Forum Discussion

harmanrk's avatar
harmanrk
Explorer
May 25, 2013

Tire sizes

I recently bought a new HTT, as my first camping trailer. All in all I was less that happy with the pickup and delivery process. As we did the walkthrough and the mechanic showing us how to use all hte equipment, we had multple issues with the with items that were supposed to be on the unit, not being there. Most notably a 19 inch TV, and a spare tire.

We had actually traded an outside grill that was part of an option package for the spare, but the work order to swap them 'never made it from the sales office to the shop floor'. When we noted this, and pulled out the sales contract, to show their mistake, another mechanice was called out, and brought a spare tire and carrier, and mounted it up t the storage bummer. We thought issues resolved, no big deal.

Yesterday, when we had family come over, one of them made a comment that the spare did not match the four ain wheels. I retpred that yes the spare is a steel rim, not AL. He replied, its also a 15, while the others are 14's. I take a closer look, and sure enough:

Mains ST205/75R14
Spare ST205/75R15

Now I don't know enough about tires to know if this is critical. does only the 205/75 need to match, or is the 14 vs 15 critical as well?
  • Thank you for the replies. I guess I was not clear in my question. That the spare is steel, on a steel rim is not an issue for me. I understand that is a common practice, that the unused, often hidden spare is a cheaper wheel. My concern waswith the difference in sizes. It seems that it is an issue that needs to be addressed. Due to the holiday, my wife will be on the phone with them Tuesday. And in full 'B' mood unless she calms down before then.
  • No doubt, the dealer pirated the spare from another rig on their lot so they could get you signed and out the door...
    Trouble is, they 'pirated' the wrong size.

    Take it back and get the correct size to match the wheels that are on the ground.
  • Lena has an aluminum rim on the spare. Pretty cool looking too, I should scour the junkyards and try to put a set together for winter tires.

    I think they used aluminum for two reasons. Weight, she tips the scales at 6,000# with me and a full tank of fuel. The other reason is corrosion. Those spares hang upside down for ten years. Take it off when you really need it and the steel is rusted out.
  • My spare is steel too. Never been on the ground. In the auto industry spares are never the fancy wheel, but always the cheapest steel wheel. Other than wheel diameter which i would have rixed its no big deal.
  • Tires need to be an exact match. Not saying it wouldn't work in a pinch but they need to give you the correct size. Aluminum vs steel rim won't matter for towing.