2002 4x4, and spare tire questions... | Ford Explorer Forums - Serious Explorations

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2002 4x4, and spare tire questions...

fedyfedz

Well-Known Member
Joined
April 26, 2010
Messages
876
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City, State
Suffolk County, NY
Year, Model & Trim Level
2002 limited v8
so i tested my 4x4 the other day to make sure things were in check for the winter. 4 hi and 4 low both work perfectly. my question is since i have auto 4x4 im pretty sure its always in it, therefore the light should NOT light up right? Also im not sure if i tested it properly but i went on a patch of leaves and gave it some gas i heard the left rear tire spin and i dont think i heard the 4x4 kick in. is there a different easier way to check if the auto 4x4 is working?

Spare tire...
im going to be getting slightly bigger tires 245 to 255's definty dakotas. pep boys will be putting them on and my question is if i get a flat with my new tires and i have my old stock spare on my truck it wouldn't be a good idea to put that on in case of a blow out? I have cans of fix a flat, should i save up to get a spare of the same size. I figured the tire is going to be noticeably smaller and fry the transfer case if i had to drive a distance to a repair shop. I figured thats why ford put full size spares.
 



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whenever you change tire sizes on these trucks, it's my understanding that you can't forget about the spare, for the same reasons you just mentioned. so really you have to buy 5 tires.

That's why I ended up buying 5 wheels when I upgraded....might as well go with a 5 tire rotation pattern and get more life out of the tires. Otherwise I spent all that money just to have a nice tire sitting in the spare well of my truck :)
 






Yes, the spare needs to match the other 4. If you try to drive with a mismatched tire, you will do serious damage to the transfer case, pretty quickly.

Also, frequently rotate all of your tires. Any uneven wear will put additional wear/stress on the transfer case.
 






great thanks any insight on the 4x4 question?
 






to test your 4wd auto find a gravel road stop on it then floor it, chuck a uey and look at your skid marks,no light is on in 4x4 auto and if your windows down you should hear your front kick in after a while. my dad drives a hyundai that was how he tested his.

if you cant afford 5 new tyres try and get a 75%> second hand spare of the same size (and make if possible) although you guys are lucky with tyre prices over there my 245 65 17 cost $325 but its an option if your short on cash after 4 newies.
 






Yes, if you have the switch in the Auto position, then there should be no 4x4 lights on. However, I THINK the 4x4 dash light will come on when wheel slip is detected, and the transfer case clutch is actually engaged. However it may be on so briefly, that you may not see it.
 






to test your 4wd auto find a gravel road stop on it then floor it, chuck a uey and look at your skid marks,no light is on in 4x4 auto and if your windows down you should hear your front kick in after a while. my dad drives a hyundai that was how he tested his.

if you cant afford 5 new tyres try and get a 75%> second hand spare of the same size (and make if possible) although you guys are lucky with tyre prices over there my 245 65 17 cost $325 but its an option if your short on cash after 4 newies.

No, it's not really an option, unless you consider catastrophic drivetrain damage an option. The rolling circumference, or revs-per-mile, of a 75% worn tire vs, a new one, even they were both the same make/model/tread, would be different enough to cause damage. Not to mention, it could also be enough to confuse the ABS, and cause it to be disabled.
 






ooh ok my mistake 5 new it is then mate. im spewing about that one cause im up for 5 new 265 65 17s then soon,bugger
 






I'd be very interested in the question about testing the 4x4 also. I'm a new owner and not sure if the light should come on when the 4x4 kicks in automatically.
 






If your going leaves you should use wet ones. What you can also do is wait for it to rain and floor it. You should feel the front ones start to pull the car.
 






sweet thanks i will test it soon before snowfall. it should be easy as my tires are pretty worn.

As for the tires i will only be able to buy 4 tires as of right now for a month at least as to im very short on tires but i now i need 4 new ones for the winter casue the ones i have now are just about done. I have 2 cans of fix a flat that will hold me over until i get a tire.

Im stuborn and only want one certain tire that i think only pepboys makes. the definty dakota 255/70/16. this is one step up from my 245's now. And of course the tires are priced at i think $712 with a $134 mail-n-rebate. So around $578. ones the mail-n-rebate comes in i should buy a new tire but might need to buy some x-mas gifts :)
 






ok I am driving x with limited slip rear diff. So my qustion is if you got spair tire that is not as much worn as the other four and you need to use it. How is the best way to do it? Take the 4x4 fuses out? use it at front or rear?
 






now thats a good question, i dont know the answer but a bloody good question...
 






sweet thanks i will test it soon before snowfall. it should be easy as my tires are pretty worn.

As for the tires i will only be able to buy 4 tires as of right now for a month at least as to im very short on tires but i now i need 4 new ones for the winter casue the ones i have now are just about done. I have 2 cans of fix a flat that will hold me over until i get a tire.

Im stuborn and only want one certain tire that i think only pepboys makes. the definty dakota 255/70/16. this is one step up from my 245's now. And of course the tires are priced at i think $712 with a $134 mail-n-rebate. So around $578. ones the mail-n-rebate comes in i should buy a new tire but might need to buy some x-mas gifts :)

If money is tight you might want to consider looking at some used ones on ebay with about 90% tread life on them. Last november my back tires were badly worn, the front ones still had about 40% life left. Since I thought I was just going to trade it in I bought 2 used ones off ebay and shoved them on. In my experience it didnt harm the 4x4 system at all. Drove it like that from november to february, using the 4x4 very often during snow and then not at all on just dry pavement.
 






like i said im stubborn and will only buy this certain type of tire. when the mail and rebate comes back I will spend it on the spare also not a big fan of ebay. saving my pennies now and will buy them either the 18th or the 25th. going to cost about $712 total...
 






ok I am driving x with limited slip rear diff. So my qustion is if you got spair tire that is not as much worn as the other four and you need to use it. How is the best way to do it? Take the 4x4 fuses out? use it at front or rear?

Dose no one have answer to this? or am I stealing this tread by asking about it here?
 






its a bit of stuffing around but if you had rooted tyres on your truck and got a rear flat and your spare was new put the spare on the front, remove fuses then put the front on the rear. front flat just put on spare and remove fuses.... did i make any sense then?

if your tyres are masssivly worn compared to your spare or vice versa, also if you have a compressor you could maybe run a few psi extra in the worn one to maybe? make up the revs per mile?

instead of removing fuses, search for brown wire mod.
 






Yes thanks. That was what I was thinking. allways good to have second opinion.
 






no worries....i just hope we're right!;)
 



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New tires

I just had a dealer gripe at me for putting two brand new tires on the the back of my 02 that are the same size as the used ones on the front. The fronts still have a good 20K left on them and I do no off-roading. I think he was just trying to sell me tires. I have only had the rears for about 800 miles. I just couldn't afford all 4 at one time. What effect would that have? They are ll the original size for the Limited V8 ...245-70-16
 






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