Just wondering if anyone has an actualy rim under their truck instead of the steel rim? Im thinking of purchasing another Fx4 18" rim, but want to make sure it will mount under the truck without problems...anyone doing this already?

 

the spare tire is a 18" wheel, so yes it will fit, but it will get damaged by road bebris thats why they don't put one uner there from the factory.

Mac.

 

I think the reason they don't put it under there is because Ford is trying to save a few bucks, not keep the wheel from getting damaged. It sucks for people who would like to do a 5-wheel rotation to make their tires last a little longer.

 

The size of the rim isn't as critical as the size of the tire. Do you have a frame mounted receiver hitch? I don't know the spacing on the new truck frames but there's just under 32" width between the supports of my hitch on my '02.
Without the hitch there would be room for a larger tire.

 

I was just concerned because Im not sure if the center of the rim will fit that peice that winds up...I hope the hole is large enough to push through so I can get the wheel up.

 

The center holes should be the same size on all the F150's regardless of wheel diameter.

 

The hole in the middle of the alloy wheel has to be the same size as the steel wheel.

How else would it fit over the front spindle or 4WD hub.

 

Well, I had a Dodge Ram before this Tonka...for that truck, I bought an extra rim assuming it would work...come to find out the hole is different on the rim compared to the spare.

I figured the hole would be large enough...finally opened it today and saw that it will work. Looks like Im getting a fifth rim! Thanks for the help fellas...

 

I have had a new one up under mine for 8 months now. It fits perfect. I take it down ever once in a while to wash it. It still looks new. No dings or damage or any sort.

 

In areas where the roads are salted during the winter I would rather have a steel wheel under the bed getting sprayed with all the snow and salt off the road than an aluminium wheel.

 

I dont see what it would matter as long as you clean it with the other four.

 

Good Point... but it costs you 20% more to replace your tires now, and the rotation effort/hassle factor comes into play every time you want to rotate.

 

Maybe you can buy TWO extra rims and buy 6 tires at a time so you can do a more even rotation. Doing a 5 tire rotation you will end up with two tires on the same axle with different amounts of wear. This can cause excessive wear on your pinion gears since one tire will be spinning faster than the other. You can eliminate this problem by using the 6 tire rotation method.

 

The hassle is actually worse on a 4-wheel rotation if you do it yourself...with 5 all you need is a hydraulic jack, tire tool, and 30 free minutes. With 4 you need jack stands and some pre-planning before you leave your truck hanging on the stands trying to figure out what tire goes where.

Also, the upfront cost for 5 tires might be higher, but it usually isn't 20% because most dealers will cut you some serious slack for buying that many good tires. My last truck had 170,000 miles on it when I traded it in and only two sets of tires: the original Goodyear Wranglers were gone at 88,000 and the replacement Michelin LTX's still had plenty of tread with ~80,000 miles on them. The Goodyears were never even balanced, just a 5-wheel rotation at home every 5,000 to 7,500 miles...you'll have a hard time convincing me that wasn't a cost-effective plan in the end.

 

but they will last 20% longer total vehicle mileage wise