Full Size Spare Tire

[thunderworks]

Is the “L-Track” an aftermarket item or a Honda product?

[Centex]

Originally Posted by thunderworks

Is the “L-Track” an aftermarket item or a Honda product?

That's a non-Honda aftermarket product (aircraft cargo tie-down system components). See full installation details with materials sources at this thread on the Ridgeline Owner's Club Forum if interested.

(uses only existing Honda OE threaded holes in the Ridgeline bedsides - no modification of your RL whatsoever, can be removed completely without leaving any indication it was ever installed)

[Bobbie54]

How about, put the RV spare in the truck. Put the truck spare on the trailer, but if you are going to drive while the trailer is parked, move it to the truckbed. Ready to pack up again? Put it back on the spare carrier. Most of the time I would not bother with that as the truck would likely be in easy reach of road service in the unlikely event of a flat. (They just don't happen that often.) If I were off in the wilderness, say, driving further up the mountains to hike or fish, I'd take the truck spare with me.

[thunderworks]

Does anyone know if the trailer spare will fit in the front box on the Escape?

If it does, I suppose you could put the trailer spare in the box. The truck spare on the mount and keep the donut in the cubby for when you are driving away from the trailer.

In some ways, this feels like a solution looking for a problem. In over 50 years of driving, I've only had a couple of flats.

[cpaharley2008]

Originally Posted by thunderworks

Does anyone know if the trailer spare will fit in the front box on the Escape?

If it does, I suppose you could put the trailer spare in the box. The truck spare on the mount and keep the donut in the cubby for when you are driving away from the trailer.

In some ways, this feels like a solution looking for a problem. In over 50 years of driving, I've only had a couple of flats.

I doubt it would fit, definitely not with the E19 models......

[Eggscape]

Originally Posted by C&G in FL

Yes. Same size, same rating. I am told that when you special order a Ford, you cannot request a specific tire brand, say Michelin for example. The spare’s rim is a standard black rim, not the fancy ones wheels they mount on the axles. So no, I do not rotate them as it would affect the truck’s appearance.

OK...you made me look.

My Canadian special order 2017 F 150 has the same spare aluminum rim and tire as the rest of the wheels. My special order 2013 F 150 had as well.

It may be your dealerships standard procedure to remove the new fancy aluminum rim and wheel and save them up to replace bad tires on their used lot. For ever 4 new pickups that come in they get a set of factory wheels that are worth thousands of dollars (in Ford parts dollars)

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by C&G in FL

On a side note, I have purchased three new F-150s. In each case, the spare was a different brand than the tires installed on the four wheels. I haven’t yet figured out the logic or reason for that.

When the spare is not the same size and specification as the other four, there's no reason for it to be the same brand. Even when the tire is the same spec, if it comes on a different wheel (a cheaper wheel to save cost or a lighter wheel to save weight or a differently shaped wheel to fit in the well better) it's not going to be rotated with the other tires, so again there's no reason to be the same brand and it's just a separately purchased item for the suppliers to competitively bid on.

Even in the same size and nominal specification, spare and regular tires are in different service and the vehicle manufacturer may have different criteria for selecting them. If the brand and model chosen for the spare is noisier or rougher-riding or has less traction than the brand and model chosen for the regular tires, but is cheaper, that's likely a trade-off that the vehicle manufacturer would eagerly take... the customer will probably not even notice it.

Of course if the spare is identical in size and specification to the others and mounted on an identical wheel, then all five should be completely identical, including brand and model of tire, to be used in rotation.

Originally Posted by C&G in FL

I am told that when you special order a Ford, you cannot request a specific tire brand, say Michelin for example. You get what you get.

Well, no... you can't specify the brand of any component of a vehicle, even though some people might have brand preferences for tires or batteries or whatever. Even some components such as alternators or shock absorbers may come from multiple suppliers, but are used interchangeably. No factory is likely to keep a stock of differently branded but otherwise identical parts and manage getting the desired brand to each individual vehicle.

I think most people just consider the tires wear items and replace the factory-provided ones with their preferred brand when the originals wear out. For the spare that may never occur, but in that case the brand of an unused tire shouldn't matter. I suppose for people who replace the vehicle when it hits only two years old the replacement never occurs, but for anyone with that much money to throw away they could go to a tire store and replace the new tires on the way home from the truck dealership - that's often done along with wheels just for appearance.

[Eggscape]

Here in Canada if you hit a pot hole in the road caused be the winter freeze...they can be large enough to sink the wheel to the point of its destruction. That is easy a $1000 bill for a new rim to match from Ford. Nice to know you have one in the waiting.

[C&G in FL]

Originally Posted by Brian B-P

Even when the tire is the same spec, if it comes on a different wheel (a cheaper wheel to save cost or a lighter wheel to save weight or a differently shaped wheel to fit in the well better) it's not going to be rotated with the other tires, so again there's no reason to be the same brand and it's just a separately purchased item for the suppliers to competitively bid on.

