Listen to this horror story | Ford Explorer Forums

  • Register Today It's free!

Listen to this horror story

4Wheelin

Explorer Addict
Joined
December 9, 1999
Messages
1,322
Reaction score
0
City, State
Smithtown, Long Island, New York
Year, Model & Trim Level
1993 Explorer Sport 4x4
I went to visit my girlfriend at school in upstate New York (New Paltz) and on top of getting lost on the way there I got a flat tire while driving around. No big problem, a 30 min procedure right. Well it turned out to be a 3 hour deal and cost me $100!! I jacked it up and the jack wasn't high enough because the truck was on a slant because of the shoulder lane and luckily a state trooper rolled by who had a jack in his car that was high enough BUT when I pulled the spare off the back not only was it a recalled Firestone but the center bore on the rim did not fit over the 4 wheel drive hub and we tried everything to get it on. So in the pooring rain we called a tow truck who towed me to his shop and swapped rims. Sorry this was so long but I am REAL mad that the spare didn't fit, and does anyone have any suggestions on what to do? I was going to send Ford the bill and explain my story to them but I don't even know the address. Thanks for any help and to listening to me vent.
 



Join the Elite Explorers for $20 each year or try it out for $5 a month.

Elite Explorer members see no advertisements, no banner ads, no double underlined links,.
Add an avatar, upload photo attachments, and more!
.





You'd have to be sure the spare was never messed with , and then maybe Ford would help out . if nothing else they will replace the Firestone for free :)
 






I assume the flat was on the front (bc that is where the hub it right?). Why didn't you move a good tire from the rear to the front, where it would fit over the hub, and put the spare on the rear. Or does the rear have a hub too?
 






that is terrible...

i never checked my spare to see if it would fit on the front. i hope so, i ever have to use it. i always carry a can of fix a flat and a portable air compressor just incase. 3 out of the 4 flats that i had, fix a flat worked.
 






Michigander - You know what I never thought of that because of the confusion I was in but I don't know if it would have worked with all the jacks and I would have been worried about it tipping.
 






lol im gonna be screwed if i get a flat because i have a 29" goodyear wrangler for a spare and i have 31" tires now, and supposedly you cant mix sizes and rims (15" and 16") with a limited slip rear axle, so i gotta get off my duff sometime soon and go out to see if i need a 16" rim along with a 31" spare. can anyone help me on this who's an expert on the limited slip rear axle? Thankx
 






the rim size isn't so important. it is the tire diameter that matters. if your rims are 16" w/31" tires, then just get a 31" tire to fit your 15" spare rim.
 






the week before i switched to my 31" BFGs i was wheeling and camping in AZ on the boring flat dirt road out of the area i hit a sharp rock and tore thru the belt on the 267-75-15 Wilderness AT (driver's rear)

no big problem, it was flat and dry and daylight, so i just radioed the others on the CB and told them i had flatted. i had the factory jack and a 6 ton hydraulic and the other trucks had a 4 ton hydraulic and a hi-lift so jacking it up was no problem (we used the two hydraulics) but the factory spare was a 225-65-15, so i put that on the front driver's side and that tire on the driven axle and switched back to 2wd.

had to drive 160 miles home on that spare... no fun since it really pulled.

STILL need to get a full size spare and it is the top item on my list. have my own hi-lift now, but still carry the factory and 6 ton hydraulic.
 






Not fitting

When I bought my truck I checked the spare to see if it fitted. Same story, center hole did not go on the hub, got sand paper and got the rust out, maybe it is your probleme, because the center hole fits so tight. With the rust out it fits OK, but I have to check every winter because of road salt and the fact that the tire is under the truck. If the spare rim is not rusted then go see Ford, the should replace it to one that fits, try your dealer first, they should be able to do something or give you some adress to mail your complaint(and bill).
 






Originally posted by espnfreak
lol im gonna be screwed if i get a flat because i have a 29" goodyear wrangler for a spare and i have 31" tires now, and supposedly you cant mix sizes and rims (15" and 16") with a limited slip rear axle, so i gotta get off my duff sometime soon and go out to see if i need a 16" rim along with a 31" spare. can anyone help me on this who's an expert on the limited slip rear axle? Thankx

That is the way my and many other's '97 came equipped from Ford. My factory tires were 255 70R16 (30.1") whereas my spare is a 225 75R15 (28.3"). It also came with a limites slip from Ford as well. No mention in my manual about using the smaller spare on the LS rear, but if I ever need to mount it, I'll put it on the front to be safe, especially since my tires are now 265 75R16 (31.8").
 






