Largest Tire That Will Fit in Spare Location?

Um… it still fits… unless you get some weirdly, excessively long ball mount

 

Bumping this old thread.

My current 34" 285/75/17 spare fits fine underneath the rig just fine. I do not have KDSS which is the key ingredient there.



I'm looking at upgrading to 35s soon. I don't really want to add a swingout if I don't have to. (for various reasons)
I'm very curious if anyone has ever modified the spare tire area to accept a larger tire. I can cut away the "claws" and try but I know the main hangup will be the panhard bar.

Looking at 35x12.5 Baja boss AT or MT's... with a 255/85/17 spare. The diameter will be the same, which is the important part... No 5 tire rotations though

Keeping it skinny will keep from losing much departure angle... But will it physically fit between the frame and the panhard bar? Has anyone ever cut the claws away to see?

Posting this here because as far as I can tell 34" is the biggest anyone has gotten to fit...




Planning on taking some measurements to see if it's even possible. But I figured I'd ask the question... Has anyone fit a 35" spare?

 

Honestly I was ready for a swingout despite some downsides... But this video got me thinking

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PEDjrrQM3Ew

 

One problem I had was the trailer hitch ball insert would not go into the receiver far enough to get the pin inserted. Had to cut some off it to correct. This was on a 4th Gen but I guess could be a minor problem on a 5th Gen. Might want to check that.

 

For serious off-roading, there's actually one more downside to a swingout - the extra leverage of a 100-lb spare mounted farther back unloads the front tire, so you lose some traction on steep climbs.

 

One of the many reasons I don't really want one. But I might have to go that route since a 35 may not fit in the spare tire location... Even a skinny one.

If I do add a swingout I will keep it as light as possible. Thinking about the 80% Off road version... Although I may just build my own.

 

I have a 33x12.2 under one of mine and another guy on the other forum asked about a year ago. I got under mine and did some measuring. If you are handy with fab stuff, you can radius the trailer hitch and a 35 will clear. I cant see how to make a 35 fit without cutting into the rear hitch bar. If you notch/radius the rear hitch, yes a 35 will go in the hole. My thoughts would be pull the rear bumper, mark a radius in the rear bar, cut it out with torch or plasma metabo wheel or saw if you have to. Then bend some 11 gauge and plate the rear bar back up. With a radius in that rear hitch bar, the tire can be pulled back enough when you tighten it up to clear the panhard bar.

 

Im going to stuff a 255 80 17 under there. Close enough to 285 75 17 for a spare.

 

That was my plan wen I went with 34's but the shop had a spare 285/75/17 they were going to trash. They went ahead and threw it on without charge. I've had it in an out a few times now and there's is plenty of clearance around it. The 255/80/17 won't hang as low though so that's a benefit for sure.

I was considering this exact thing. Cut the locating claws to get it higher, then notch and plate the frame to shove it back away from the panhard bar...
With how much fab work that takes it almost be easier to add a swingout... At least you'd get more clearance under the rig and the spare would be more accessible if needed.



Wish I had a spare 255/85/17 to mock up and see what I'd need to cut. It's a rare size! Even united tire doesn't have a used one and they're my go to for oddball spare tires.

 

It will take a small amount of fab work yes, but you wont have to swing a tire out EVERY time you want to throw something in the back hatch, or grab your gear for work every morning. The rear swing outs are cool on dedicated trail rigs but absolutely suck on daily drivers that you constantly put stuff in the back. Think about that, and how much time it takes to swing one out to open the back hatch, and multiply that over the years you may own the vehicle. A few extra minutes cutting and putting a radius in the rear crash bar / trailer hitch will be much less than the amount of headache and hassle of swinging the tire out every time you need to get in the back. PLUS, you gotta think about wear and tear on the swing out and how well its built and how long before it starts sagging which makes things even worse and more difficult when you gotta swing it out every day to get in the back.
I have installed a few swing outs, and worked around a bunch in offroad and its VERY RARE that one stays straight for long. The amount of leverage on the pins from the big heavy tire eventually wears the bushings out, or bends the arm, or bends the mount and before long you gotta pick the tire up just to unlatch it, and then pick the tire up to get it to line back up to latch. Its not as fun and cool and easy as everybody makes it out to be. Hence why i say, its ok and cool on a dedicated trail rig, not much fun at all on a daily.

 

Well said.
I've seen some bend as well. And I've certainly considered it will be a pain in the ass everytime you need something from the hatch.
Very convincing argument to keep it in the factory location there @Airdam

If/ When I upgrade to 35's will I even really need a full size spare?
My current 285/75/17 is 34" tall.
Most 35's are 34.5-34.8" tall.

The 4Runner has open diffs, so I imagine it would be fine to use a slightly undersized spare if needed. Just couldn't use the lockers...

 

I had an odd size tire on a truck once, and kept a smaller spare that fit in the hole. I knew if i had a flat on the front i could swap out no problem. If i had a flat on the rear i would need to swap the spare to the front, and steal a big wheel and then put on the rear. My plans were to make sure the rear axle always had equal size tires on them.
You could do it for sure and if you are only like 1" off or something its probably no real big deal. We may both be making a bigger deal of this than it needs to be.

 

Quite true. I was imagining changing tires on the side of a trail (already a pita) and having to play musical chairs *tire version* In order to have a usable rear locker. Might have to improvise if alone. One jack and no jack stands xD

Another consideration is offroad events. Puncture a sidewall and the weekend is over. A smaller spare would be a handicap in the difficult sections. With a full size spare you just swap and keep going.

You're probably right... I'm making a bigger deal of this than it needs to be. A 34" spare and a tire repair kit is probably enough 99% of the time.