Missing my spare tire... what size is it?

We have a 95 Explorer Eddie Baurer with the 255/70/16 tires. It is missing the spare tire and wheel however because it got taken off to get recalled and never put back on. So I am wondering what size spare we should have. Is it a full size 255/70/16 or a 235/75/15 like the regular ones have?

 

[CBoug76]

Where are you From?

I have a Factory Spare tire that I would not mind selling you, that is if you want to buy it from me.

I had the 255/70/R16 size tires as Factory tires on my Explorer.

 

[brewosu]

You have a 255/70/16 size spare? I live in Oregon so shipping might be a lot.

 

[CBoug76]

ok, The Spare tire is not a full size spare...
But my Spare tire is the same size spare tire you should have. See I no longer need it because I have 5 identical tires and rim set-up's. And I carry my Full size spare with me ALL the time.

I guess you can get one Locally, but if you change your mind, Mine will still be here....

 

[Robert]

Your spare is probably a 225 70R15 temporary use only spare. That is what they included with the 255 70R16 tires up until they redesigned the rear in '98. The strange thing is that a '97 Explorer that came with 235 75R15 tires got a 235 75R15 spare. My guess is that since the 255 70R16 doesn't easily fit under a '95-'97 Explorer, Ford included a temporary spare. The 225 70R15 temporary spare was probably their only temporary spare they had. They probably didn't feel right about including a 235 75R15 tire since it wasn't marked temporary. Too many people would probably have driven on it longer than they should. At least by putting on a much smaller tire that is marked "for temporary use only" it forces the driver to go and get it fixed as soon as possible. Since a 235 75R15 will fit easily, Ford included it when the vehicles was equipped with like size tires. It would be no big deal if the driver left the spare on in this case.

I just went throught he spare ordeal on my '97. I swapped out mine for a 30X9.5 which is still a couple of inches smaller than my current 265 75R16 (31.7") tires but it is a lot closer than my spare was. It would be a good match for the stock tires since the diameter is basically the same, it is only about 1/2" narrower and doesn't carry the 50 MPH/50 mile restriction of the temporary. I would try and get one as close a diameter to your current tires as possible. Your current tires measure about 30.5". If you can't get a 255 70R16 tire under there, try a 30X9.5.

 

[SWLathrop]

Up thru 1997, any Explorer with the optional P255/70R16's got a P235/75R15 Wilderness AT tire with "TEMPORARY USE ONLY" embossed into the side wall. 1998 and up got a standard P255/70R16 if the vehicle was built with the P255/70R16 as stock tires. Hope this helps...

 

[Robert]

The "temporary use only" spare tire for the 255 70R16 tires is a 225 70R15, not a 235 75R15. It is very small.

 

[SWLathrop]

Well, that's strange because I purchased my 1997 Explore Sport brand new. I ordered it with the SPORT package which included the P255/70R16 tires. The spare tire "WAS" a P235/75R15 "TEMPORARY USE ONLY" tire. I say "WAS" as it was also included in the last WILDERNESS AT recall.

 

[Robert]

Maybe Ford just threw on whatever spare they had at the time. If that is the case then I got ripped. I bought mine brand new also. The only time my spare was ever installed was when I tried to cram my 265s in the spare location. When I placed my spare in front of my 265s there was about a 4" difference in diameter.

You got lucky if they replaced your temporary spare under the recall. Ford's web-site said the temporary spare was not part of the recall so I never pusued getting it changed under the recall.

Did anyone else here with a '95-97 Explorer that came with 255 tires get a 235 75R15 spare or did you get a 225 70R15?

 

[Spas]

You got lucky if they replaced your temporary spare under the recall. Ford's web-site said the temporary spare was not part of the recall so I never pusued getting it changed under the recall.

Yah, me either! I still have the Firestone spare under mine, although I'm not exactly sure what size it is (I'll go look tomorrow).

I've been thinking about removing mine to lighten up the rear end a little bit (also, I think that it may be what's causing the "THUNK" noise just about every time I stop and start again)

I've never had a flat on my X >knock on wood< so I'm wondering if it's worth removing the damn thing and just carrying a can of fix-a-flat ( I have a warranty on my Goodyears anyway-if I blow a tire they come and get me and give me a new tire regardless of how much wear was on the old one...and it works for any Goodyear, no matter where I go ) So, can I hear some pro's and con's from you guys?

 

[SWLathrop]

The only spare labeled as "TEMPORARY USE ONLY" not covered by the FORD recall are the P235/75R15 Firestone ATX's normally installed on the Rangers (This is per our Warranty Manager). All P235/75R15 "TEMPORARY USE ONLY" labeled Wilderness AT's ARE covered by the FORD recall. So if you got them, get them replaced. Remember, the "TEMPORARY USE ONLY" spare covered by FORD's recall is the P235/75R15 "AT" tire, not the "ATX" normally place under the Rangers.

 

[CBoug76]

I do not know the size of my factory spare.

