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100-4 spare tire

Arch 93

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My Healey's spare is a 165 R 15, which is about 1/2" wider than the original tires, hence won't fit in the space provided. It sticks out in the trunk space and the leather strap is too short to secure the tire. Tires of the original size are available, but they are pretty pricey. I,ve got to think that a lot of 100-4 owners have faced this problem. Are there any creative solutions to this problem or does one just cough up the price of a vintage size tire? Thanks for any suggestions.
 
Hi Tom,
Some 165R15's will fit in the space, & some won't. It definitely needs to be on a four inch rim, no wider. They are supposed to stick out into the trunk space. My spare sticks out about five inches. The hold down bar should be oriented to the inboard side, approximately in vertical line with the belt staple. This makes the belt reach considerably shorter. About nine inches on mine. Hope this doesn't lead to another "dog collar" discussion.

It is still a tight fit & I use a double thickness of plastic garbage bag between the tire & the slot to provide some "dry lubrication". Makes the tire much easier to jam into the slot & to remove it. See attached pic.

I have read of folks placing the tire with no air & then inflating it if they actually need to use it.
D
 

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[ QUOTE ]
Hi Tom,
Some 165R15's will fit in the space, & some won't. It definitely needs to be on a four inch rim, no wider.
I have read of folks placing the tire with no air & then inflating it if they actually need to use it.
D

[/ QUOTE ]

Dave--

I am able to fit fully inflated 175 Michelins mounted on 60-spoke Daytons into the aperture with only a bit of wiggling and no need for plastic bagging to make it slide into the space and cover. I did do a bit of creative prying with lengths and bits of 2 x 6's to open the height of the space up a bit when I went to the larger wheels and tires from the original 48's/165's.

I guess this is one of those cases where size does matter.
 
I suspect there may have been some opening size variations from car to car & maybe BN1 to BN2. Your method may work, I'm just not willing to apply "that" much force to my particular panel. In my case the slot would require a fair amount of widening. The slot opening is 6" & my "spare tire, Toyo 165R15" section width on 4" rim is 6".

My Gillette 165R15 tires have a section width of 6 3/4" on 4 1/2" rims & will no where near fit in the slot.
D
 
I appreciate the info. The tire won't begin to fit in the slot and plastic bags don't help. I'm a little reluctant to do any remodeling with a 2x6, but I'm encouraged, that some tires of this size are narrow enough to fit. (I thought they were all the same width). So I'll measure the slot and buying a "standard" 6" wide tire may do the trick.
Thanks for the help.
 
Hello, resurrecting an old thread which helped me solve the tire problem in my 100-4. However, for the life of me I can't figure out how the hold down bar attaches inside the boot/trunk. Is it purely a friction hold? Any advice appreciated. Bill
 
Though Wheelguy's suggestion is an alternative it leaves you with a spare of a different size than the other tires.
There is no need to use a smaller tire for a spare.

Since my earlier post from 2006 I have upgraded to Michelin 180-15 XAS tires, which are slightly larger in both diameter and section than the earlier 175's I had successfully gotten into the space. The new spare fits as did its predecessor.

Though in that post I alluded to "prying" with wood sections I hesitated to share with the forum my actual methodology for enlarging the aperture for fear I would freak someone out. What I actually did--and this method has been used by some other esteemed 100 drivers since--is to insert a scissor jack into the space and, with pieces of wood above and below the jack, gently expanding the height so that a tire with a larger section will fit.

The method takes some nerve and patience. Go slowly as when applying force the car may sound like it is going to bend or break, but please trust me when I tell you that the sheet metal above the aperture--and not the rear deck--will give enough so that a tire can be slipped all the way into the cover just as the original bias tires did. You may want to slide the jack from left to right and back to make things conform equally.

Using a plastic laundry bag around the tire helps with insertion/withdrawal. Again, sometimes size does matter and this is one of those cases.

As to the little keeper device I simply put a heavy tie-wrap around one of the spokes and slip the end of the bar into the loop, then tighten down the back end with the strap. Everything will draw up tight and your spare will be secure.

Don't forget to fully inflate the spare--and check it every so often--so that it will be ready for use if needed.
 
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