Bad tires---front or back

[Roy]

=3D=3D You'll be lucky if there is a rim left. Salt is a bitch. Why manufacturers put spares where they do is a mystery that has never been solved. Idiot engineers perhaps. =3D=3D

[krw]

That's easy. Under the bed is otherwise wasted space. Where else are you proposing to put one on a pickup?

[Jules Richardson]

Mine's been where it is for over 40 years with no corrosion issues ;) I can see why they put them where they do on modern trucks, but I do wish they'd give the hardware a bit more shileding and whatever so that it does work when you need it (otherwise there's little point in having a spare at all!)

(Truck I mentioned having in the Aussie outback had a whole winch system for lowering the spare from the underside - it was a new vehicle when I had it, so it worked when I needed it, but I didn't fancy the chances of it lasting more than a few years before it either broke or jammed up solid!)

cheers

Jules

[aemeijers]

Where they put them until the early 70's if you checked the right box on the order form- vertically in the bed right behind the driver (so as to not block his vision), bolted to a purpose-built bracket in the bed sidewall.

Shortly after that is when pickups started being used like cars, and customers and the marketing people said it was 'ugly' to do it that way.

That 'wasted space' under the bed could be used for a second gas tank, or a storage compartment or something.

[willshak]

Herb Eneva wrote the following:

Put them in the trunk.

[krw]

So you'd rather have storage where you can't get to it than that space in the bed? That's really strange.

[Ed Pawlowski]

wrote

Why does it have to be where you can't get to it? How about a hatch in the bed?

[Tony]

Yes that is true, on a dry road with no possibility of hydroplaning.

[aemeijers]

He is assuming he bed will be full, and that is a valid point. But I'd rather unload the bed on the side of the road (unless it is a load of manure or something) to get to a seldom-used item, than crawl on the muddy ground. Honda did that with their sort-of-a-truck Ridgeline.

They need to go back to having truck beds designed by people that actually use them, rather than stylists. Most modern truck beds, even the so-called flare-sides with plastic fenders, have a ton of dead space in the side walls. Ford used to have special-order beds that had storage cubbies in the dead space, but being Ford, they weren't weather-sealed very well, prone to rust, and if the bed got the slightest bit racked (like from a fender-bender or accidental overloading), they were prone to jamming or refusing to latch. Dodge came out with something along the same line a couple years ago- don't know if they still offer it. Theirs were on top, though, so probably less prone to failure.

All this is why people who really need every square/cubic inch from their truck beds order chassis-cabs and fit aftermarket service beds. Some of those things are amazing, almost like a big sailboat cabin, with storage and hanging brackets for stuff all over them. I've even seen service beds with a slot under the tailgate, with a door, to hold the spare tire.

If I ever own a pickup again (not likely anytime soon), I'll rig some sort of bracket other than under the bed, to hold the spare. Even on a clean dry road, I'm too damn old and stiff to crawl on the ground. Good thing tires are a lot better than they used to be- unless you work construction or something, flats from punctures are a rare thing these days.

[krw]

How is under the bed impossible to get at, yet you would use that space for storage compartments?

Sounds like a good way to trap water (and rust the crap out of the bed).

[Stormin Mormon]

Excellent idea. However, it would cost more to manufacture.

[Ed Pawlowski]

wrote

They make it work for submarines. It is al in the design.

[Harry K]

Amen to that! When I bought my used 1989 F150 I replaced all 4 tires with load rated radials (I cut firewood). I have BTDT retrieving a spare from under the bed in the middle of winter. Swore I wouild never ever do it again.

An in-bed bracket is available at any parts house for a few bucks and only takes one bolt and one sheet metal screw (big) to mount.

Good

Welll...yes, for running over things but sidewall punctures can be done easier than the old non-radials - ask me how I know about that out in the boonies :(

Harry K

[krw]

I was being serious. Try it some time.

[krw]

...and rust like crazy. Truck beds are bad enough without adding features to attract more.

[Ed Pawlowski]

So was I. Comment stands.

[Shaun Eli]

Back to the original (off-topic) subject:

I'd rather lose traction in the rear of the car, and have some hope of steering, rather than lose traction in front and have no control over steering.

It's all well and good to say that if you hydroplane in the front you'll probably continue straight, except the roads around here aren't straight. Straight into a guardrail isn't a preferred alternative.

Another reason to put the newer tires in front-- if you put the old tires in front they'll wear out faster meaning even less tread in front after a few months. Plus the aforementioned preference for a rear flat vs. a front flat.

Copyright 2010 by Shaun. All rights reserved.

[krw]

No, you weren't, or I've been giving you far too much credit for having a brain.

[krw]

I've had a tire shop (Costco) refuse to sell me two tires. They insisted that they had to do all four because they didn't have the exact size of the two good tires.

[Ed Pawlowski]

Gotcha, when you cant think of anything sensible to say, make a personal derogatory comment. Classy guy. I sure you you are not an engineer because any respectable ME can make a design that will work. Most any good tin knocker can too.