How to install a full size spare tire in a 2021 Subaru Outback Touring XT
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- Опубліковано 12 вер 2024
- The 2021 Subaru outback touring XT comes with a temporary use “doughnut” spare tire standard equipment. In this video I will show how to replace the donut spare with a full size spare tire. I will also show how to cut the tool storage tray so that it fits over the larger full size spare.
I recently bought a 2024 Outback Limited XT, and decided to just keep it simple. I replaced that large styrofoam piece (that only accommodates the space-saver spare) with the smaller piece that’s made for the Onyx XT/Wilderness, which includes a full-size spare. I’ll save the larger styrofoam piece for when I sell the car.
That’s a fantastic idea.
It seems like you could just put the tools in a bag and put the bag inside the wheel. The carpeted finished piece is strong enough to hold up. Especially with the wheel being support.
@@michaelott310- Without the piece of foam, there would be a small gap between the full-size spare and the floor. Which means it would eventually sag.
@@michaelott310 ya that would probably need a piece of something underneath the carpet board to work!
@maintenanceman1503 I guess ir depends on how much weight you're putting on it and the gap. But it looked like it was about 1/2 away from the right height. A piece of plywood would do the trick. A full size spare would cost at least $350. It might be worth it.
Note that having a full size spare requires a 5 wheel tire rotation at every service on a Subaru. Subaru includes a full size spare in many vehicles overseas but only the wilderness / Onyx models in the US where it notes to do a 5 wheel tire rotation in the manual. The reason being that Subarus use a full time AWD system that requires all tires to be within 2/32” of each other so if you put on a brand new full size spare tire but have 20k miles or more of wear on your other tires, the spare will rotate more slowly, causing the vehicle to think there is a traction issue, which may cause damage to the AWD System over prolonged use. I suspect that Subaru only includes a temporary tire in the US to lower maintenance costs and also minimize the chances of someone damaging their AWD System using a large full size spare by limiting speed and distance on the temporary spare.
OK, but wouldn’t you also damage your all wheel drive system if you put on the temporary use tire since it will be a different tread depth than the tires that are usually on the vehicle?
@@maintenanceman1503 yes, but you are only supposed to drive 50 mph max and because it is temporary, most people change it fairly quickly, so it’s generally fine. The issue with a full size spare is that people often leave them on for a long time and drive at high speed which if there is a large enough difference in tread depth can cause damage.
Good info Dave, thank you!
This is correct but the 2/16ths is not. It is a much smaller differential that is allowed. It is actually less than 1/16th, but you can use that as a rule of thumb that you are really out of whack and to keep that tire in rotation because it needs more wear. Databyter
@@hamtataclone all tires should be within 2/32” of each other. If the difference is greater, meaning your tires have 7/32” or less, you generally need 4 new tires. 😵💫 However, you can have the new tire shaved down to match the others. Tire Rack does that. You find the tire you want, call them and they will ship the shaved tire to you or the retailer of your choice. That being said, if your tires are 5 or 6/32” you are close enough to needing new tires that it might be worth replacing all 4, depending on your situation.
thanks buddy just put in a full size spare 2017 forester, i removed all the foam and got more equipment in there. also removing the side foam there is hidden storage on the Forester
Thank you Roger. I appreciate the comment. I’ll have to look at mine again and try to gain that extra storage you mentioned.
You are a very good teacher, Maintenance Man.
This video is clear, and you are pleasant to watch. Thanks for taking the time to make your work reproducible. I expect I’ll be doing this to my Outback. This should really be an option or included as a legitimate “full size” tire.
Thank you so much for the compliment and for watching. I agree they really should make it an option to be included with a full size spare.
I feel like it would be easier to get a piece of plywood to put on top of the tire.
Try it and let us know how it goes?
It's not even necessary. You don't need anything on top of it but stuff you need to carry but don't use much. In my case, a bottle jack, a star, A few hitch ends, A 30" tow rope and some soft shackles, and a tarp and some spare towels. This gives me support in the middle of my hatch door, which is my cargo floor.
I was actually able to fit 245's in there without the caddy, but you need to air it down to about 5 lbs. Plenty enough to support the car while you top off PSI with a portable pump. And it sits in there on an angle, not flat, and you can't screw it down. No need it's a tight fit, its not gonna fall out or rattle. There is still plenty of room for tools and a lot of other stuff, just not with the foam tool caddy. I have a Wilderness which is MADE to carry a full size tire. But all these wells are the same size. My tool caddy is already much smaller, but I eliminated it entirely. It literally was about 14-18 inches in circumferance, not like your huge tray that was designed to help support cargo load. So we had different problems, but my car probably already had shims and supports as needed to help with support of the cargo hatch. All I needed to do was pack some ropes and towels on top of my full sized spare, to give some support to the middle of the bottom of my spare tire compartment hatch door, to help it from being deformed by excessive sag if I was carrying anvils and batteries, and my spare supply of tungsten blocks. I just have my stock jack in storage and I carry a bottle jack which is fine on a high clearance car like the Wilderness. And I have hitches, ropes, a star, and extra towels and rags. There is plenty more room, but I don't like to carry more than what I need, and the spare tire compartment only needs to be opened every once in a great while, so my more common tools are up above. Most of my tools are inside my upside down wheel. The rest are around the sides or on top. I don't carry super heavy stuff so I feel that the support of some ropes and towels on top of the tire is plenty of support. I have NO foam in my spare tire compartment at all. I can see why you'd want to keep that tho if it were possible. Mine was much smaller. more of a carry all with a handle than a tray. I recommend people just throw that whole thing out, and support the center area of that hatch space with some emergency jackets, maybe a tarp, a spare set of jeans or towels, and the tools you want to carry. If you need to cut it down to that extent, there really is no point in keeping it. And unless you are hauling pianos and tungsten blocks, you don't need that much support under the hatch door. Also, you need to RELIGIOUSLY do a 5 tire rotation forever, or keep your spare shaved which kind of defeats the point. If you don't do that go SLOWLY to the first tire shop, and either shave your spare, or fix your flat tire and put it back on. Don't depend on dealers and shops to know how to rotate your tires. There are different patterns and methods, and it must be the SAME one each time, and it WONT be unless YOU tell them what pattern to use. There IS an approved 5 wheel rotation pattern in the manual. Make sure they actually DO it. I have heard horror stories. I usually make a diagram for the tech, and mark my tires to make it easier for them, and also for me to check their work. YOU need to decide what pattern is used, and make sure it is. Don't let them charge you extra either. It is NOT extra work. 4 tires off, 4 tires on. I take my spare out of the compartment if I am having it done, and have it right THERE. Like I said, it is NOT extra work. Just different work. And when My free maintenance wears out I will be rotating them by myself. Databyter
Wow, that is all really good info! Thank you so much.
