SMALLER SPARE TIRE

gulfarea

Has anyone used a smaller tire for a spare like a doughnut tire? Hate to carry around a big one that is hardly ever used. Just need a spare to get to someplace to buy a new one. thanks Art

falcon1970

I have no experience, but I would think a smaller diameter tire on one side would cause some towing issues.  If you only need to go a few miles at a very reduced speed it might work.

Dalehelman

Someone once said the compact spare from a Chev Equinox had the correct bolt pattern. I think it is 5 on 5 1/2”. Someone please correct me if I am wrong. Let us know if you find one that works. Wrecking yards are aware of their value last time I checked they wanted around $80 for one.

4ncar

Um, I would suspect the load rating of a doughnut is woefully inadequate. You might find yourself on the side of the road w/2 flats...

rh5555

I don't think there's an issue with mismatched tire sizes, given that the T@B400 Boondock spare is smaller than the installed tires. 

falcon1970

The TAB400 rides on 235 mm tires with the spare being 205 mm.  There is not a great difference in the diameter of the two.  A donut tire would be smaller in diameter than the 205 mm spare.  Since the donuts are generally used on smaller cars it might be much smaller.  As @4ncar pointed out, I'll bet the load rating is going to be the real issue.  In addition the donuts are rated for only about 50 miles on those smaller cars.  They really aren't "spare" tires so much as "emergency" tires.

rh5555

Donut tires don't have to be small:  Dunlop makes a 155/90R18 Spacemiser which is slightly bigger than the 235/75R15 used on the Boondock TAB400.  It's just a matter of finding a rim that will work.  At the end of the day, you won't save any money, just some weight, and the tire will just be an emergency limited use.

We looked into this, but decided it was better to go with a full-size spare and rotate it with the regular tires every 5000 miles or so.  This way we're not "carrying around a big one that is hardly ever used".

teztab

I have a donut spare mounted under the front deck of our 320, on a wind down/up cable.  I sourced all parts from Chevy vehicles.  Works well - practical and convenient.

gulfarea

teztab Do you have any photos of how you mounted your spare under the front and what parts you used? Sounds like a great idea as I have a Jack-E-Up on my 2018 320 so my Jeep tailgate can open all the way. Thanks Art

teztab

gulfarea said:

teztab Do you have any photos of how you mounted your spare under the front and what parts you used? Sounds like a great idea as I have a Jack-E-Up on my 2018 320 so my Jeep tailgate can open all the way. Thanks Art

Here is my origin posting:
https://tab-rv.vanillacommunity.com/discussion/5887/cargo-deck-storage-and-spare-wheel-mods#latest

teztab

Here are my original ebay wheel and winch purchases.  The hoist is mounted under my tongue platform with the spindle filed to receive an 11mm socket, accessible from inside the tongue box.  The cable runs down via a small pulley wheel.

gulfarea

teztab, thanks for info, I wish you would go to work at T@B as ideas like yours should be used! Art

JimSter48

Our  320s 2017 has 14” tires. I plan to call/ visit tire dealers in town. I plan to evaluate the weight/ space difference and if it suits me I’ll carry a donut under the bed and / or in our Sube Outback. 

JimSter48

I have measured bolt circle and tire OD and have decided the only way to find a compact spare wheel and tire is to visit a junkyard. Without a vehicle make , model, and year there does not seem to be a database (that I can find) that would allow me to find or purchase the correct size. Updates to follow!!

CJax

I like the idea of having a "spare" that is identical to the other two and using it in the tire rotation scheme as @rh5555 mentions. I would imagine to get an identical wheel and tire one would just contact nuCamp and order it.

Q: On the 2021 400 Boondock, will a stock wheel and tire fit in the current (OEM) spare carrying setup?

Cheers,
C

rh5555

@CJax, yes, the "full-size" spare mounts just like the smaller-sized one.

gulfarea

This is how I fixed the spare tire question 
https://tab-rv.vanillacommunity.com/discussion/10643/the-spare-tire-dilemma-solved#latest