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[wmrousseau]

I recently purchased a '76 TR-6 in very good condition and am having a blast with it so far. The issue I have is that the existing spare tire does not fit in the trunk wheel well. The spare is a 205/75R15. All other tires are 205/70R15. The problem is that the spare is just a little too wide (diameter) to fit in the well and too high (tread width) to fit under the gas tank (although I think that if the total tire diameter was smaller it may fit under the tank).

Does anyone know if a 205/70R15 tire will fit in the trunk wheel well or should I change to another size spare tire?

Thanks in advance for any advice you can provide.

[TR3driver]

It's certainly a problem with earlier TRs, so I would guess that you will need a smaller spare tire.  Maybe something closer to the stock 185-15?

Or, another thought, what I do on my 56 TR3 (which has 205/55 tires mounted on TR6 rims) is mount a T135/90-15 "compact spare" tire onto a stock TR3 rim for the spare. That gives extra space in the spare tire well for a blanket and some other spare parts that might be useful on a long trip (hoses, belt, fuel pump, etc.)  I found the tire in a junkyard, unused, for $10 (including the wheel it was on, which I wound up not using).

The smaller tire is strictly for temporary use, preferably at low speeds, as it will affect the cars handling and stopping ability plus put an extra strain on the differential if mounted on the rear.  But when I managed to hit a curb and punch a big hole in one of the 205s, I drove some 2 hours home at freeway speeds with no problem (and the flat tire stashed behind the seats).

[wmrousseau]

Randall - Thanks for your response and advice.