Since an F-150 is built in less than 24 hours, Brian, I would suspect the assembly plant has a stack of mounted tires for the assembly line point where the spare is attached to the vehicle, and that is why it may or may not be a different brand. Whether true or not, I was told that Ford procures from several tire manufacturers and they “spread” the business around. So if they are using Michelin on the day your truck is built, that’s what you get, and that is why when placing an order you cannot specify tire brand. I don’t believe any of the “factory” tires are top notch and I agree with you about tires being considered as items that will undergo normal wear and tear. I did, however, get 55K miles out of the Hankooks on my 2015 and probably could have gotten 65K. I really didn’t care what tires came on my new truck. Because the dealership had my 2015 in and out of the service department for the better part of four months and couldn’t repair it (electronics which I believe were fried by EMP from a nearby lightning strike), the owner gave me a great deal on the replacement 2020 F-150. I paid the factory invoice price. They made no profit on the sale, but they gained my loyalty as a customer forever. Since I don’t crawl underneath vehicles any more, they will profit from any maintenance I need!

[gbaglo]

Another factor, I replaced my all-season tires with all-weather, when the first set wore out, and found road noise much louder as they wore. The car manufacturer can do without complaints or posts to forums about how loud their car is.

[kvermeulen]

Originally Posted by Sawdusty

I have a 2018 19' Escape Trailer. My tow vehicle was a 2006 Honda Ridgeline with 376,000 Kilometers on it. I decided to buy a new Honda Ridgeline as I was happy with the performance and reliability. I was disappointed to note that, unlike the 2006 model, that the 2020 Ridgeline cannot hold a full size spare in the spare tire location. Since the Escape Trailer spare could fit in this 2020 Ridgeline, has anyone changed the rear of their Escape Trailer to hold a full size spare tire.

Sorry cant advise on the spare tire ?

We are considering buying an rl to tow a 17; but more likely the 19. Could you please share all your thoughts on the rl for towingthe 19.

Thanks in advance, ken

[kvermeulen]

Is there a chance we could see your 19 and discuss the rl also.

Thanks
Ken and diana

[Iowa Dave]

When I bought the last Highlander I told my salesman I wanted Michelin Latitude tires because I knew they were available. He said “What if I can’t get them? I said “I’ll go to another dealer, you may be the only game in this town but not in the state.” He got the tires, no upcharge. They work for you or you let them go. Simple for me. Since he was a little short on things I thought he should have known I bought the vehicle but I won’t buy from him or probably that dealer again. They did have a very good tech set up the electrical on my tow rig and their service manager is good, if they are not there when I’m ready for a new rig, I’ll be gone.
Iowa Dave

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by gbaglo

Another factor, I replaced my all-season tires with all-weather, when the first set wore out, and found road noise much louder as they wore. The car manufacturer can do without complaints or posts to forums about how loud their car is.

Yes, manufacturers choose tires for original equipment based on somewhat different factors than used by owners, and for most models choose tires with lower rolling resistance (for fuel economy) and lower NVH (noise, vibration, and harshness), even at the expense of traction and durability.

[cpaharley2008]

Glenn,
Can you elaborate the difference between all season vs all weather tires you mentioned earlier?

[escape artist]

Originally Posted by gbaglo

Another factor, I replaced my all-season tires with all-weather, when the first set wore out, and found road noise much louder as they wore. The car manufacturer can do without complaints or posts to forums about how loud their car is.

Hi: gbaglo... I have also replaced the trailer tires and the truck tires!!! In all that time we had one flat on the trailer. A slow leak due to a drywall screw. With help from a fellow camper we aired up and hauled off to a repair garage. The tire was patched and plugged and the tire reinstalled without having to use the spare. I was told the front tire ran over the screw setting it up for the rear tire to pick it up. Seems to me this "Size thing" is "Much ado about nothing"!!! Alf
escape artist N.S. of Lake Erie

[gbaglo]

Originally Posted by cpaharley2008

Glenn,
Can you elaborate the difference between all season vs all weather tires you mentioned earlier?

Many highways in BC require that your vehicle be equipped with winter tires ( Mountain / Snowflake ). All season should be called three-season as they do not qualify. All-weather tires do qualify, although snow tires are better.


"Based in Finland, Nokian is the only tire manufacturer in the world that focuses on the needs of the northern conditions that we experience daily in Canada. They actually invented the winter tire in 1934 and more recently invented all-weather tires. Whether you drive a car, truck or SUV, Nokian makes an innovative high quality tire that performs exceptionally in snow, forests and other harsh driving conditions. They also do their best for the environment by taking into account the whole lifecycle of every tire they produce".

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by cpaharley2008

Can you elaborate the difference between all season vs all weather tires you mentioned earlier?

"All-season" (actually all seasons except winter, as Glenn mentioned) tires are essentially summer rain tires with some extra siping (slits cut in the tread) and a relatively soft rubber compound.
"All weather" tires are essentially winter tires with a rubber compound that is more durable at above-freezing temperatures than usual and a tread design which is a little less squirmy, making them less effective in winter but usable in summer.

Like almost everything in life, tire design is an exercise in compromise.

[cpaharley2008]

So neither all season nor all weather are effective in the winter? So snow tires become the norm?

[LRCURTIS]

Here is what we devised to carry a full-sized spare for our Cayenne. Solid with the tie down straps. Not beautiful, but quite functional so far. Uses a two receiver adapter, a flat step unit and a modified Thule bike rack. The Thule allows us to mount either our tandem bike rack and one tray rack for a regular bike or two tray racks for two regular bikes above the spare. Also had a local fabrication shop make a hitch receiver bracket for additional support of the hitch receiver tube given the potential for added stress. Have only towed with this for about 3000 miles - so far, so good - touch wood we have not needed either spare yet.