I finally got around to checking to see if my spare tire would fit over my big brake package . . . and it won't. I knew this was a risk, but decided I'd deal with this later. Now it's later.

My bolt pattern is the GSL-SE -- 4 X 114.3mm, and my 15 X 7" road wheels just barely clear the brakes. My current spare is an FC aluminum 15 X 4" (PM me if interested in buying it). The valley in the rim portion of the spare interferes with my calipers. If I ran a huge spacer, I could clear it, but I'm hoping there's a spare out there that will work without modification -- I.E. trip to junkyard, problem solved.

For example -- anybody know if a Mustang spare would work?

 

look at front wheel drives, they tend to have whacked offsets, so they have a deeper bell portion.

I went 5 lug, and used one from an FD so its not a problem

kenn

 

If you were 5 bolt, I know the perfect spare, but since your 4 bolt, you might be in trouble. I don't know of any 4 bolt 15" spares that have the required clearance. Your best bet would be to buy another 15" wheel thats 5.5 or 6" wide, or try to find a spare at the junkyard.

 

Thanks for the suggestion. Does the FD spare fit in an FB spare tire well?

 

Try a late 80's 626 wheel.
Ive seen them on SE's.
They have no lip at all,are fairly wide and are pretty good looking.Flat face,with a bunch of little holes around the edge.
Saw a black,400hp turbo SE a long time ago in a magazine that had them all around.

 

You won't find an RX7 spare tire to fit the big brake kit, if you keep the 4 lug bolt pattern due to the larger calipers.

 

Just invest in some run flats. Well, maybe they don't make them for 13" wheels. Or keep a repair kit and a can of fix a flat handy.

I haven't had or needed a spare in years. My spare well is for the subwoofer and one amp.

 

yes, but unless you have 5 lug it will not work

kenn

hold off on buying one, I just realized that I never tried the spare with the bwaits big brake kit. I did not try the spare until after I swapped the the FC front crossmember in, and that makes it so that it automatically clears...

kenn

 

Nissan's ran 4x114.3 until around S13 Sylvia, you might have some luck on that front

BEEFY

 

Thanks for the advice all. It seems like I have 3 options:

1. Forget the spare and keep a can of fix-a-flat. This is cheaper and easier, but if I ever do get a flat, removing that fix-a-flat goo from the tire/wheel is a PITA. There's also a limit to the size of puncture it will seal.

2. Run Flats. I already have brand new street tires, so even if they did make a good performance tire in my sizes, I wouldn't want to pop for the extra $$ right now. In addition to the tires, you really need to run a tire pressure monitoring (TPM) system so you'll have positive confirmation that you have a puncture -- even more $$.

3. Find a Spare That Fits. I checked online for vehicles that have the correct bolt pattern and there are lots of them. For my particular case, I think a low offset wheel will be better for clearance. It will move the rim further away from the caliper (although it may wreck havoc with handling). My plan is to cut a cardboard template that matches my brake package and make a trip to the junkyard to go spare tire hunting.

 

What're you running as road wheels? Just get one more wheel and keep one of the old tires when you get a set of four.

Full size spare... No limiting yourself to 50 MPH, No steering pull when it's on the front, No excess differential wear when it's on the rear, No decreased ground clearance, And you don't have to have the road wheel fixed immediately because your spare is not, "For temporary use only." There is no downside to this.

 

Do like the ultrafast Z-06 Corvettes do. They do not come from the factory with a spare tire, just a can of fix a flat and a dinky air compressor.

 

I'm running 205/50-15 F and 225/50-15 R on 15 X 7" wheels. I have a set of street tires and a set of race tires, so this is a real possibility. The downside is that the street tire won't fit in the spare tire well. May be an acceptable compromise -- I'll see.

 

I checked and my 205/50-15s won't sit down in the well. The metal structure that goes to the latch interferes with the tire so it has to sit canted upward in the front. I'll let you all know if I find a spare that fits the bill.

 

OK, I gave up and decided to go it without a spare. I fabbed a plywood tire well cover. It's made of relatively thin stuff with 1 X 2 reinforcements. I painted it and stuck it to the well around the perimeter with double-sided tape. The spare tire hold-down bolt and one of the luggage strap anchors are bolted through it to guarantee it won't move. It's solid enough for me to stand on and gives me a flat floor so my carpet lies smooth.

Off to the auto parts store to buy a can of fix-a-flat.

 

BTW -- my FC spare is now useless to me, so PM me if interested. It looks a little nicer than the steel spare, might give a slight weight savings, and fits like your OEM GSL-SE spare.