I have 32 in bfgs on my 96 f150 4x4. I got back to my truck from deer hunting and noticed I had a flat on the rear driver side. My spare is 30 inches. Is riding with this smaller tire going to hurt anything til I can get other tire fixed or replaced? It's really muddy where I am and I will need to use 4x4 to get out. How about 2 wheel drive on the road? Any problems there?

 

In 2wd on highway you will probably be fine. I have a 235/75 spare with 31s. However it might be rather difficult to get In and out of 4x4 cause the axles will bind. Being in the mud is a good thing cause it will let everything slip. It might work with out a hitch.
Idk but it shouldnt tear anything up if you patch/ replace the tire in a timely manner

 

I had no choice but to put in 4x4. It seemed to be ok while in mud. Very slick. As soon as I got solid ground I put in two wheel drive and it seemed fine there too. Thanks for reply

 

Your welcome , good to hear it worked

 

Not a wise decision to run mismatched tires on the rear if you have a limited slip. It will eat up the clutches pretty quick

 

Second what Brad said. I would have stopped once you got out of the mud and then moved the spare to the front with the hubs unlocked. Less wear and tear.

 

I've also heard people claim that an open diff will grenade if run at highway speeds with mismatched tires for any length of time. Personally I kind of doubt it, but it might be another reason to put the mismatched spare on the front.

 

Thanks for the input guys. I drove it home 50 miles with no problem it seems. I took it easy. I'm getting a new tire today. Hopefully everything will be ok in the long run.

 

It seems that slightly mismatched tires on the rear would be like driving on a constant sweeping turn, while going straight. One wheel jut turns faster. I dont think it would hurt an open diff at all, but limited slip it would.