2002 Compact spare

[Gus Gutz]

The use of a regular 17-inch tire on the compact spare rim would have saved me money. The safety factor changed my mind. Returned the Dunlop and ordered Maxxis for 2 reasons: Dunlop was about 7 inches wide between tire beads. Putting that on a 5-inch wide rim and using it on a heavy car like Tbird is not safe, according to tire professional. Also, if I ever decided to sell my '04 Bird, potential buyers would likely be suspicious and inquire about spare not being original/correct size.
I love this forum; it has helped me in so many ways -- especially diagnosing issues, saving money, and getting views from other "Birders." Thank you all!

Personal opinion but I got too much time and money invested in my bird to take a chance with a non recommended tire. I will probably never use it. But in the off chance that I am up in the mountains and get a flat with no mobile phone service, I feel more confident with the Maxxis tire. I have a spare seven spoke chrome wheel and a Michelin Pilot mounted on it, but that is a backup to my spare

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[Oldiger]

Hi folks, I am in dire need of some help. I own a 2005 limited-edition anniversary Thunderbird. A month or so ago I started reading some comments about the old Maxis spare exploding in the trunk. I mediately went and looked at my tire and it was the same make and model so I decided to change it out and get a new one. Someone on this website, and I can't remember who, had stated that Walmart had a $48 tire that would work as a spare. It was a Antares Ingens AL. The numbers that I wrote down were205/50 R 17 93V. I ordered the tire a few weeks ago and had it shipped to my Walmart dealer here in Missoula Montana. The tire people just called me from Walmart and told me the tire was too wide to fit my rim. Can someone please check the tire size that will fit my spare rim and let me know what to re-order. Thank you

 

[Johnvins]

2003-2005: T185 60 17 MAXXIS

 

[derjimmer]

I agree with Gus. I ordered this tire replacement for my 2002 retro and it fits perfect. Its also the same price I paid, plus shipping.

 

[tommyc]

I received mine from Maxxis last week, and had it mounted today. $175 from Maxxis; $25 for the mounting service. Same tire as the original spare, except the old spare was made in week 7 of 2003, and the new one was made in week 12 of 2018.

I feel more comfortable driving around now with a good spare. Especially since the tranny in my F150 died last night ($2900), so I'll need the bird for a week or so.

 

[tommyc]

Thanks guys! I've got it written down and have the website. Appreciate your help. Have a great weekend.

There's a lot of useful knowledge over on this thread:

https://forums.fordthunderbirdforum.com/threads/2002-compact-spare.4768/

A few people have commented about trying a 205/55 on the rim from the original spare, and tire shops told them they can't mount it for the same reason--the rim isn't wide enough. Another poster acquired a 7" wide rim to accommodate the wider tire, but then said they had to shave down the bumps on the underside of the carpeted panel (not sure what that panel is called) so it would sit flush again. If it's not one thing it's another.

 

[Mach5]

For my '05 T-bird I wanted a replacement spare that is closer to the OEM regular tire size of P235/50R17 (26.25" OD and 9.25" wide on 7.5" rims) than the original Maxxis T185/60R17 temporary spare (25.74" OD and 7.28" wide on a 5" spare rim). The largest tire I found that just fit in the trunk only when mounted on the 5" spare rim is a P205/55R17 (25.88" OD and 8.07" wide, which is a bit wide for the 5" spare rim but it works without the high 60 psi required for the temporary spare). I purchased a Federal Formoza FD2 P205/55ZR17 from SimpleTire.com for about $90 shipped. It should be good for at least another 12 years.

I believe that gsdahmes is on the right track - to a point. IMHO you would never have a high psi tire, a "for temporary use only" tire, for a spare. My ideal spare for our retrobirds would be ANY width of 17" rim with the correct bolt pattern and correct offset that can be combined with a "normal" tire of ANY size combination that results in the correct, or nearly correct, OD of ~25.74 - 26.25", AND, with a narrow enough width to not impact the trunk's tire cover. Oh, and world peace too. 😎