That pesky tire issue, part 2

[Harve]

Now that I have the same size tires on all four corners (225/70R/15's - 8 ply), I wanted to address the spare tire that sits on a tray underneath the vehicle. That tray will ONLY fit the original size tire 195/70R/15. No larger tire will fit on this tray. This size tire is difficult to find (if available at all). My spare is date coded 1999. Riding on a 16 year old tire is dangerous. It would be possible to run different size tires on the rear axle temporarily, but would be a serious problem if I try this on the front and could damage the transmission.


The under vehicle tray is very difficult to access and operate. The cable pulley system doesn't work properly due to its age. I've decided to abandon this spare tire set-up completely. I found a spare tire mount that plugs into the trailer hitch and will swing out of the way to access the trunk. It's from Tailgate.com. This will enable me to use the same size tire and will make it much more accessible.


If you've been faced with changing a tire at night and in the rain on this rig, you'll appreciate the steps necessary to resolve this problem. I also recommend tossing the jack that came with the vehicle and getting a heavy duty one capable of lifting 7500 pounds safely.

[bigdan]

mine was similar too……with lots of loose nut juice and patience it now runs perfectly


and YES the bigger tire fits easy ! but it.s a 2000 …maybe they had changes at some time



Dan