Has anyone mounted their spare in the bed of their 2nd gen? I have aftermarket wheels and larger tires and am positive the spare won’t fit in the usual under bed spot. I guess the alternative is a plug kit and small pump, just seeing if anyone had another solution.

 

How often do you need a spare? I don't even carry one. But then, I don't drive a whole lot either, and haven't done a 'long' trip in years. My insurance covers towing though, so, if I find myself with a bad tire, I just make a phone call.

 

What wheel/tire combo are you running and ultimately, how tall is the tire? I have 16x8 late model factory aluminum wheels on my truck with 285/75-16 tires which are about 33" tall. My spare wheel and tire matches what's on the truck. In order to make that wheel/tire combo fit in between the frame rails under the truck, I deflate the tire to allow it to fit. I also keep a small portable air compressor in the truck to inflate the spare, if needed. I didn't want to carry a spare in the truck's bed and loose that available space.

 

I also have a matching spare/wheel, 265/70/17 so it’s about 31.5” diameter. The stock tire size is 245/75/16, 30.5”, so actually it might fit under the bed (I haven’t tried), but it’s a brand new wheel and tire combo and hate to scratch them up - under bed is not the best environment.

 

I suspect that you won't have too much issue with getting that wheel/tire combo to fit under the bed in the standard location. Worse case, may have to let a bit of air out of the tire and keep an air compressor handy in your truck.

 

Considering 265's were an option on these, I do believe those will fit in the stock spare location.

 

I have a 265/75/16 spare under mine.

 

My original spare that came with the truck was the same size and fit in the space under the bed. When I purchased the truck and brought it home several years ago, the spare tire ejected from the rear of the truck and onto the highway. A friend was following me and noticed the tire ejecting from the truck. Luckily, it was late in the evening and there weren't many cars on the road at the time. After I made it home with the truck, my friend told me about the spare tire ejecting from the truck. I went back up to the highway area with the truck where the spare tire came loose and found it propped up along a guardrail in the left median of the road. I threw the spare tire into the truck's bed and went back home. When I looked up under the truck, the plate on the end of the spare tire cable had folded over from rust and allowed for the ejection of my spare tire.

As an FYI, I'd suggest that everyone check the integrity of their spare tire holder so that it doesn't fail like mine did.

 

Holy crap, that sounds like a YouTube video waiting to happen. Great idea, everything can get pretty rusty under there in most locations. I’ve located a cheap steel wheel to replace my crusty one and plan on replacing the lowering winch ($35 and a few bolts).