You mean a state trooper actually got out to help?
 






Thanx Robert, Good Advice
 






Yea surprisingly enough two of them got out and helped me out.
 






Funny. Texas State Troopers would give you their first born to get you out of a jam. Here in Colorado, they won't even stop.

My wife (then girlfriend) got stuck in the '97 Blizzard for 6+ hours on the side of the road. Two CO troopers stopped long enough to see movement in the car (she was getting her stuff together assuming they'd give her a ride) then they drove off. Let me tell you if I ever found out who THOSE guys were, they'd be looking for a good dentist.
 






Originally posted by DarkMan
...Let me tell you if I ever found out who THOSE guys were, they'd be looking for a good dentist.

And you'd be looking for a good lawyer. :)

Steve
 






Originally posted by Gimp

Yep, one of my nephews has a '99 XLT that came like that and I also have a friend with a '98 Limited that came that way. They never knew it until they went to Ford to get their Deathstones swapped out.

I read in my owners manual that if you have 16" factory tires, your spare will also be a 16" tire.. I looked at my spare, and it's the same size as the regular 255/70R 16, just comes on a plain steel rim...
 






It's not the factory that equips them with the wrong spare, it's the dumbasses at the dealer that prep the car for delivery. They come from the factory equipped correctly 99.995% of the time. When they get to the dealer, they remove the spares for security purposes, and often times the stereo too. Sometimes they get the right spare back on the right vehicle, but quite often, they get the wrong one. That happened to me on my 97 (they wanted to keep it) and on my sister's 98 Splash, they tried to tell her that because the spare wasn't listed on the invoice, it must've been an option, and it didn't come on her truck! My dad almost hit the guy! :)

-Joe-
 






Hi 4wheelin,

I to experienced this while hunting and took a branch through the sidewall in a front tire. I had to beat the spare on with an axe part wat and then suck it on with the nuts. When I got back home, I immediately removed that wheel and took a die grinder to the hub of the rim and polished out the rust and made it a few thousands of an inch larger diameter.

Each fall, I now remove the spare from the hanger and polish the rust with a bit of emery cloth and put a coat of grease on it to keep the road salt from getting at it. All is well now, I have had the need to use the spare 1 other time in the front and it went on with no troubles.

Glenn
 






Originally posted by gijoecam
It's not the factory that equips them with the wrong spare . . .
-Joe-

Yes, it is the factory, at least on my '97 that equipped it with the temporary spare. From my '97 Owner's manual:

"The conventional spare tire (if equipped)
Your vehicle may be equipped with a conventional spare tire which can be used as a spare or a regular tire. This spare tire is identical to the other tires on your vehicle, although the wheel style may not match.

The temporary spare tire (if equipped)
Your vehicle may be equipped with a temporary spare tire. This spare is smaller than a regular tire and is intended for emergency use only. Us this spare when you get a flat tire and replace it with a full-size tire as soon as possible. It is not recommended that the vehicle be operated in 4WD HIGH or LOW modes with a temporary spare. If 4WD HIGH or LOW operation is necessary, do not operate above speeds of 16 km/h (10 mph) or for distances above 80 km (50 miles)."

Ford obviously wised up in '98 since there is a guy at work with a '98 4x4 Sport equipped just like my '97 and his has the 16" spare. Even his manual was changed to:

"Your vehicle is equipped with a spare tire that may be used as a spare or a regular tire. The spare tire is not equipped with wheel trim. The wheel trim from the original wheel/tire may be used on the spare. If your vehicle is equipped with 4WD or AWD, a spare tire of a different size than the road tires should not be used. Such a tire could result in damage to driveline components and make the vehicle difficult to control. Location of the spare tire and tools"

Back when I had my stock 255 70R16 tires on, I tried to fit one underneith and it wouldn't come close to fitting with my Hidden Hitch. I never tried to put it on before the hitch though. If it would have fit, it would have been very tight. '98 and ups should have the full-sized spare. '97s came with a temporary spare when equipped with 255 tires. It's funny though. When a '97 was equipped with 235 tires, it came with a 235 spare. Why did Ford equip the 255 vehicles with a 215 70 spare? They should have at least included the largest size spare they could fit, even if it was still a temporary spare.
 



Join the Elite Explorers for $20 each year or try it out for $5 a month.

Elite Explorer members see no advertisements, no banner ads, no double underlined links,.
Add an avatar, upload photo attachments, and more!
.





Back
Top