Full size spare (18in AT 265/60) under the car - LR4 / Disco 4

[michal]

Hi All,

I have a question regarding putting a full size spare tire under the car. I have 18in 265/60 AT BFGs and wanted to put my spare in the compartment under the car but it seems that even fully deflated it does not want to fit there. I read somewhere that in order to fit an AT 18in tire one needs to remove the heat shields (black plastic covers). Has anyone done it? I am afraid removing them and then having the tire melted.

Any guidance will be greatly appreciated!

Best,

Michal

 

[Finlayforprez]

Hey Michal,

I was just going to e-mail you - got the ArkPak, but man haven't been able to find a battery over 60 Ahr. I have the same tire set up as you, but I don't store my spare under the car - it's just a bit annoying to get down when needed. I think most of the guys on this forum who store the 18" AT tires do remove the heat shields with no problems at all - you may also need to air down the BFGs all the way. There is one guy I know who keeps the spare under there for everyday driving (aired way down), and then puts it in the back or removes it for off-road driving since it is tougher to stow/remove.

I'm going to shoot you an e-mail about something else.......

-David

 

[mbw]

I've removed the heat shield, run the car and taken some measurements (felt the tires) after idling and driving it (during the summer)... and it didnt feel very warm. I have had them that way for awhile now and they look just fine.

Im running 265/65R18 all terrains, so yours should fit fine with the shield off. Might not even have to deflate.

 

[Surfrider77]

I have my 285/60/R18 spare shoved up there at 8psi. It was definitely a squeeze and I had to remove the heat shields. Hasn't been an issue at all.

 

[michal]

Thank you all!!! This forum as always is simply awesome. I will let you know how it works with my spare

 

[TLB]

Hi All,

I have a question regarding putting a full size spare tire under the car. I have 18in 265/60 AT BFGs and wanted to put my spare in the compartment under the car but it seems that even fully deflated it does not want to fit there. I read somewhere that in order to fit an AT 18in tire one needs to remove the heat shields (black plastic covers). Has anyone done it? I am afraid removing them and then having the tire melted.

Any guidance will be greatly appreciated!

Best,

Michal

Hi Michal
I have 18 inch compomotive wheels with BFG TA KO 265/65/18.
You should have no problems getting the spare under your truck.
Just remove the heat shield and keep the spare at 8 PSI. ( make sure you have a compressor in your trunk in case you had to use your spare )
When you are placing your spare tire under, make sure that the front end of a tire goes up first and then the back end. You will have to "gently" push or kick it in.
For everyday driving I keep my spare under the car but when off roading I move it into the cargo area ( for easy access) and put my original full size under the truck ( just for extra protection). I already moved my BFG spare in and out several times and it is easy.
I would not worry too much about removing heat shield. There is still some room over there between an exhaust and a tire.
I was positively surprised that my spare BFG 265/65/18 did not stick out lot more that an original full size wheel.
Check the pictures.

 

[michal]

Hi all - thanks for the advice. I removed the heat shield and the tire fits with no major issues.

 

[namenda]

Will an underinflated spare tire set off the tire pressure warning light?

 

[michal]

Hi - I don't have the tpms unit in my spare

 

[umbertob]

Will an underinflated spare tire set off the tire pressure warning light?

If you purchased the car without Heavy Duty package, pressure monitoring of the spare tire is turned off since the standard compact donut has no sensor. If your car is fitted with HD pack and a full size spare, that wheel is fitted with a sensor and monitored by TPMS. In that case, if you winch up a deflated or under-inflated tire in the spare wheel well the TPMS will throw a warning light, but only briefly upon engine startup, then the warning will extinguish and stay off until you restart the engine. The logic behind this is that you may very well carry a deflated tire back there for extended periods of time (should you have an actual flat tire), so the system doesn't want to leave a nag message in the dash while you are driving, it just shows a quick reminder that your spare tire is no good when you start the car.

Spare tire monitoring can be permanently enabled or disabled via diagnostic tools.