Fitting TALL 33s on a 2nd gen!

I have my 255/85R16 spare in the normal location. It's a tight fit, but it fits. That said, it does require a little modification - you have to bend some tabs which hold the normal spare in place. Pushing them outward gives more room for the larger tire to come all the way up into the cavity for the spare under the bed. You also have to lift into place carefully to make sure you pull it rearward so there's no conflict with the diff. There are multiple threads that discuss the mods and various ins/outs of fitting a larger spare.

 

Your tire is a half inch shorter than his. Also, YMMV with this. I am running 255/80/17’s, the same diameter as yours. I had to deflate it and ratchet strap it to the rear bumper for it to clear the diff. But I didn’t have to bend the tabs that hold the spare in place. That said, I have Deaver springs, which move the rear axle back a bit, so YMMV.

 

Oops, my bad I read that too quickly and thought it was a 255/80/17.

I also had to modify my exhaust hanger. The 05-11 years have the rear hanger at a different angle which conflicts with a larger spare. I did all these mods to fit my 265/75R16 and it was tighter when fitting a 255/85R16 but still fit.

 

The 255/85/17 should actually be a full inch larger in diameter when compared to the 255/80/17 or 255/85/16

 

This ^