will 31"fit?....

[vervepipes]

in the spare tire holder that is. i used the search and came up with things like a differant size spare is alright if you put it in the front and so on, but will a 31" fit in the stock location?

 

[IAmTodd]

As long as you don't have a hitch it should fit. I have a 30" under mine with a hidden hitch and it just slides into place with some KY Jelly

 

[IZwack]

hello fellow 98-er, yes i believe a 31" will fit in the spare tire area between the bumper and the rear axle. my reasoning for this is that i think the Eddie Bauer and Sport versions came with tires very close to 30-31"s... if it doesnt fit, then you could always bend that little metal piece that hangs down (right behind the differential) forward a bit just dont overdo it so that the differential starts rubbing.

 

[99stocksport]

it will fit as long as you dont have a tow package....well at least on my sport i have 30's and the spare rubs the hitch.

 

[vervepipes]

hmm, i intend on getting a reciever hitch, so maybe i should invest in a rear tire holder or roof basket then. anybody with a tire up top find gas milage on the highway drops much?

 

[IZwack]

i dont have any numbers to support myself but i have a 33" tire up top along with a rack and the gas mileage didnt suffer too much.. i mean while a tire's "wetted" area is quite large, remember that its rounded so its drag (pun, PUN!) isnt as large as a flat plate of equal whetted area .. if you're concerned about drag, you could always put a deflector in front of it and wrap the entire tire with a tire cover - that way the tire's grooves and the wheel's horizontal depresssion doesnt add to the drag.

 

[IAmTodd]

i dont have any numbers to support myself but i have a 33" tire up top along with a rack and the gas mileage didnt suffer too much.. i mean while a tire's "wetted" area is quite large, remember that its rounded so its drag (pun, PUN!) isnt as large as a flat plate of equal whetted area .. if you're concerned about drag, you could always put a deflector in front of it and wrap the entire tire with a tire cover - that way the tire's grooves and the wheel's horizontal depresssion doesnt add to the drag.

I can see this turning into another thread: "How to gain the most MPG with tire on roof"

 

[Ford_Racing_Guy]

thats easy.....don't drive it

 

[IZwack]

thats easy.....don't drive it

but plotted on a graph, that MPG turns out to be zero


.

 

[vervepipes]

thats good news because i tend to do a lot of highway between here and edmonton

 

[wolfsport]

yep 31's will fit, tried and seen on Friday.. Then again, I dont have a hitch or a sway bar, but I'm sure there won't be any real problems, 03 sport

 

[Stic-o]

I had a worn 32" under mine with the sway bar still in place. It hung down a bit, but fit.