Question for those with AWD and custom Wheels/Tires

Hey all,

My 98 Mountaineer is in need of some new tires and I'm thinking of upgrading the rims now too. My question for you is what have you done for the spare? I know with all wheel drive you need to keep the tire size the same (cant use a smaller spare)

How much tolerance does the system have? Right now the stock 235/75/R15s are on it and I'm thinking of going with some 255/60/R17s which are 29.04" in Diameter vs the stock tires at 28.87 in Diameter. Radius difference is .09 inches.

I saw the 275/55/R17s are almost exactly the same size as stock but they are a little more money than I wanted to spend.

Would it be safe to run a stock size spare w/ the 255/60 tires and the All Wheel Drive system?

Last question would these wheels fit the Mountaineer? I think they will at +24mm offset and 5x4.5 lug pattern.

Thanks for the help guys.
-Matt

 

[jssong]

yes those wheels will fit. you might get a little rubbing, but everyone has different experiences.

you wont have a problem running different size tires, just your speedo will be off. using your spare just in case of a tire blowout shouldnt be a problem if you only drive it to the nearest tire shop. you dont want to be driving around with different size tires because that would mess a few things up.

 

[MrMatt]

Thanks for the reply. Yeah I'm not worried about the different sized tires just about running one tire different than the other three (the spare) seems like its close enough that it wouldn't be much of an issue, just wanted some feedback from those on the site.

-Matt