My cobbled together budget spare

[dp351]

I wanted a cheap spare wheel/tire/jack setup, and I don’t require perfection because it will be used or seen rarely if ever. So I bought a used Ram 1500 wheel on eBay for $150 (total including shipping). Others have found these cheaper. The wheel had some scratches, which I sanded out & then painted it Rustoleum semi-gloss black.

I went to a used tire shop & found a few 275-65-20’s in decent shape. I picked up a Goodyear for $85, mounted & balanced.

I got a 24” x 24” piece of 3/4” plywood at Home Depot and had my son (11) help measure & cut it with a jigsaw into an 18” circle to fit inside the wheel. I got a piece of all-thread and a nice little knob at the local Ace Hardware to secure it just like Rivian does. I got thick plywood because I might want to use it as a jacking platform.

To complete this project I still need to get a 22mm lug wrench and the EV Sportline bottle jack that should arrive s00n.

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[Prime]

I wanted a cheap spare wheel/tire/jack setup, and I don’t require perfection because it will be used or seen rarely if ever. So I bought a used Ram 1500 wheel on eBay for $150 (total including shipping). Others have found these cheaper. The wheel had some scratches, which I sanded out & then painted it Rustoleum semi-gloss black.

I went to a used tire shop & found a few 275-65-20’s in decent shape. I picked up a Goodyear for $85, mounted & balanced.

I got a 24” x 24” piece of 3/4” plywood at Home Depot and had my son (11) help measure & cut it with a jigsaw into an 18” circle to fit inside the wheel. I got a piece of all-thread and a nice little knob at the local Ace Hardware to secure it just like Rivian does. I got thick plywood because I might want to use it as a jacking platform.

To complete this project I still need to get a 22mm lug wrench and the EV Sportline bottle jack that should arrive s00n.

Smart, great job!

 

[COdogman]

That’ll work. Nicely done!

 

[Surfinkal]

Love this! great job.

 

[Aardvark]

Nice job, @dp351 !
The OEM wheels have a very large, and unusual, +48mm offset. I take it that your Ram rim had sufficient offset to not rub the wheel well? That's good to know when it comes time for me to shop for dedicated snow tire rims.

 

[dp351]

Nice job, @dp351 !
The OEM wheels have a very large, and unusual, +48mm offset. I take it that your Ram rim had sufficient offset to not rub the wheel well? That's good to know when it comes time for me to shop for dedicated snow tire rims.

There’s been several threads about wheels, including these Ram wheels. Here’s one.

 

[NY_Rob]

Nice work @dp351... did the same thing, I picked up one of those folding 4-way lug wrenches at HF last time it went on sale for $12. One of the sizes is 22mm and it comes in a plastic sleeve so you can stow it in the cab under the rear seat and it won't rattle around back there.

I'm also waiting for the the EV Sportline bottle jack that should arrive s00n.

 

[ohseedee]

Interesting idea. I’d like to get a spare from Rivian, but this could be an alternative if that takes too long.

 

[FirstStateR1T]

@dp351 Grab yourself a hub centric ring if you didn't already so that your spare has the proper fit.

Amazon retailer Wheel Connect sells sets, SKU# HR7780-6410A These will allow the smaller Rivian (64.1mm) hub core to remain concentric with the larger RAM (77.8mm) wheel center bore.

 

[kozak79]

Check facebook marketplace. I often see 21" rivian wheels on marketplace for $700. I was able to grab a new 21" spare with a rivian ring, toolset and jack for $750. I think it was a pretty good deal considering the cost of a full set.

 

[mikehmb]

I wanted a cheap spare wheel/tire/jack setup, and I don’t require perfection because it will be used or seen rarely if ever. So I bought a used Ram 1500 wheel on eBay for $150 (total including shipping). Others have found these cheaper. The wheel had some scratches, which I sanded out & then painted it Rustoleum semi-gloss black.

I went to a used tire shop & found a few 275-65-20’s in decent shape. I picked up a Goodyear for $85, mounted & balanced.

I got a 24” x 24” piece of 3/4” plywood at Home Depot and had my son (11) help measure & cut it with a jigsaw into an 18” circle to fit inside the wheel. I got a piece of all-thread and a nice little knob at the local Ace Hardware to secure it just like Rivian does. I got thick plywood because I might want to use it as a jacking platform.

To complete this project I still need to get a 22mm lug wrench and the EV Sportline bottle jack that should arrive s00n.

This is GREAT. Just wish I’d seen the post while I was at Lowes looking for ways to jury-rig exactly what you have here.

Will be heading to Ace asap!

 

[CO-rayman]

Nice work @dp351... did the same thing, I picked up one of those folding 4-way lug wrenches at HF last time it went on sale for $12. One of the sizes is 22mm and it comes in a plastic sleeve so you can stow it in the cab under the rear seat and it won't rattle around back there.

I'm also waiting for the the EV Sportline bottle jack that should arrive s00n.

Sorry, didn't see this thread until now (trying to put together a cheap spare kit) or I'd said something. I would be careful with this HF lug wrench. I snapped it right at those folding joints on first use.

I suggest either having a backup wrench or just getting a better quality one so you are not left with a loose wheel nut in the middle of the job.

I ended up getting this from Amazon and have tested it multiple times on my older truck and it seems to be much stronger, probably because it has no rotating joints.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B074FN2271/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[dp351]

Sorry, didn't see this thread until now (trying to put together a cheap spare kit) or I'd said something. I would be careful with this HF lug wrench. I snapped it right at those folding joints on first use.

I suggest either having a backup wrench or just getting a better quality one so you are not left with a loose wheel nut in the middle of the job.

I ended up getting this from Amazon and have tested it multiple times on my older truck and it seems to be much stronger, probably because it has no rotating joints.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B074FN2271/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Good point. One thing I don’t love about that one is the super long extension used with the 1/2” socket & the long arm. It might be hard to get a lot of torque on it with such a long extension.

Yesterday I installed new wheels on my truck, which included torquing the lugs to the specified 190nm/140 ft lb, which is REALLY tight! If I change a wheel away from home I probably won’t have my 1/2” torque wrench, so I’ll just get the lugs as tight as I can.

I’m thinking about getting a one piece lug wrench for my spare kit

 

[CO-rayman]

Good point. One thing I don’t love about that one is the super long extension used with the 1/2” socket & the long arm. It might be hard to get a lot of torque on it with such a long extension.

Yesterday I installed new wheels on my truck, which included torquing the lugs to the specified 190nm/140 ft lb, which is REALLY tight! If I change a wheel away from home I probably won’t have my 1/2” torque wrench, so I’ll just get the lugs as tight as I can.

I’m thinking about getting a one piece lug wrench for my spare kit

Good point! I have only used that wrench to 120 ft-lbs.

I have the following one as a backup and for torquing (yes, I am paranoid about a broken wrench because I have had one break the middle of nowhere). You are not supposed to use the torque wrench for loosening the nuts but in an emergency it should work.

https://www.harborfreight.com/12-in-drive-80-160-ft-lb-preset-lug-nut-torque-wrench-58628.html

 

[NY_Rob]

Sorry, didn't see this thread until now (trying to put together a cheap spare kit) or I'd said something. I would be careful with this HF lug wrench. I snapped it right at those folding joints on first use.

I suggest either having a backup wrench or just getting a better quality one so you are not left with a loose wheel nut in the middle of the job.

I ended up getting this from Amazon and have tested it multiple times on my older truck and it seems to be much stronger, probably because it has no rotating joints.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B074FN2271/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Thanks @CO-rayman ... I'll order one of those from Amazon

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