mismatched tires and AWD

[JonnyK5]

my tires have about 30-40% tread left. my spare is unused. will it screw up the diffs if i need to use it? not sure if my rear is a LS, but it does have a tow package. did that come with LS?

also thinking of upgrading to a bigger size-255/70 to a 265/70. i couldnt use my old spare with the bigger size either right? just put a hitch on and the stocker barely fits. dont think i could get a 265/70 under there.

i would like to do a 5wheel rotation, so everthing has even wear. is there anyplace to buy a factoy rim? i have the premium alloys on my 2000 mounty.

thanks

 

[MountaineerGreen]

my tires have about 30-40% tread left. my spare is unused. will it screw up the diffs if i need to use it? not sure if my rear is a LS, but it does have a tow package. did that come with LS?

also thinking of upgrading to a bigger size-255/70 to a 265/70. i couldnt use my old spare with the bigger size either right? just put a hitch on and the stocker barely fits. dont think i could get a 265/70 under there.

i would like to do a 5wheel rotation, so everthing has even wear. is there anyplace to buy a factoy rim? i have the premium alloys on my 2000 mounty.

thanks

The short answer is no.

The factory book says running mismatched tires (size or tread depth) can wear out the transfer case. The difference in the rotating speeds front vs rear can burn up the clutches in the transfer case. On the rear, it can affect the LS unit if it is a considerable difference.

You can upgrade to a 265/70 tire and it will fit in your spare location. I have a 265/75 16 under mine now, with a hitch. You just have to modify the forward bracket a little to make it fit.

You can occasionally catch a oddball wheel on ebay or on here, the latter being less expensive. I don't really see how you will gain much by doing that. My spare is one with about 1/2 tread that I got from the tire shop for $20, it doesn't match my tires at all.

I hope I answered everything well enough, if not just ask.

 

[ExplorerDMB]

M-Green answered it very well!

-Drew

 

[JonnyK5]

thanks for the response.
the reason i wanted to get a matching wheel for 5 wheel rotation is that my spare will always have the same amount of wear as the rest of the set.
next time i buy tires i'll get 5 new matching tires. i wouldnt have to worry if a got a flat and i had a new spare and worn out tires. or if i cut a sidewall on one i still have four evenly worn tires to run and dont need to replace the whole set.

the hitch i bought was for 15" wheels, so i already had to bend the bracket to get the stock 16 to fit. any more and i'll be rubbing the rear axle. shoulda spent the extra cash and got one that fit 16's with no mods, but i thought it would stick out too much.

BTW , MountaineerGreen, are you running 265/75 w/o lift or cutting? how about runningboards?

 

[MountaineerGreen]

I ran my 265/75's for a while with no lift. I had to cut the bottom corner off my front bumper, trim just a little on my factory running boards. That was with TT and shackles. There are pictures in my registry of it like that- link to that is in my signature. There are many pictures, even of where I cut in my photo gallery.

I now have a 4" superlift, but still running the same tires

 

[wpurple]

When I had gotten in my accident, and had to have a tire replaced, the garage said that as long as the ones on the truck have not worn more than 2/32"

 

[MountaineerGreen]

When I had gotten in my accident, and had to have a tire replaced, the garage said that as long as the ones on the truck have not worn more than 2/32"

That sounds about right, the book says the AWD can tolerate some difference, but not more than a couple of 32nds.

You can just swap in a 4406, then not worry about tires.

 

[JonnyK5]

You can just swap in a 4406, then not worry about tires.

good point. i was just reading the thread about this. sounds like exactly what i need to do. the only thing i didnt like about my mounty was the awd. miss my old K5 with 2hi,4hi and 4lo.

not to hijack my own thread but...

how much did the swap cost you?if u got a bunch of deals, then how much for the average person with no deals.

how much for the TC and where did u get it?

are the 4wd indicator lights already installed on the gauge cluster in AWD models? im assuming its just a standard cluster for all models, and not used in AWD trucks.

does the lever get in the way down there by your leg? im 6'3 240, doesnt seem like alot of extra room in that area.

how plentiful are the parts? i probly wouldnt do this for a year or so, but should i start looking for stuff now?

 

[MountaineerGreen]

good point. i was just reading the thread about this. sounds like exactly what i need to do. the only thing i didnt like about my mounty was the awd. miss my old K5 with 2hi,4hi and 4lo.

not to hijack my own thread but...

how much did the swap cost you?if u got a bunch of deals, then how much for the average person with no deals.

how much for the TC and where did u get it?

are the 4wd indicator lights already installed on the gauge cluster in AWD models? im assuming its just a standard cluster for all models, and not used in AWD trucks.

does the lever get in the way down there by your leg? im 6'3 240, doesnt seem like alot of extra room in that area.

how plentiful are the parts? i probly wouldnt do this for a year or so, but should i start looking for stuff now?

My swap cost me $550+tax. Then I sold my AWD TCase and front D shaft for ~$250. Assuming your stuff is in good shape, you can do about the same.

Others didn't think I got such a good price. I know a member on here bought his case for $175. Driveshafts generally go for $75-$100 front or rear, and the shift linkage from the ford dealer is about $100 Add it all up, its about $500. Parts are relatively easy to find, especially now that we have part numbers for the linkage.

The lever doesn't bother me, Im 6'1", 235. My calf touches it sometimes, but it is not in the way. You can bend the shift rod to suit your needs, I did.

The shift lights are already in your dash, I did a write up on how to make them work on down the first page of my swap thread.

You can get cases at your local yard, or buy them online. I like local yards, if you have a problem it is easier to deal with.