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Good question and I have no answer on that one. The other reason besides security I have the cover is to keep the UV's off the tire and rain off the jack because it does not fit in the garage.
Good points. I may have to run a standard wheel/tire as a spare until I can get a bed cover. My vehicles live in the driveway (garage is part workshop, part project area and part vehicle parts storage - like my wife's Rubicon hard top).
Thanks for the links. Do you know if there is a way to secure the wheel/tire and/or jack without a locking bed cover? I have large storage container I usually keep in the bed that is too tall for a cover.
My BET is you could probably mount that to the frame somewhere.
on my 2004 I installed a battery box for a 3rd battery - there TONS of room under there.
Hey all! Long time listener, first time caller. This forum is such a great wealth of info.
So I too have 275/65/20 Michelins on my 2018 F350 Platinum with a 275/70/18 Goodyear Wrangler spare. I’m going to put 295/65/20s on but wondering what is the BEST option for the spare? I’d prefer to use all stock wheels, but I suppose getting a second hand 20” wheel for the spare wouldn’t break the bank. Also the spare will go back up underneath the bed.
Should I keep the stock 18" wheel and maybe get a 285/75/18 used tire since there's just under 1% difference?
Or just try to find a used 20” wheel with a used 295/65/20 tire? I'm thinking this, as I could use this spare front or back and not have to shuffle multiple tires around on the side of the road in a flat situation.
Although I can appreciate the concern of running different tire sizes on a differential. I'm not convinced that it has any appreciable negative impacts especially when used in a temporary situation. Case in point, even running the exact same size tires there is a speed differential of up to 19-20% between right and left while turning. So unless you drive only in a straight line your differential is getting abused constantly.
A lot of people seem to freak out about this, but as the chart 2 post up shows, there is a 0.9% difference in the actual size of the tires, in the dimension that matters, when NEW. Put 50,000 miles on those 20 inch tires, and it will be even less. You probably even hit a point where that unused 18 inch spare is actually 'bigger' than the used 20 tire.
It would affect only a limited slip. The radius difference will mean the clutch packs in the differential will be slipping. It's designed to do this, but long-term persistent slip will wear the packs. Ideally, you want the same radius (distance from axle centerline to road surface) on the driven wheels. Tires are never going to be precisely the same radius. Manufacturing tolerances and tire pressure have an affect. So, there is always some speed difference between the tires, but it's not usually consequential unless you are just way off.
It can also affect a locker by allowing the rear end to steer the vehicle, but since the factory e-locker unlocks at 20mph, it's unlikely you would experience this.
An open differential won't have any effects from a size difference.
Correct, the Limited Slip Diff is the only area the difference really has a chance to cause an issue, and for the SRW that is not an option.
I guess one of the DRW would have to explain to me, when they pull the duals off and replace them with a single spare.
Again as I said above, the spare will always be a different size, as all the talk here only matter on new, unworn tires. In real life, with actual mileage on the truck, its a roll of the dice how the tires stack up.
that would be a little over 35" correct? So a 35x12.5x18 on a 18x9 wheel should fit (barely)? I'd feel much better having the same size spare after I upgrade wheels and not the OEM as we go to pretty remote places.
I was three hours from home on a Sunday when my 20 inch tire on my previous truck picked up a nail that wen in through the bottom edge and came out the side. Did not want to drive 3 hours at highway speeds with my spare 18 inch tire. Found a Firestone store open and bought a brand new 20 inch tire.I still have that new 20 inch tire because after I got home I bought 4 new 20 inch Goodyear wranglers. My new 2019 F 250 has 18 inch tires.
Correct, the Limited Slip Diff is the only area the difference really has a chance to cause an issue, and for the SRW that is not an option.
I guess one of the DRW would have to explain to me, when they pull the duals off and replace them with a single spare.
Again as I said above, the spare will always be a different size, as all the talk here only matter on new, unworn tires. In real life, with actual mileage on the truck, its a roll of the dice how the tires stack up.
The spare on my truck is the same as the other six tires. The wheel is steel, as are the rear inner wheels. Any of the seven wheels will fit in any position, though there is no good reason to mount an aluminum wheel at the inside position.
An XLT or XL is going to have steel wheels all around. Makes life even easier.
