AWD and a new tire

[sidneyhop]

I had to get a new tire and its about 1" different in circumference than the others. I have it mounted in the front.

If I remove the drive shaft to the transfer case will this avoid damaging it?
Will mounting it in the rear or rotating the tires every few hundred miles reduce any damage?

Thanks!

 

[Ray Leonard]

Simple answer is NO. Dropping the front drive shaft will make it rear wheel drive only (better fuel economy) but will do nothing to prevent TC damage. And it doesnt matter if wheel is in front or back. ALL tires can not have more then what 9/16 diameter difference. (i dont rember the exact number) But I know I fragged my TC do to 1 new tire. Is why I plan to change over from AWD to true 4X4 and install Atlas TC

 

[410Fortune]

If you remove the front driveshaft then keep the odd ball tire on the front
You are now RWD AND it will drive weird AND you cannot park on steep incline because your truck actually uses park through both the front and rear axles. No front driveshaft = truck will slowly creep down a hill in park

I would HIGHLY recommend just getting the same size shoe on all 4 feet...that is part of owning an AWD = keep tires same size and same PSI otherwise AWD t case goes kablooey

 

[koda2000]

If you remove the front driveshaft then keep the odd ball tire on the front
You are now RWD AND it will drive weird AND you cannot park on steep incline because your truck actually uses park through both the front and rear axles. No front driveshaft = truck will slowly creep down a hill in park

I would HIGHLY recommend just getting the same size shoe on all 4 feet...that is part of owning an AWD = keep tires same size and same PSI otherwise AWD t case goes kablooey

The above is spot on advice. Ford recommends that all 4 tires on a AWD be the same size, manufacturer and model and that thread depth between tires not exceed 1/32 of an inch and that tire pressures are equal. Different diameter tire sizes (with or w/out the front drive shaft connected) will destroy the viscus coupling in the transfer case/center differential, Plus your truck will creep when in PARK on inclines.

 

[J_C]

If the rest of the tires are near worn out, now is the time to replace them. Otherwise, it seems like you could get a different tire closer to the same circumference, or there are still a "few" tire shops that will shave a tire down to make it the same diameter as the rest, but few people do that these days instead of just getting a used tire that is a closer match.

 

[koda2000]

One of my daughter's had a 2000 Mountaineer AWD. She had a flat tire and never had the spare repaired. A while later she got a second flat tire and had no spare. Someone lent her a donut spare so she could get home (she was about a 1/2 mile from her house). The AWD transfer case was not happy with the tiny donut spare and it got so bound-up it would barely move and steer. If she had forced it to get home the T-case would have been ruined.

 

[94Eddie]

I had to get a new tire and its about 1" different in circumference than the others. I have it mounted in the front.

If I remove the drive shaft to the transfer case will this avoid damaging it?
Will mounting it in the rear or rotating the tires every few hundred miles reduce any damage?

I believe you can buy a tire shaved down to match the diameter of your other three tires. This will keep the purchase of tires down to one. Here is a link explaining the process and its use for AWD vehicles.

What is Tire Shaving? – Tire America

 

[sidneyhop]

Thanks for the advice guys. Ive called 5 different tire places...no luck on the tire size much less the precise circumference. Ill keep looking.
Koda, how long did your daughter drive on the first spare? Id guess it likely didnt match the other tires unless rotated regularly?

 

[sidneyhop]

I believe you can buy a tire shaved down to match the diameter of your other three tires. This will keep the purchase of tires down to one. Here is a link explaining the process and its use for AWD vehicles.

What is Tire Shaving? – Tire America

Thanks for the info. Last resort Ill try this even though Ive already got a new tire mounted on the vehicle. Ideally Id like to find a local place that can do this.

 

[94Eddie]

Thanks for the info. Last resort Ill try this even though Ive already got a new tire mounted on the vehicle. Ideally Id like to find a local place that can do this.

Tire Rack will do this and I bet other places do to. Tire shaving is done a lot for performance reasons and doing a passenger tire is no different. You might want to call around to local speed shops and see if they can send you somewhere locally. Here's a link to Tire Rack:

Tire Rack

 

[koda2000]

Thanks for the advice guys. Ive called 5 different tire places...no luck on the tire size much less the precise circumference. Ill keep looking.
Koda, how long did your daughter drive on the first spare? Id guess it likely didnt match the other tires unless rotated regularly?

Her original spare closely matched the other 4 tires in outside diameter/height (which were a fairly new matched set of 4). With a slight difference in tire height you may be able to get away with, but it's still causing excess heat in the viscus coupling in the t-case. It's not a good idea. Due to the hassle and expense of needing to buy tires in sets of 4 or 5 I would never own an AWD vehicle. If I needed 4WD (I don't) I'd by a vehicle with a manual 4WD T-case.