I just got a call from the dealer and my spare tire is ready for pick up. It has been on backorder. I know this topic has been discussed before. The part # is CR3Z1K007A Kit Wheel. I would like to know if anyone has used this kit and verified that it works. I have 18" wheels and i believe the spare is a 17".

 

I picked the spare tire kit up at the dealer. This is the 2012 mustang spare kit. The price has gone up. The price was 199.99 list now it is 277.14 at Ford. I got it for 213.00 but i was told 2 months ago my price would be 166.00. The item is usually on backorder, so be prepared to wait and pay more if anybody wants one. I should have paid up front and saved some cash.

 

The issue is the outside diameter of the spare tire as compared to the street tire. If you have more than 1/2" difference, a flat on the rear means the incorrect diameter of the spare will potentially cause harm to your Track-Lock differential - one wheel fighting the other puts undue wear on the friction plates.
So a 17" could be problematic
Some are prepared to change two tires if the flat is on the rear so the spare tire is on the front.
This site has a gizmo for comparing diameters of different wheel and tire combo's.

http://www.rimsntires.com/specs.jsp

 

So let out a little air in the tire that is bigger in diameter! The spare is only supposed to get you to the next tire repair station.....:-)
Contrary to all those Honda drivers who drive around for weeks with the spare on waiting till pay day to get it fixed :-)

 

I refuse to lower myself to the likes of a Honda driver riding on a spare...

 

Did it come with a jack and lug wrench?

 

Yes and yes; refer to post #38 on this thread. https://themustangsource.com/f726/sp...480763/index2/

 

True. Or just buy the correct size mini spare. Got mine for $50+24frt on ebay and a jack kit here for $25.

 

I bought the same kit for my car. Here are some measurements of the
various tire sizes that come on the V6 and GT Mustangs.

215-65-17 ___28" dia.
235-50-18 ___27.3" dia.
255-40-19 ___27" dia.
245-45-19 ___27.7" dia.
17" Spare
185-60-17 ___25.7" dia.

Can't speak to your question other than to say it's the spare they sell
for the Mustangs and that it is only meant to be temporary.
So I can only assume use for short periods of time will be OK.

 

That was my issue with the 235-50-18 being 27.3". No way was I going with the 17" - full size or mini.

The temporary tire size I got from the Marauder is T155/80D18 which is within range at 27.7.

And I'm not risking my Track-Lock diff to assuming.

 

All this worry about the rear end......it is designed to slip during straight line driving.... Think about it....the only time that both rear tires turn at the exact same speed is when driven in a perfectly straight line, on perfectly level ground, and perfectly matched tire wear and pressure. Any turning of the steering wheel when moving changes the speed of both tires....one slows, the other accelerates. If this did not happen, you would be unable to turn without a tire sliding....and would have a solid, locked rear end.

Now, I doubt Ford did not plan things to be ruined by the use of the spare for the car as equipped or the one they recommend you use.

 

Frankly Ford doesn't care. Its on the user. Went through pages of threads with the Bullitt guys when this situation first raised its head in 08. The previous years were fine when the Mustang had 17". But Ford never offered other size spares even though they were changing to 18" on Bullitt and then 19" on 2010's (I think).
The other point that was made clear was BE SURE and turn TCS off!

And having one wheel fight the other constantly for potentially several miles (I'm rural and hunt for 2 lane twisties that are even further away from 'towns') is not for me.



But you are welcome to find out on your own.

 

Still say just look at how the rear end works on those twisties......oh well.

 

^ He's 100% right. The rear wheels almost never turn the same speed while driving, even on a relatively straight road. The trac lock only engages to prevent tire spin on one side, you have to spool up the rear. Under normal driving it acts like an open diff.
The stock spare is perfectly fine to drive on temporarily.

 

I understand what you guys are saying.

But to have one wheel an inch or more (1.6" in my case with a 17" mini) different than the other is definitely going to create more heat and wear than 2 tires of the same diameter under normal driving conditions.