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2014 - Full size spare?

('14-'18) 
100K views 163 replies 51 participants last post by  eelnod 
#1 ·
Can 2014 Foresters accommodate a full size spare in the spare tire compartment? (I am thinking of buying a 2014 Forester, and since I intend to take it on backroad trips, this is important to me.)

If it can carry a full zise spare, are there any features that must be sacrificed to do so?

thanks

Keith
 
#115 ·
My previous car was a Gen 3 XC70 with a space saver that was a good 2.5 inch smaller than the full size wheels. But it could be used on the front or back as the car had the Haldex AWD system. It was also tolerant of tyre size differences, so wheels did not require to be rotated. New tyres went on the back, and the part worn rears were then moved to the front.
 
#117 ·
Me too, but its incredible how many sellers on Ebay dont know the offset of the wheels that they are selling. For the latest 17 inch wheeled Foresters 48mm is the OEM offset. There are a number of German and Italian alloy makers that sell 17x7x48mm for around a £100, but others make 45mm wheels. Most of the Outback and Legacy wheels Ive looked at on Ebay are 55mm.
 
#121 ·
If you're successful, let me know. Can't find any single used tyres on ebay, but there are some pairs for about £50, we could split a pair between us. I could get them delivered to a friend's garage in Basingstoke, and possibly fitted there. (The tyre on the Lincoln wheel is too small).
 
#122 ·
Will do. Been in touch with guy in Lincoln. Says the width is 8 1/4 inches !!! Doesnt know what offset is. So Ive told him where the details should be stamped.

I was thinking of putting a new winter tyre sized 225/60/17 as there is a lot more choice than for the standard 'summer/AS" tyres. Then it will be newer and I will know that its not been kerbed etc. Not sure how much mismatch the Subaru AWD systems can take between tyres. I normaly replace at 3mm so we are only talking of a max of 4mm tread difference if I used a brand new spare. So if I did say 200-300 miles would that be detrimental to the AWD, given the space saver is good for 50 miles and thats a lot smaller than the OEM tyres.
 
#123 ·
Think there's a lot of tosh talked about different tyre sizes. A few mm different on the tread can't be any different to driving along a twisty road, where the wheels will never be rotating at the same speed.

Not sure a winter tyre would fit the well, it's quite tight with the standard tyre, which has to be raised half an inch or so to fit, according to earlier posts.

A new Geolander is about £115, there are cheaper tyres such as Khumo and Hankook at about half that.
 
#128 ·
Ordered a tyre from the Netherlands on Tuesday (Dec 30th), arrived Friday despite New Year holiday in between. Had it fitted to the wheel today and just installed it.

I'd already obtained some M8 threaded rod and rod connectors, so added an extension to the retaining bolt (about 30mm). Wheel with inflated new tyre just fits without pushing the boot/trunk floor up. Taking out the two foam inserts frees up plenty of space behind the spare, the original spare insert with the jack/tools drops back into the full size wheel.
 
#129 ·
Was the tyre via Pneus-online? I ordered a spare for a caravan and that took less than 48 hours from order to receipt. Another useful European supplier is Tyreleader UK, which is Reiffen based in Germany. They will further reduce the price if the tyres are a bit older, but they always show this on the website by quoting the DOT date in year (ie 2012) of such tyres. I bought an older BFG as an off road spare. It was 3 years old but far cheaper than a newer one which itself could be 12-24 months old depending on turnover.

Wouldn't mind seeing a picture of the installation. Is the boot floor adequately supported now? I have been contacting Subaru dealers in case they have any OEM wheel that may have been kerbed but could be DIY refurbished. SG Petch have a list of parts that owners are looking out for. A brand new one was £341.03 ex shipping....ouch!
 
#130 ·
Yup, Pneus-online, thanks for the tip.

Will take some pics later, my bike is packed in at the moment, on the Rhino boot liner.

The wheel rests at an angle, tipped backwards, and the front sits at the same height as the boot floor, so supports it near the centre. The bolt goes into another thread an inch or two in front of the one originally used, with the bowl-shaped disc turned upwards. I can supply you with a bolt extension if needed, I had to buy 1 metre of rod and 10 couplers!

I was lucky to get the wheel, saw it on ebay as soon as Cotswold Subaru advertised it at less than a third of a new one, the full list price is £384.

Will fit the splash guards next, and new horns.
 
#131 ·
So SG Petchs quote was about 10% less than Cotswold Subaru, but still a big ouch, which I plan to avoid. Would be more practical to buy a set of 4 used on Ebay and keep just for winter and use one as a spare in Summer. Envious of US owners as fully refurbished ones are around $175-$195 but even ocean shipping makes it marginal against a brand new OEM UK one.Still will keep on looking. Cheers
 
#132 ·
S G Petch have always quoted 10% less, but the carriage usually takes the total back to full price, so might just as well buy locally.

