wondering if anyone knows what side of the wheel/tire gets mounted in what direction when putting it back for storage. manual not 100% clear.

do the raised white letters face pavement ?

does the outside of the rim face pavement when stored? (the side that lug nuts would be on when placed on truck?)

 

Face side down.

Face side is the side that everyone sees as you drive the vehicle.

 

thanks a bunch - needed to make sure.

 

Also it helps to get to the valve stem to insure proper air pressure.

 

My 06 escape spare tire was face up . u couldnt get it all the way secure. It was wobble. Put the spare face@down towards ground and it secured perfectly. Hope that helps

 

This revived and old one...

When you get the vehicle new, the spare is upside-down; such that you can not get to the valve stem; I looked under many and watched the Ultimate Factories program on Discovery. They claim they put the spare face up so nothing rips the valve off.

Since I've used my spare; I've now put it face down so I can check the pressure regularly. Also, I had to use my spare about 300 miles from home; Ford did NOT balance it at the factory; none of them seem to be balanced. It was noticeable at highway speeds. Considering the cost of a new truck; they SHOULD balance the spare tire.

I did question my dealer about why they don't balance them. The dealer did not know and balanced mine for free. The dealer told me the spare goes upside-down to protect the valve (I asked them about up-side down reason too!).

 

I put mine face down and that makes a neat storage area for 2 wood blocks, 4X4X6 to use for jacking, chocks or whatever.