Fitting larger spare under the bed

Hi guys,

I've got a 98 Tacoma 2WD with a Fabtech lift kit and just got around to getting a new spare tire. It's 30x9.50x15. The stock T bar that's underneath the bed and which normally holds the spare in place is too small to hook through the center hole in the new spare! I still want to mount it underneath the bed.

Any ideas for a fix?

Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks!

 

I'd guess you could go with a really large fender washer. Heavy marine (not little power boats) or construction applications might be a source to find something like this, or just cut down a piece of scrap steel, you can usually get a small piece from your local scrap yard. In either case I'd then cover your new adapter plate with the foam tape that you'd put on the bed rails if you installed a cap (available from your local truck center) to prevent the new plate from scratching the new wheel.

You will likely run into another problem in that the cradle that is up there will probably accept a larger tire without some modification either, though that should be as simple as cutting one or both of the tabs off and smoothing the edges so as not to damage the tire.

 

Thanks for the response. I'll give that a try. The tire looks like it will just fit with about 1" clearance from the exhaust pipe though. Any chance that the heat from the pipe will damage the tire?

 

Here's how I solved this. I found a pulley at an auto parts store and it had a center hole that was big enough to work the existing T-bar though and then hook it on either side of the hole (basically acting as a giant washer). The pulley fits underneath the rim with the original T-bar and the wire hanging from underneath the bed. I then jacked up the tire and wound the wire tight. There was still a little play in the tire (since it doesn't fit in exactly the same way as the original tire), so I secured it with a tie-down, attaching this to the frame underneath the truck. There seems to be decent clearance from the exhaust pipe as well as any other critical parts.

I'll be checking it often at first, to make sure everything is staying tight. Thanks for the input!

 

so how's your mod working out? Any issues with the larger spare near the exhaust?

 

It still seems to be working well. The pulley/tie down arrangement doesn't keep the tire perfectly still, but it seems to be keeping it far enough away from the exhaust pipe so there aren't any problems. It's great having the correct size spare and the bed space! Makes trucking my GSXR and the ramp and gear much easier...