just curious as what you do for a spare with unidirectionals such as the Xterrains, baja claws, etc.? do you just hope your blowout occurs on one side or do you carry two spares? i was thinking about the xterrains when i get new tires (a while down the road) and this crossed my mind. i'm sure there is a simple answer. thanks..

here is an idea (since spares are normally for emergencies [unless you rotated them in])

get a nondirectional, but same sized spare with about the same tread pattern or aggressiveness... like xterrains for the truck and an mtr for the spare.....

i was asking more for in terms of rotating them in. the purchasing a differnt tire of same size was my original thought b/c it would be much cheaper.. but then i got to thinking about rotating it in.

I think I can help you. I just bought 5 Xterrians and had the same concerns. If you do get a flat you can drive on the spare even if it's not the right direction. But only to get you to a repair station. The guy said you could drive 100 miles or so without causing any problems. Once your at a service station you can have the flat tire repaired or take the spare off and have them reverse the rotation direction (take tire off and turn 180). Hope this helps.

yeah that's kind of what i thought would be recommended. it just seemed like it could be a lot of trouble. i didn't know you couldn't drive a uni for such a short time. i could see it in rain or something maybe, but regular road?
how hard is it to unmount the tire and remount on your own. i know doing those on fourwheeler, lawnmowers etc are easy...

i think i'll end up going with the spare of a different kind in the long run... not sure. i could get an el cheapo mudder for short time use.

thanks for the input guys!

there are some kits availabe that allow you to munt a trie /rim machine to your bumper...well, it isnt really a machine...but it does do the job and is rather easy to use..... the hard part is breaking the beads and then reseating the beads

I have 33" XTerrians, and a 31" BFG TA spare ;) Not the best trail etiquette, but I've tested it and it would work for a short time. And this way the spare still fits underneath!

Or course I also carry onboard air, a tire patch kit, and a tire patch spraycan.

yeah i think i'm just going to get a cheapo mt and use it as spare if i get unidirectionals. thanks for the info guys.

If you have limitedslip just make sure the tires have the same OD, NOT the same tire SIZE. I have Timberline AT's in 235/75/15. My spare is a Wrangler At 235/75/15. The Wangler is 2 inches taller and at least 2 inches skinnier. If you use 2 different OD tires on the back it will burn up the clutch packs for the lmited slip.

Originally posted by Mbrooks420
If you have limitedslip just make sure the tires have the same OD, NOT the same tire SIZE. I have Timberline AT's in 235/75/15. My spare is a Wrangler At 235/75/15. The Wangler is 2 inches taller and at least 2 inches skinnier. If you use 2 different OD tires on the back it will burn up the clutch packs for the lmited slip.

Heh? Was this a typo? I do not think it would be possible for the same size tires to have 2" difference between brands. Maybe 0.2"......If you were comparing the "unloaded" spare to your "loaded" tires, it may appear taller and more narrow. At most, I've seen about .3 --> .4" diameter difference in manufacturer ratings between the same size tire.

No, the tires are extremely different sizes. It was noticable on the truck as well. I had a flat and decided to put the spare on the front and the front tire in place of the flat rear tire. I was afraid to damage the limited slip clutch pack. It warns you about it in the owners manual.

Originally posted by Mbrooks420
. . . I was afraid to damage the limited slip clutch pack. It warns you about it in the owners manual.

That's odd that Ford left that out of the '97 Owner's Manual especially since they included a smaller "temporary use only" spare with all '95-'97 Explorers that came with 255 70R16 tires. When Ford redesigned the back end, it opened up more space for a 255 70R16 spare so starting in '98 they did away with the temporary spare on the Explorers. There is also a note in the '98 manual that states not to run tires of a different diameter on any axle due to the possibility of damage.