Spare Question, or looking for a spare I should say.

[jonrjen]

SHOMurph told me this is a great forum to pick up information on the SHO and I am in need of a little knowledge if you can help me out.

The SHO is actually my wives every day driver. It is a 2013 Platinum White with black interior with the Performance Pkg. The Performance Pkg includes the 20" tire and wheel option on all 4 corners.

Now the problem I have is that part of the 20" tire/wheel pkg is that the spare tire is deleted and in turn you get a flat tire repair kit and an air compressor in the event of a flat tire. This would be fine in a perfect world where you run over an object that punctures the tire which then goes flat with out any added damage to the tire or sidewall of the tire at highway speeds.(75mph+).

To add insult to injury the 245/45-20 tire is not a size that many tire stores stock or have quick access to. So in the event of a flat tire that cannot be repaired and filled with the compressor the car would have to be flat bed towed to the nearest tire center and sit waiting for a tire to be shipped in.

So I had this great idea, but a less expensive tire and a wheel keeping it in the truck as a spare. So over to Discount Tire I went this afternoon to do a trial fit of a 245/45-20 tire in the tire well in the trunk. It fits very tight and this is un-mounted to a wheel. By the time you mount the tire on a wheel and add air there is no way it will fit in the spare tire wheel well.

So my next thought was buy the tire, buy an inexpensive wheel, mount the tire on the wheel. Then let out enough air so that the tire will slide into the wheel well, then if needed use the compressor to air up the tire after removing it from the trunk.

However, I was told that the AWD system on the 2013 SHO was sensitive enough to recognize tread pattern differences and it could/would cause transmission damage with in a few hundred miles.

So the question is, those of you who have the 20" tire/wheel Pkg. What are you doing for a spare tire option in place of Fords belief of "WE don't need no stinking spare tire" train of thought.

Sorry for my first post being so long winded, but I would sure like to hear your thoughts as to my options on this matter.

 

[gixxer007]

I bought a SHO with the PP package from a dealer in NJ they actually got me a spare tire for the trunk that from what they say will work with no issues if needed. They did charge a little bit for this but as I drive a lot if miles I also felt better with a actual spare I could bolt in myself. I did keep the inflate kit in the truck also just a piece of mind to actually have a tire I can bolt on.

I myself don't see that a spare tire size would mess AWD up really if that was the case all cars would not have a spare. I was lead to believe the reason for the tire inflate kit was more a weight reduction due to the run falt tires on it. Almost ever car out now days has awd and a spare tire in the trunk.

 

[jonrjen]

Actually on a AWD car the tires do all have to be the same size or the computer will calculate the one tire that is not spinning at the same RPM as the others as an error and try to correct the traction control.
If you have 20" tire and wheels on your SHO, and the tire that the dealer gave you fits in the spare tire well. And your trunk carpet floor lays flat, I would not install that spare tire at any point.
The compressor and flat tire kit are not due to weight savings, but because the 20" tire and wheel will not fit in the trunk as does the smaller 18" set.

My question or concern is if the computer and the AWD could actually be thrown into a fault mode due to tread design/pattern difference.

 

[wuzzzer]

Tread design and pattern don't matter. It is the overall diameter of the tire that is critical. Even though two tires may be both 245/45/20 tires they more than likely will differ in actual diameter if they are from different manufacturers.

 

[SHOdded]

Tread design/pattern matters a little bit because of tire performance characteristics. If the size is the same and tire performance is roughly the same, you should be good to go. The AWD will compensate for less/extra spin as needed. Just don't use summer tires fulltime and put a winter tire on your spare

If your spare will become the fulltime tire (and your damaged tire the spare), then you SHOULD go with the exact same make/model, to err on the side of caution.

But even if you get the same exact tire as those you are using full time, there will be performance differences (albeit minor) between a new tire and an old tire (which are easily handled by the AWD). So again, not to worry too much!

Keeping your tires rotated, though, is more important than ever with an AWD system. And dress your spare as needed when you are dressing the fulltime tires, just to keep the spare flexible and free of dry rot.

 

[jonrjen]

Thank you for all the impute, I guess I will go ahead and pop for a matching spare tire. I would like to save the cash, but it's not worth saving a couple of hundred dollars only to put the savings into a new transmission. That would be a loose/loose situation, not to mention very costly.

 

[AmherstGuy]

I have a 2011 SHO with the PP. I was able to get a spare and jack from a 2010 Taurus from the dealer. I believe this type of tire is standard with non PP and the Limited version. The tire fits in the trunk without problems. If Ford uses this with AWD it should be fine for a short period of time.

 

[TRBOSHO]

Just get the compact spare for emergency use. I have had a 2010 and a 2014. Neither had the performance package, both came from the factory with 20 inch wheels. Both have compact spares. The PP just deletes the spare for weight.... not because of wheel size. By the way, even the smaller wheels 18" and 19" have pretty much the same overall diameter. The wheel is smaller but there is more tire there so..... same tire height

 

[mahadera]

So you mean that an 18 or 19 will fit in our SHO with a 20?