Spare tire size - v8

[Billynath1988]

Hypothetically speaking,

v8 full time 4wd
If im running 255/75/17's.. (32 inch tire)

And in the event of an unfortunate situation, I don't yet have a matching spare. can you run a different size to get you home/out of the woods/ 50-100 miles or so? Ive read conflicting answers.

Or is this an absolute no. Im under the assumption that open diffs aren't affected.

When I say different size either the stock 265/65/17 or a 265/70/17.

 

[Morphyne]

It'll be just fine.

 

[message]

I'd say no on this one, far too risky with the full-time 4wd. It's not worth replacing a differential and/or transfer case.

You "should" be able to fit a 32" tire underneath depending on the hitch you have installed. I currently run 265/70/17s which is 31.6" and it fits fine with a little room to spare.

 

[Range]

No. it's not a good idea. There's a reason why tire shops won't install different tires on the 4Runner V8. I'm not just talking about sizes either. The tread wear also will f*ck up the system if they're different. Yes, you will get home, yes you will be sorry you didn't buy a spare.

I have a 285x70x17 under there and it fits no problem. Go buy a spare.

 

[Billynath1988]

Problem solved.. Found a spare in time for my trip this weekend. 100 bucks on craigslist never been used.

Thanks for the replies though.

This is another one of those misleading things, you can do a search and get completely different answers. obviously the safest approach is to get the correct size spare but in a pinch, would a inch or two Actually make a difference for a short period of time. again, ive heard 10 different theories. Im sure one day someone may want to know the real answer with an explanation

 

[ARunner]

Glad you found a similar sized tire. That's your best option. I've never heard of someone running for such a short distance (<100 miles) at low speed and doing damage by having a slightly smaller or bigger tire. We have open diffs. Maybe the stability control would act up, but I would think not. Plenty of cars use donut spares significantly smaller than the factory tire size. My bigger concern would be getting off the trail with a puny shoe on one foot.

 

[bergs]

If we're worrying about an inch difference then I'd suggest no one get a flat tire ever.

 

[JB.]

This is another one of those misleading things, you can do a search and get completely different answers.

There are a lot of those. I'm happy with the hard won answers I've gotten for myself on various subjects but often there's no reward trying to share them -- unless arguing is considered its own reward.

For the record, I wouldn't hesitate to do what you asked about (50-100 miles out of the woods).