Just got the Japanese Forester brochures; the cars are almost half the price we pay, but the accessories are about the same. And whereas white is the only colour we don't get charged extra for, it's the opposite in Japan - probably because it's always the most popular there.
 
#133 · (Edited)
Originally Posted by XEman View Post
Gosh a bit like buses two come along together. The one I have just bought is brand new ex tyre for £50 delivered.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/201259098215?_trksid=p2059210.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

If anyone is interested IMG Ltd have told me they have several similar wheels available for sale. Their Ebay listing is impartsb46 and they are the UK import concessionaires for Subaru/Isuzu etc. My wheel is in transit by UPS so less than 48 hours from buying on Ebay it will be with me. Pretty good for £50inc. I have asked IMG if they have a direct email contact that members may use. If I get details I will post it.
 
#134 ·
Now I have brand new full size OEM (SH) wheel,I was going to buy a new Geolandar G91 as full size spare and include it in tyre rotation but they dont seem to even feature on the Yokohama website any longer, and they get some pretty poor ratings on Tire Rack. So I am now vying with a part worn or new budget. Then I would not need to do a Five wheel rotation to include a new Geolandar as a spare. Doing a few calculations a new G91 (example) has a tread depth of just under 8mm (10/32in). If the spare was down to 6mm and I change road tyres when tread is down to 3mm the greatest diametric mismatch is 3mm between road tyres and spare. Subaru quote a 1/4 inch difference between road tyre circumference as the limit without damage to the transmission which I reckon works out at 2mm on tread depth. So a 6mm tread depth spare would only be 1 mm outside of Subaru recommendations which is neither here nor there as far as a spare is concerned.

Given that the Space Saver is 1.5 inch (38mm) less in diameter than the road wheels and it is good for 50 miles my calculations tell me that a 3mm mismatched spare to road wheels should be no worse than the Space Saver over at least 310 miles. Two uses of a Space Saver would be far worse.

So I have argued myself into buying a part worn full size tyre.
 
#139 ·
Do you have to let the air out of the 225-60-17 full-size spare, to make it fit in the spare tire cavity?

Will a 225-65-17 fit in the spare tire cavity with or without air?
225-60-17 or 225-65-17 ?
Everything I've read said a 225-60-17 should fit into the tire well but will not let the lid/cover sit down to original level. Unless, you have a Forester outside of the US they seem to fit, maybe a higher floor level from the start (?).

Here is what I did for a full size spare, a 205-70-16 with 1/2" clearance under the lid.
My write up Link::
http://www.subaruforester.org/vbulletin/f72/2015-2-5i-full-size-spare-396521/
 
#138 ·
No, I've installed a 225 60 17 on a matching alloy wheel, inflated to 40psi. It's just the right height to support the trunk floor after throwing out the foam blocks, you just have to lengthen the retaining bolt. I bought some threaded rod (8mm) and a threaded rod coupler.

Push the wheel firmly towards the back of the car.
 
#140 ·
If I up-size my tires to 235/60/R17 does the following make sense? I tried searching the forum for clarity, but I did not find a straight answer.

I have the 2015, 2.5i MT. I want to use a stock full-size spare in 225/60/R17, with larger 235/60/R17's on the car, and I plan to follow the OEM guidelines for driving on the donut in the owner's manual when the full-size spare is on. I don't want to throw a full size spare on the roof for the odd time I go somewhere rugged.

The temporary donut spare included with the car is a smaller diameter anyway - 1.5" smaller diameter than stock, per discussion on the forum. So, when comparing the 235 (Discoverer Cooper AT3's) vs. the 225 in a 17" wheel size, the difference in diameter is less. Only 0.7" with new tires. Sounds like I am putting less strain on the drivetrain with this setup, when compared to OEM instructions with the temp spare. It makes sense in my mind.

What are the bigger tire, off-road guys doing for spares if not roof mounting them?
 
#141 ·
Does anyone have any extra M8 - 1.25 x (100mm or longer) threaded rods or double end threaded studs they want to sell me? I'm trying to find a longer bolt for the new full size spare I bought and I've searched at a couple of hardware stores (Lowes & Home Depots) in my area and can't seem to find one. I prefer not to order a 10 pack or pay $5+ shipping on a single piece if someone on the boards happens to have one.

My plan is to use the threaded rod with this to tie down the spare:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00A9NABSO/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
 
#142 ·
After obtaining a previous model Forester 17 in 48mm os full size new alloy from Subaru uk (£50) I have been carrying it around in the boot. So this weekend I decided to do the job properly. It is fitted with a 225/60/17 tyre and as has been said previously it fitted okay when the front facing section is tilted upwards and the whole assembly pushed hard to the rear of the well. It is inflated to 35psi and just supported the load area floor slightly above the normal level which left the rear edge about 1/2 inch proud but with a slight load on it the load floor bends and closes the gap at the rear edge. No amount of adjustment would let the load floor lay totally flat but for my needs its fine. Whilst the load floor is supported around its edges on the foam inserts I will probably make a wooden batten cross strut just to brace it when carrying heavy loads.

