Different size tires
 

Will I be o.k. running mismatched tires (spare and stock) on the front of my truck for a few hundred miles? I need to get one of the old fronts flipped on the rim (really bad front camber) and I'd rather not run it until it blows out.

edit-Does anyone know if I can use some shadetree mechanicing and flip the tire on the rim myself?

I would not sweat it. Just check and make sure it's not somehow getting really hot. But besides that, meh.

Awesome. I figured it'd be o.k. on the front since it's just two separate spindles. :thumbup:

The ball joints on both sides need to be changed, so both fronts wear fast on the inside. As it turns out, the spare was the OE (just like the ball joints;)) full sized spare, so even though I filled it to 40psi a week ago, it was low on air. I was wondering more about just shadetree mounting and unmounting. Is it just like a bicycle except with a bigger tire lever? How can I make sure it seats right? Etc... :D

If you want to do it yourself, you can, but you need to have a couple of good sized tire irons. They are sort of like a 14" long spoon shape.

-Basically you need to remove the core from the valve stem.

-Then you need to use something to break the bead loose from the rim. You can use a large sledge hammer on the side wall of the tire, or put a tire jack between the truck and the side wall and use the weight of the car as you jack up the car, to break the bead loose. You'll need to break the bead loose on both sides, before you use the tire irons to take the tire off.

-Once you have the bead loose from the rim, you take the tire off similar to a bicylce, only a bigger rim and tire.

-When you reinstall the wheel, you need to have a high volume air source. I have a air compressor, which I take the end off of the air nozzel and put air into the tire, without the valve in. The catch is to get the tire to seal enough to stop the air from escaping faster than the compressor can add air.

-Once you get it to seal enough, the air pressure will reseat the sidewalls against the rim, in a popping fashion. Don't get your fingers between the sidewall and the rim, because when the finally pop, I think they could crush some pinkies.

One thing which can help, putting the tire back on, is to use a mix of dish soap and water to create a slick solution to put on the edges of the tire and rim, so that the bead seats easier.

After the tire is reseated, then you just need to put the valve back in, fill it up to the air pressure and away you go.

Awesome, thanks for the info! Now all I need is a decent air compressor, which I'll probably want for painting anyway. :)