Novak Conversions Jeep Wrangler TJ radiator

Donut spare

No.

BUT, i do think that folks, especially those running 37-40’s, have started trending towards deleting the spare and instead carry a compressor, patch kit, plug kit and a couple replacement valve stems with associated tools.

Might not be the best solution for tough/rough terrain out in the middle of nowhere but for a daily driver/weekend warrior that is running durable wheels/fresh tires - not a terrible solution, imo.
 
A 155/90/17 will be 28 inches tall. That is pretty close.

You really nned to be careful with different sizes if you have limited slip. Open diff is not much of a problem.

I would just scour the web and find the tallest, skinniest wheel tire combo i could to save space.
 
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The Googler said compact spares can be up to 9% smaller than the standard tires, but are usually within 3% of the diameter.

I just looked up the 2004 Ford Escape my teenager drives that has been on its compact spare twice for a dozen or so miles each time on the https://sparetire.com/ and, depending on which trim level you get, the spare may be an inch smaller or inch larger than the regular tires; In his case the spar is actually an inch larger.

Speaking of which, the 04 Escape's spare is 28.4" and 5x4.5, so that's within 5% OP's tire size: https://sparetire.com/Ford/Escape/

If you have a limited slip or some sort of auto locker in the rear, would it help to always place the spare on the front, having to rotate tires if you get a flat in the rear? Or would that be even worse?
 
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Just finished removing the old spare, date code 4400. That's right, almost 25 years old. I removed the spare tire mount and brake light and will install a delete plate with license plate holder and brake light. And , yes, I had to replace the door hinges. I'll be giving all this and more away to someone local that may want/need it.
 
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KennethS said:
Back in the 90s(?) I recall reading an Owners Manual that said in case of a rear tire flat, put the donut up front and move the front wheel to the rear axle to keep the LSD happy.
Click to expand...

Absolutely. If it has LSD the tires need to be the same size.

Worse yet...once I borrowed a buddies Tahoe that had full time 4wd. Got a flat and replace the factory tire that was flat with the factory spare and drove about 4 miles before deciding to call a tow truck for the remaining 6 miles. The odd ball size tire was wreaking havoc on the differential and that was throwing the transfer case into a tantrum. All with factory provided wheels.
 
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Just get a compact XJ spare . It should be cheap IF you can find one. The newest XJ is24 years old. Good luck .
 
DuckNut said:
Absolutely. If it has LSD the tires need to be the same size.

Worse yet...once I borrowed a buddies Tahoe that had full time 4wd. Got a flat and replace the factory tire that was flat with the factory spare and drove about 4 miles before deciding to call a tow truck for the remaining 6 miles. The odd ball size tire was wreaking havoc on the differential and that was throwing the transfer case into a tantrum. All with factory provided wheels.
Click to expand...

That's weird , Tahoe's generally had Auto Trac which would automatically engage the front end when slippage was detected . It would engage up to 3 times before it locked the T-case into 4 high. However you could lock it into 2 wheel drive .
 
ColoJeep said:
That's weird , Tahoe's generally had Auto Trac which would automatically engage the front end when slippage was detected . It would engage up to 3 times before it locked the T-case into 4 high. However you could lock it into 2 wheel drive .
Click to expand...

Go find out what a different tire size does to an anti lock breaking system. There are so many computers in cars today I don't understand why they still put in a spare because the computers get overloaded. Must be so people drive for a few days ignoring the warning lights and by the time the guy around to fixing the tire, something else is broken. :)
 
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DuckNut said:
Go find out what a different tire size does to an anti lock breaking system. There are so many computers in cars today I don't understand why they still put in a spare because the computers get overloaded. Must be so people drive for a few days ignoring the warning lights and by the time the guy around to fixing the tire, something else is broken. :)
Click to expand...

Time to trade it it ! sounds like a profit center for the dealer/MFG. :D
 
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DuckNut said:
...Must be so people drive for a few days...
Click to expand...
What's sad is I've seen folks go weeks and weeks with the compact spare on, seeing them several times over a period of weeks/months during my commute. The two times we had to use them (once someone's backed into the tire when it was parked and their tailpipe slashed the tire, and the other time my teenager was not paying attention and blew a probably underinflated tire out by driving on it), we immediately replaced it, but I know that is hard for some folks to do based on money and/or time.

It's also easy to forget about the "out of sight out of mind" compact spare hiding under all the crap in your trunk. The first time we used it, we had to add air to it (good thing we had a 12V compressor). Since then, I make it a habit of checking the pressure on the two compact and three full-size spares we have on our five vehicles.
 
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