However being a risk averse sort I decided just to make sure that the new wheel would fit onto the car. So out it came and I jacked the rear offside wheel in the air. As the road wheel came off there shone brightly a nail/screw right smack bang in the centre of the thread. :crying: Must have been fresh as there had been no loss of pressure. Trying hard to resist my OCD tendency to now jack up each corner weekly when I check try pressure!

For advice has anyone left a tyre valve flexible extension permanently connected to their spare to save having to remove it when periodically checking and topping up its pressure?
 
#143 ·
Surprised to hear your floor doesn't lie flat, mine does with a new Geolander inflated to 40psi. I don't usually check the pressure, over-inflating to 40psi means it should hold enough pressure between services.

A nail in the centre of the tread can probably be repaired, it's the ones near the sidewalls that can't be. I never understand how these nails and screws manage to go into the tyre at right angles!
 
#144 ·
The puncture in the road tyre has been fixed okay.

I have the gap between the load floor and the rear of the car down to about 1/4 inch. The tyre is a Kuhmo Solus 21 M&S which is at 6mm tread depth. Given the fact that yours lies flat and mine now has such small gap I suspect that its probably down to a slight difference in tyre profile. But once i replace the load floor cover and dog mats the gap virtually disappears. It may even be down to a slight degree of warp on the load floor cover itself. I am pleased that within the full size spare wheel I can carry the bits and pieces that I normally have with me such as WD40, ground mat, telescopic wheel wrench etc and there is still a goodly amount of stowage space around the wheel and within the remaining foam side supports. Given I have spent just over £100 I am pleased with the outcome which hopefully will not be required in our forthcoming trip to northern Spain's National Parks. There might even be space for the space saver amongst our luggage!

Also I can access the tyres valve so a 90 degree metal valve extension will allow me to check pressure and inflate if required. But as its only lost 1.5psi since I bought it in January, that will not be a frequent job.
 
#146 ·
Just paid £48.20 (GBP) for the bare wheel (tyre was extra). Part code on the invoice is S28151AJ050, description "spare wheel 17x6j". That makes it 1" narrower than the stock alloys (6j rather than 7j), but it quite happily accommodates the same size tyre (225/60R17). Michelin Primacy 3 tyre fitted - road bias tyre which is fine for my needs.

It fits into the spare wheel well fine on my UK spec model (2.0 diesel, entry-level "X" spec). It just fits under the floor with the tray removed, although it did take a little bit of jiggling to get the screw down bolt to fit. There are two bolt holes in the wheel well, seemingly one for the space-saver spare and one provided for a full size spare.

Hope that helps

Chris
 
#147 · (Edited)
Did same - bought 17x6 OEM steel full spare 28151SG010 and 225/60/R17 Fuzion Touring - snug fit (without the foams), no gaps, same bolt and foam with jack/tools fits on rim.

Odd the full spare rim still had the yellow sticker with wordings do not exceed 50mph and wonder if this rim was originally meant for 185/65/R17 (listed in Specification section of owners manual).

and new tire smells!!!
 
#148 ·
Every time I read about wheels and tires I realise I don't know **** about cars.... So I would like to replace my donut spare with a full sized spare that I will only use as a spare (not add to rotation). I currently have stock 225/60R17's, would one of these be a reasonable thing to buy and use as-is as a full sized spare? https:// sfbay.craigslist.org/scz/wto/d/subaru-rims-with-tires/6227956690.html If I were to upgrade my stock tires to 235/60R17's would it still be ok as a full-sized spare? I do intend to only use it on the front but I'd prefer to be able to go at normal speeds if I need to use it.

EDIT: You'll need to take the space out if the link as I don't have a postcount high enough to post unmolested links.
 
#149 ·
I would finish deciding about tire upgrades. if you do, buy 5 all the same. buy a new wheel that matches the others, if they're alloy, then alloy. be sure to have the new full size spare & wheel balanced so if you have to use it, you won't get vibrations at highway speed
 
#150 ·
Sorry I should have mentioned what car I have. It's a Forester 2015 2.5i Premium. So Alloy 17x7. These wheels on CL match that right? So If I were to grab one now (it's $50 and close by) I could later buy 5x 235 / 60 R17s and have them fitted to my stock wheels and this and they'd match right? So from that perspective it seems like a good deal, as I do plan to upgrade I just wanted to wait until there was a special on or something before buying 4 or 5 new tires. I was more just wondering if in the meantime (before upgrade) it would work as a better spare than the donut (which doesn't *scare* me in the places I go in the car, but does make me concerned that I could end up wasting a *lot* of time).
 
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