[61-63]

I recently acquired a '63 Lemans that is a race/pro street type of car that is tubbed and has 13" street slicks on the rear. What do those of you with a like setup do for a spare, if anything? My car has a posi as most like this probably do so I couldn't put a smaller spare on the rear or the posi would tear itself up, right?
And a 13" wide spare, even if I had room for it in the trunk, will not fit on the front of the car should I get a flat on the front end. Have any of you ever had a flat? Did you just call a flatbed wrecker?

[Stuart]

This is the pic you posted in that other thread - I can't tell, is the overall diameter of the rear tires a lot bigger than the front tires?

[61-63]

I will measure them. It occurred to me if they are the same diameter that would work. Is there any tolerance with a posi do both tires have to be identical diameters?

[Scarebird]

I would not think you would have any issue; your basic right turn would have much more rotation difference than running a tire 8% smaller in diameter.

Being a spare would mean temporary use, correct?

[tom s]

AAA is you friend!Flat bed it home.Ask me how I know!Tom

[Stuart]

Running different diameters on a limited slip axle will accelerate wear, but like Scarebird says it probably isn't a problem if it's just a matter of getting you home or to the nearest repair shop.

[61-63]

Thanks guys yes only used if I get a flat which I haven't had in all vehicles we've owned since I can't remember when.

[tom s]

I blew out a rt front valve stem,was close to home so called AAA.Tom

[blueghoast]

Originally Posted by tom s

I blew out a rt front valve stem,was close to home so called AAA.Tom

x2 flat bed

GT

[Tom63LeMans]

Originally Posted by tom s

I blew out a rt front valve stem,was close to home so called AAA.Tom

I had the same happen with my left front. Waited over an hour on the freeway which was hairy but AAA got me home.

[61-63]

Originally Posted by Tom63LeMans

I had the same happen with my left front. Waited over an hour on the freeway which was hairy but AAA got me home.

Tom63 what size rear tires do you have and are there pictures of your car on here?

[tom s]

My issue is my rear wheels are 5 on 5 and fronts are 5 on 4.5!Not going to carry 2 spares.Tom

[Sirrotica]

My 2005 GTO has posi, and the factory donut spare is definitely shorter than the OEM tire and wheel setup. If GM sold it like that, I wouldn't sweat just driving home, or to a tire shop.

Some of the donut spares have dual fit bolt patterns so they can be used on different cars. There are also dual pattern steel wheels sold if the front and rear patterns differ.

I own 3 tow dollys, and a one ton dually, so if I can get home, I can surely get the car back home, one way, or another. I hope to finish my wrecker soon, so if I have that, I can just get to the house, and haul it home.

One time my wife had a flat on a rental car, and was only able to pull off on the left hand side of the road against a Jersey barrier, a precarious area at rush hour. It took 3 hours for the rental car company to get someone out there to change the tire, I'd hate to wait 3 hours on the interstate for help to arrive, but that's just me. I would likely have driven the car on the flat to get away from the traffic, and the barrier circumstance, just an accident waiting to happen, IMO.

I've had to drive a couple of miles on a flat when I had no spare a few times, one time was on America Racing mag wheels. Surprisingly it scuffed up the very edge of the aluminum a little bit, but the tire protected the rim much better than I would have expected. I just mounted another tire on it, and it went back on the car. Young, and dumber days....

[Tom63LeMans]

Originally Posted by 61-63

Tom63 what size rear tires do you have and are there pictures of your car on here?

John,
At the time of that picture I had 295/55/15 drag radials on the back and a lower stance. Last year I switched to Cragars and lifted all 4 corners for a 60s super stock look. Now the rears are 325/50/15 on 10” wide custom offset wheels. I have plenty of pictures each way.

[61-63]

Originally Posted by Tom63LeMans

John,
At the time of that picture I had 295/55/15 drag radials on the back and a lower stance. Last year I switched to Cragars and lifted all 4 corners for a 60s super stock look. Now the rears are 325/50/15 on 10” wide custom offset wheels. I have plenty of pictures each way.

Thanks. I'm going to raise mine up too at least 2" all around. Plus put stock rims and poverty caps on it. This stuff is going to happen over time taking baby steps I'm not taking the car apart.

From what I can see you've got a roll cage too and no back seat? Are you bringing your car to Norwalk?

[Tom63LeMans]

Originally Posted by 61-63

Thanks. I'm going to raise mine up too at least 2" all around. Plus put stock rims and poverty caps on it. This stuff is going to happen over time taking baby steps I'm not taking the car apart.

From what I can see you've got a roll cage too and no back seat? Are you bringing your car to Norwalk?

I do have the original rear seat recovered in material to match my 2000 Gran Prix buckets. I made the rear bar bolt in although not legal by any sanctioning bodies. The way it’s done I know that I’m safe along with my front seat passenger.
I want to take it to Norwalk but I’ll also be racing my ‘56. I’m trying to figure a way to get it there.

[b-man]

I would figure out the rear tire height/diameter and find a narrow tire that matches up closely to that, a tire that will still fit in the front as well as the rear.

What are your tire sizes front and rear?

Just from looking at the picture it seems your rear tires aren’t much taller than 27 to 28 inches. Something like a 205/75-15 (27.1” tall) or 215/75-15 (27.7” tall) should be in the ballpark and would still fit in the front, even if it limits your ability to turn it’s fine as a spare.

Find a factory steel wheel or have one custom-built (more likely) with the correct dimensions (backspace/offset/width) that will allow fitment both front and rear.

Even if you end up calling a flatbed to get your car home it’s better if they don’t have to drag your car up onto the bed with a flat. Cars built like this often barely can get up onto a trailer or tow truck bed without scraping or denting an expensive set of headers. So having something no matter what size that bolts on both front and rear to carry as a spare is better than not having anything at all.

Myself I prefer to have the ability to change out a tire and be on my way ASAP rather than be at the mercy of a towing outfit that may take hours to arrive. If your phone can’t get a signal or is out of juice you’ll be happy you went to the trouble to come up with a nice spare tire and wheel.

[b-man]

One really easy thing you can try is to pull off the front and rear wheels on one side and see it the front wheel can fit in the back.

If it fits all you need to do is buy another one for your spare and put a taller tire on it that’s as close as possible to the height of the rear tire.

Since you’re going to raise the car up a couple inches this could easily work out. Having a matching wheel in the trunk would look nice too.