Ladies size spare

My daughter will be taking over my Tacoma and I want her to have a small manageable spare that she can limp home on. Smallest and lightest combo possible. She’ll always be within 50km of home.

truck has 33’s

 

Would be an issue putting an itty bitty on with 33's

 

Yea. Not on all 4. Just big enough to safely drive home. No highway and within 50km

 

You really only have to lift a spare tire about an inch (2.5cm) off the ground, but if it was me I would get a skinny 32" it should be about 15lbs lighter than a 33"

Is she just going to leave the old tire laying on the side of the road, because the flat tire is the hard one to lift

 

If you're worried about her being able to handle a 33 inch tire, she's still going to have to get it off the axle and put it in the back of the truck.. is she going to leave it beside the road because it's too big to handle?

 

Is the 31" OEM spare under the bed not an option? I suppose you could get something smaller to put under there but I would think if you're physically able to get the lug nuts broken off and the old tire off and into or under the bed then you'd also be able to get the new one on (especially if a bit smaller). Practicing in the driveway to get an efficient technique down could be more helpful.

 

She did my winter take off. Issue was getting tire onto the lugs. Off was easier. I don’t want her fighting the lug line up side of the road.

the donut spare would go in the bed. Stock spare under truck, I will deal with when she gets home.

No safe donuts ?

 

It's probably best to get some sort of roadside assistance plan thru your insurance. Changing a tire on the shoulder of a busy highway takes courage these days with all the distracted drivers on the roads.

 

Do you know the trick where you lay a big prybar on the ground and use that to get the wheel and tire on? Makes it super easy.

 

Practice in the driveway. Roll the wheel up onto a block of wood to get it even with the hub. There's little tricks you can do to save your back..

 

Failing that what is smallest I can go ?

 

Get a AAA membership, can of fix a flat, & call it done deal....

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HkP6OAZzwiY

 

You can go small as you want, but the truck is going to drive weird with 3 big tires and one small one. It'll steer funny, the drivetrain probably won't like it..

 

I don't think anyone can give you a definitive smallest size without damage, the drivetrain is designed for them to match. Your rolling tire outer dia would be what should match, so the skinniest width tire on skinniest wheel (lighter) you could find closest to the 33" OD sounds easiest in your case but I think you're making more issues than solving. Not jacking it up higher than needed, rolling tire onto small wood scrap, etc. are all possibilities. Technique and practice to learn how to do something right would be better than a tiny spare, you don't have to bench press the thing.

 

16” forged wheels for sure.

 

Roadside changes are a no-go for me. Never turn your back on traffic. I would rather destroy a wheel limping it into the nearest parking lot than attempt a roadside repair.

Last time I flatted on freeway it was on stock tires - the nearest DT happened to be two miles away. I took the loss, chose to ruin the tire, and limped it there. But also, there are far fewer inattentive drivers going 85 miles per hour through the DT parking lot.

Once you are in a lot, you should be able to call for help or change it at your leisure. If 33s are too much to lift, I'd consider putting SL loads back on the truck. But for this to be a consideration, I have to echo the recommendation for tire change lessons. Start with step one: If you are roadside, never unbuckle your seatbelt, never exit your vehicle, and never-ever-EVER attempt repair. If the weather or conditions are too extreme to stay with the vehicle, wait for traffic to clear and flee the road entirely. Do not stand outside the car for any reason.

 

Skinny makes sense. Did not think of that. Skinny 30 should be easy to manage and safe for a short ride

 

Mismatched tires may result in the traction control freaking out. Make sure she knows how to turn it off. It is also going to put some wear on your diff.