Bigger Spare Tire

Please forgive me if this is a stupid question. I know you more experienced ones will have some wisdom for me. I recently upgraded my tires from 265/70R16 to 285/70R17. Not a huge jump but I now realize that my old spare tire is pretty much worthless. I'm guessing that the new larger tire will not fit underneath where the spare was designed to go so what do you do about this? New rear bumper with swing out tire mount like a jeep? Rack on the top of the truck? Strap it down in the bed of the truck? I have the short bed so there goes that little bit of room. I'm not a fan of any of those ideas but if that's the way it is....then I guess it is. I'd love to know how you've dealt with this on your Tacoma. Thanks!

 

Take a hammer to the two tabs towards the front of the truck that guide the spare into place. Bend them up tight towards the bed and then put the spare under the bed.

I fit a 285/75/16 under the bed no problem before I got a high clearance Pelfrey with a swingout.

 

This.

 

YES! I watched a YouTube video of a guy modifying his. That is definitely the way that I want to go if I can make that happen. Thank you for that!

 

I also did the thing that @geekhouse23 did but my Nitto Trail grapplers in 285/75 r16 wouldn't fit. The numbers put it at a 33" tire, but the sidewall puts it at a 34"OD tire, the tire fits between the spring hangers but at full stuff, the rear diff would hit the front part of the tire due to the larger treads. Additionally, I have a Bruteforce Fab rear bumper with integrated hitch and that also barely hits the tire preventing it from being adjusted rearward. If you're like me on my original thought was that I wanted to be able to keep my rear window clear and still use the factory reverse camera, it was a tough pill to swallow. I went with a Tiregate that replaced my tailgate with a swing out and my thought was that because it was the prerunner sloped style, I would still have a clear view out my rear window but that's not the case. Hindsight being what it is, I would have rather kept my tailgate and gone with a swing out rear bumper because I had to reroute my backup camera anyway but now I don't have the option of going with a shell unless I replace my sold tailgate and acquire a swing-out bumper. Keep that in mind when making your decision on what your intentions are for your tire.

-J

 

Good info. I plan on putting a shell on it so that IS a consideration for me if the underside mod doesn't work. Thanks!

 

Yeah, if your plans are to pop a shell on down the road, my advise would be to snatch up a rear with a swing-out. I'm looking at replacing my current tail with a high-clearance tail. Good luck.

-J

 

Rear bumpers with swing out suck, okay to some they can look cool on the gram but makes opening the tailgate annoying and then you also add a lot of weight behind the rear axle which will make the truck handle worse

 

I just throw mine in the bed and strap it down, makes it easier to get out on the trails

 

get a sweet ass pre runner tire carrier

 

https://www.wilcooffroad.com/shop/tiregate-prerunner-toyota-2/

This is what I have. I have it set up that the tire isn't in the bed, yes, I lost maybe 10" of bed space at the end but its better than having the whole thing in the bed. It works for me for now.

-J

 

Bend the tabs or relocate the spare tire elevator back an inch. It’ll fit just fine, and costs you little to no money.

 

I have a Wilco Bed Rail mount. Works for me and it's adjustable for different size tires. Tire sits in the bed floor for support. Works real well. I have had no problems and have been wheeling with it back there.

 

Well that looks pretty badass

 

Just an idea you could get smaller 33 such as a 255/80/17. While it may not be an exact size but the overall diameter is close enough an it’ll get you home. I have this size currently an it fit underneath just fine with bending those tabs underneath a little.

 

I like it and when I haul dirt or gravel in the bed, I put down a heavy duty tarp and drape it over the tire so that I don't loose any of what I'm hauling on the road behind me. I hauled 1 yard of pea gravel this way and everything stayed in the bed. Yes its a hassle and I would rather have a tailgate but I make due with what I have.

-J

 

Those are dope but super spendy for what they are. Could probably pay a local fan shop half for the same. Can you post pics of how this mounts to the truck?

 

My 285/75/16 fit and just barely rub the diff at full stuff but it doesn’t bother me. A tiny bit of paint has warn off that’s about it. Been like that 3 years lots of off roaring.

 

I'm at work right now so I wont be able to post pictures at the moment, but Ill do my best from memory. After you remove your tailgate, you'll remove the metal latch that keeps your tailgate closed. You'll be using one of the holes from latch and another hole below. There are longer bolts included in the kit and its a bit of a pain to install like it would be easier if you had 3 hands. To simplify, its held on to both sides of the bed where your tailgate was by 2 bolts on both sides. The bottom bar slides into the hinge pins from where your tailgate pivots on and there are two bolts that secure the bottom bar to both sides of the bed rail. Having a set of punches to align the bolt holes will help greatly, and I installed the bolts oriented down.


(pic credit: https://www.wilcooffroad.com/wp-content/uploads/Tiregate-PR-Tacoma.jpg)
You can kinda see what I'm talking about in this picture. There are two bolts on both sides of the lower rail where the tailgate would pivot. Those ones are a PITA to install. You can also see two bolts on both sides of the bed frame rails. You'll remove the bracket and install a plate that you'll bolt through. Two bolts each. You can set what orientation of the tire gate, and you can set what side it opens on by depending on where you put the two hinge bolts. You'll have those trailer pins secured with a lanyard to the same bolts that the side is secured to. I pulled too hard on one of mine and pulled out the lanyard. It's not a security of the pin set up, its so you don't loose them down the road. I made a new lanyard with and reswedged new cable which is working great for me. The dipped plastic on the handles has faded in the sun but it hasn't cracked yet. They aren't difficult to find at hardware stores if I ever wanted to replace them.

Now for the negative, and this is a pretty big one. In order to remove your tail lights, you'll have to uninstall your tire gate because you cant get the bolts that hold your tail light out. A simple 2 minute job turns into an ordeal. Now, I'm not typically removing and replacing my tail lights on a daily but its not very quick anymore. I used some marine grade grease on the bushings. I wish that it was tapped for grease but I guess if you wanted to, you could get some pretapped bolts withe grease channels in it and do it yourself.

-J