choosing of this truck. At that time, the Sport S was not available with many of the things we wanted and when we started adding things to it to get it even close, it was close to the same price as this Overland................

You gotta choose what's best for YOU and YOUR needs no matter what. It's your truck.

 

[SuburbanGP88]

Very true. If you're going to depend on your tires in places you won't be able to get help, it makes sense to have a matching spare so you won't get stranded.

It's the same reasoning as why you shouldn't carry a box of 38 special when your EDC is a 1911.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

How well does the TracLok operate when a different size tire/wheel is on each axle? Or perhaps you have lockers and need the traction?

Never run mis-matched tires on a limited slip situation.

I rebuilt this differential for a guy - some of the plates were blue.
Granted, he may have had other issues like the wrong fluid, etc..... it took a full clutch kit and all new bearings and seals to make it right.

There is always some "friction" with this type - the specs for this one were 45 pound/feet to break-away. In other words, one wheel on the ground, the other off the ground, it's supposed to take 45 pound/feet to turn the wheel that's off the ground. Even without torque on them, the clutches are pre-loaded a bit.

 

[itsdapk]

I upgraded mine.