Just wondering...

my 87 Wagoneer had 205 leaving the factory.
was upgraded by a PO to 215.

I just ordered 225/75R15.

this Will improve the look. But what about the spare tire in the trunk. Can I drive in 2WD with the mini wheel and larger tires aside ?

I have the very very stock small one.


I guess the car won’t be level.
but do I take a risk ? Safety. dana, transfer case ?

I'd drive the Jeep as little as possible with different sized tires on the same axle.
I'd STRONGLY recommend NOT TO put it into 4x4 with different sized tires.

If you get the opportunity to purchase a full size rim, I'd strongly recommend that solution. Maybe you can find a list member parting out a Jeep with an identical rim to match what you have. Maybe try www,eBay.co.uk. You can also check www.car-part.com & perhaps find a salvage yard willing to ship. There are afew specific US eBay sellers that only deal in Jeeps that might be able to ship you a rim if you desire.

I've been told, although I haven't checked it out, that an early Dodge Caravan wheel is the same size bolt pattern, but IDK about width or offset, but if the bolts fit it might be good enough for a spare.

Is that spare tire from 1987 ? or how old is the tire ? even spare tires need to be changed at times .

As long as you don't have a limited slip axle you can make it work for short distances. If you are really worried about it stock 5 lug Jeep wheels are everywhere. Just replace the compact spare with a full size and be done with it.

How far off can it be compared to the modern donut spares? Just don't 4 wheel it, and don't try to go cross country with it.

Thanks for the replies.

My spare is the very thin one on early XJs
Right, the tire must be dead...
but I prefer a small spare.

strategy could be :

If I have a dead tire at the back, I take one of the front and put the spare wheel in front.

would that be ok ?
at low speed and for (quite) short distance.


i will add a repair can to my set of tools

If it's a factory sized spare then it'd be safe to use providing the tyre is good. As with all space savers, speeds should be restricted and distance as minimal as possible. Their job is to get you going on your way to the nearest tyre shop to have your main tyre repaired/replaced.

Just keep it in 2WD.

Oh and yes, if you get a flat at the back, put one of your fronts on the back and the spare on the front, it'll keep the driven axle equal on each side.

I've had people tell me its bad to run with different sized tires but I do not understand why. With open diffs, the spider gears should make up the difference, no? Sure, the gears are turning more than they'd usually be, but they do that every time we take a turn. Even if you are in 4wd part time (locking the t-case), I feel as if its a non-issue.

Not saying I'd drive cross country like that, but if I got a flat I would not think twice about the affects of having a different sized wheel on one corner. I guess an argument against this thought would be overheating your diff fluid from the extra rotation in the gears. I'd be more concerned about the durability of the tiny donut spare tire more than anything. I'd run it at 55 mph for an hour or two.

Yes, that's correct. I'd rather have it on the front (non-driven) axle, but it's not a big deal either way, assuming you have open diffs.


No, this would be a problem. With a smaller-diameter tire on one axle, the differential can make up the difference between each wheel's rotational speed, but the overall rotational speed of the driveshaft to the axle with the smaller wheel with be faster. Having each driveshaft trying to turn at a different speed while the transfer case is locked on dry pavement will be expensive.


Yeah, that's probably a fair statement, particularly when you consider how old those temporary spare tires are by now and how they're often underinflated.

Those minis are temporary spares and should only be used as such. They typically have a speed, and distance limit to them as well. For example, no more than 70 miles at 50mph. Some have very little tread to begin with, so if its raining, that can be a big problem, even at slow speeds. I have seen the same people driving around on those minis for months, in the rain, with one or two on the highway doing 60. Just because you can, doesnt mean you should.

Temporary spare. Replace it ASAP. I ditched the mini in my 97 for one that matches the other 4. Which is how i feel all trucks and SUVs should have been equipped from the start. It takes up more room, but i feel a lot safer with a full size spare, than that mini, should i ever need it.

The extra wear on your diffs aside, mixed tires are extremely bad in emergency situations. If you have to hit the brakes hard, you just bought yourself an E-ticket ride because one corner of the car is not going to do what you expect it to. It's not going to brake correctly and it's not going to steer correctly. You had better have your passport with you becasue you are going to Cattywampus.

Having differences front to back, say, Wrangler ATs on the back and Michelin highway tires on the front, is not going to cause a lot of braking problem. Some, yes, but probably just B ticket. But if you have to corner hard, you just upgraded your fun to the E-ticket level.

Conversely, if you have differences side to side, you are in a world of hurt if you have to do anything suddenly. It's going to get away from you fast because none of your steering, brake, or throttle inputs are going to do what you expect.

Now, I've been talking about emergency steering or braking situations. That's where it will really bite you. You could do normal driving and get away with it. People do all the time. It's just not a good idea.

And if it's really bad, you might not even want to do normal driving. The worst case I have personally encountered was on a 2WD Datsun pickup. I bought it from a good friend who was the original owner. He had some decent AT sort of tires on the back. They were steel radials with a pretty agressive tread. Not bad. He used to go out to the desert and tow his dune buggies, so he needed the traction. However, on the front he had two mis-matched street tires. Not just not matched to the back. Not matched to EACH OTHER. So I had a front-to-back mismatch AND a side to side mismatch on the front.

It was a wild ride until I replaced all 4. Really, it was not very safe to drive at highway speeds.

So, can our OP use a tiny donut with a big tire? Sure he can! That's what they are for!

Just not for long duration or high speeds.

With 18 Jeeps and counting, I've used a spare exactly ZERO times. I have OBA and a quality patch kit just in case. Never needed that yet either.

But the one time you don't have a spare, you'll slash the sidewall......

After 20 years without that happening, I'll take my chances. If I was worried I wouldn't have sold my Goodyear MTR/K Kevlar sidewall tires.