If I were to buy one wheel as a spare to keep in the garage in case of a blow-out or flat, would it be more prudent to buy a 19" or an 18" ? One wonders if its mechanically better to use a larger wheel where it should be smaller ( 18" ) ? or a smaller wheel when it should be larger ( 19" ) for a short trip to the tire store. Any ideas ?

 

Well I ended up with an extra 18" rim and tire so that is what I have and wanted. First I wasn't sure of the clearance if I use a rear 19" on the front. Second, it takes up less room in the garage to store a front

The only negative I see with a front 18" on the rear, is that the wheel diameters, side to side will be different, causing the spiders to be used more than usual. But I don't see that as a major problem because the difference in overall tire diameter is minimal and I plan to drive a short distance anyway just to get the car home or out of a bad situation.

James

PS Has anyone tried a front wheel on the rear? I hope it works, I haven't tried it yet!

 

According to Tire Rack's #s the OEM fronts have a diameter of 25.1 inches = circumference of 78.8 inches & the rears have a diameter of 25.9 inches = 81.4 inches around......that's about a 3.2% difference....hard to imagine that could cause much of a problem. I suppose you could over-inflate the 18 & deflate the other 19 in order to reduce the mismatch???