BUT I had a Ford Mechanic recall 1 tire for me, if he was able to.... He Punched in my VIN, and it said 5 tires were able to be re-called. So he re-called 1 tire, it was either 1, 4 or 5 tires..... he could not do say 2 or 3 at a time.... only 1. 4 or 5.....

 

[Robert]

Spas - You will likely find that your spare is the same size and tire as the rest of your factory tires.

SWLathrop- That still doesn't do anything for my 225 70R15 temporary spare. It was definately not a Wilderness AT and in fact wasn't even an ATX spare. The only thing on it was "FR480" besides the "temporary use only". Now I am starting to wonder if someone at the dealership changed my spare or if Ford messed up by putting on a smaller temporary spare than I was supposed to get. I never questioned it since my Owner's manual mentions that some vehicles may be equipped with a smaller, temporary spare. Ford's web-site states that as of summer 2000 all 235 75R15 Radial ATXs and the 235 75R15 Wilderness ATs with DOT code VDHL were recalled. Summer 2001 Ford added all Wilderness ATs in 15", 16" & 17" sizes. Based on this information, I would say that even if the temporary spare was labeled as a Wilderness AT or ATX it would be included in the recall. Mine wasn't. It was labeled Firestone FR480 225 70R15.

 

[Spas]

Yep, Robert, you were right!

I just happened to be at my Goodyear store today for and oil change and radiator service, and I wandered under my X and had a looksee. Turns out that yes, the spare IS covered by the recall, as long as it's got the AT or ATX designation on it, which mine had. So now I have a brand new Wrangler RTS spare in the same size as my ATS's, free of charge

I mentioned to them that I wanted to torsion drop the front end about an inch and Viola! One of the guys snuck it in under the manager's nose! Luv my Goodyear

 

[SWLathrop]

Robert, It's possible that you got a P225/70R15 as a spare as some of the Explorers were fitted with the Wilderness HT's that were a P225/70R15 size. Just an after thought...Happy trails... :exp:

 

[01EB5.0]

You can fit a P265/70R16 or a P255/70R16 up under the older explorers. I did it. i have limited slip rear and 4X4 so I didn;t want to risk driving on a smaller tire. Driving on a smaller tire is not good for 4X4 vehicles and could cause axle damage. i read an article in the paper where a guy put a smaller tire on his 97 F150 when he got a flat and he ended up messing up his drivetrain. He blew his axle because of the difference. I would never trust a tire like that. When I say the P225/70R15 up under the fleet car my dad brought home from work (a 96 Eddie Bauer with P265/70R16) I was pretty suprised.
All you have to do to get a fullsize spare up there is deflate it and carry a small 12 volt air pump under the back seat. I do a 5 tire rotation so i take the spare down and fill it up and use it every 5,000 so it doesn;t get messed up from being crammed in there. So far it works out great and my tires last much longer now that I'm rotationg 5 tires...

 

['96explorereddiebauer]

Originally posted by 95XLT
When I say the P225/70R15 up under the fleet car my dad brought home from work (a 96 Eddie Bauer with P265/70R16) I was pretty suprised.

Travis, don't be surprised. I have the P225/70R15 spare under my car too. Yes, it sucks but oh well, if there are drivetrain damage with the spare, I'll file a claim with Ford saying that their spare screwed up my truck.

 

[Robert]

Originally posted by SWLathrop
Robert, It's possible that you got a P225/70R15 as a spare as some of the Explorers were fitted with the Wilderness HT's that were a P225/70R15 size. Just an after thought...Happy trails... :exp:

No, it's definate that I got a 225 70R15. I took a picture of it before I got rid of it. Regarding the Wilderness HTs, mine came with 255 70R16 Wilderness ATs. My guess is someone at Ford screwed up when they put the spare under mine or someone at the dealership pulled mine off to give to someone else without paying attention to the size. They probably then went and threw another temporary under mine from another Explorer figuring they were all the same size.

 

[Robert]

Originally posted by 95XLT
You can fit a P265/70R16 or a P255/70R16 up under the older explorers...

I'm sure I could have gone with a 255 70R16 since it is the same diameter as the 30x9.50 I used, just 1/2" wider. Since my spare came with a 15" rim and I didn't want to buy a new rim, I stayed with a 15" spare. The 265 70R16 might have been able to go up there, but it definately wouldn't have gone all the way up under mine. My 265 75R16 wouldn't go up at all even after I deflated it to 15 PSI. I took a BFH to the metal protector up by the differential. It still wouldn't fit between it and the rear cross-member. It went up at a 30 degree angle and would have hit high speed bumps.

 

[Robert]

Originally posted by '96explorereddiebauer


Travis, don't be surprised. I have the P225/70R15 spare under my car too. Yes, it sucks but oh well, if there are drivetrain damage with the spare, I'll file a claim with Ford saying that their spare screwed up my truck.

Well it looks like I wasn' the only one to get a 225 spare with the 16" tires. I wonder if the NHTSA would be interested to hear that. I think I will find out. If it turns out that I should have had a larger spare, then I think Ford should at least kick in part of the money for my larger spare. Discount Tire only gave me $10 for it and it had never been driven on.