If I didn’t want to carry a donut, what “repair kit” is best? Hole plugger, fix a flat, etc.. I do have upgraded roadside too. Does the foam provide sound cancellation? Basically, I’d like to utilize the space for storage.
I think your best bet would be a fixer flat product and maybe one of those tire plug kits
@@maintenanceman1503 Thx for the reply.
excellent how to do it video
Glad you liked it! Thank you.
Great video! Thanks! My question is do you think if I got the Styrofoam cover from the 2022 wilderness (because that comes with the full spare) That I would be able to just use that over a purchased full spare and wheel?
Thank you Richard, I appreciate that compliment. Look for the 2021 Onyx addition Styrofoam insert. That is a sure fit.
Good question. I would guess yes. I have one in storage because I went with oversized tires and there was no room left. The wells should be the same size after 2020 or so when they redid the global chassis platform.
Any all wheel drive car should have a full size tire as a spare because your all wheel drive system will go crazy trying to adjust the amount of change from the size of that donut spare. It can also wear out if you drive for a long period of time. I don’t know why car manufacturers will do that on an all wheel drive car by not putting a full side spare.
I totally agree with you.
Just buy some new Styrofoam online and cut to fit. Keep the old form in case you want to go back to the donut spare.
Great point Don, buying some foam online and cutting it to fit is a sound alternative and will allow you to keep the original insert. Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment.
do you have where the spare wheel was purchased? just got quoted $900+ for one wheel from my local Subaru. I have a good feeling I can find it elsewhere for cheaper. thanks for this video! i was hoping Subaru would have made it a bit easier to carry a full sized spare in a vehicle meant for being offroad, but I guess that's not the case. thank you!
My girlfriend purchased the tire and wheel from Subaru in Idaho Falls, ID for about $750. You might consider going with a steel wheel Vs. the OEM alloy wheel to save some $’s.
@@maintenanceman1503 thanks for the quick reply! I see them around the internet for about $200 so was just curious if you got it from a third party. Thanks for the info!
I'd like to have my full size spare rotated in so I'm looking for a matching rim
@@MellowToaster do you have a “pick-and-pull” type junk yard near you? Maybe they’ll have a wrecked Outback that has your wheels on it that you could salvage.
I've seen used sets of 4 OEM Subaru outback tires and wheels for sale for as little as 600. People buy new wheels and tires and get rid of the sets. If you not in a hurry you can find some good deals if you know where to look.
Just search online. $249 from a shop in NY for a new Subaru wheel for a 21 OBL XT.
Deflat the tire, and keep an air compressor in the cat at all times. If you go off road you should have an air compressor
Good idea
My full size spare doesn’t even fit in the hole , not even close.. I don’t understand
What year, make, and model do you own?
@@maintenanceman1503 I have a 2014 limited outback
@@liannesilano2740 if you remove the foam tool tray, the tire won’t fit? What size are your tires?
@@maintenanceman1503 nope, can’t get it down in the well at all. 225/60/17
Ugh, that’s a bummer. Looks like the limited offered 17” tires (over the standard 16”) and that wheel well was not molded to accept anything larger than 16”.
2022 Outback Wilderness has a full size spare tire.
That’s right. Oddly, their “top of the line” Limited does not.
That’s right. Oddly, their “top of the line” Limited does not.
The Outback Wilderness spare tray should fit. It's much smaller and fits inside the cavity of the full-size spare to organize the jack and tools. It still has a slit for the privacy cover to fit over. Hope that helps.
@@maintenanceman1503 That is because Spare Tires are problematic on an AWD Subaru, and it's not worth the headache unless you are using it for offroading and really need the spare due to the added risk, and inability of a donut to get you out of the back country.
@@mariodiy4517 I was wondering if it would just make more sense to order the spare tray from a wilderness.
Thanks for the video. Have you considered purchasing the Jack Assembly Foam Holder that goes into an Outback Onyx with a full sized spare, Part No. 97035AN00A.
I looked up that part number on the website below. The picture looks like it would fit. However, when I selected “make sure this part will fit your vehicle” and when I selected 2021 Subaru Outback [regardless of the sub model] (I think only the Onyx edition came with a full size spare and therefore has a foam insert that would work with a full size spare), the result comes back as “This part does not fit your vehicle”. Maybe there is an error?
parts.coloradosubaru.com/oem-parts/subaru-spacer-97035an00a
@@maintenanceman1503 that’s probably a part that I would want to get at dealership in person to make sure it fit. I have a 2020 Outback Limited, and am also planning on replacing the donut with a full size.
@@arnelarson2849 Yeah, maybe if you can find a used onyx in stock you can simply ask if you could try it out in your own vehicle before you ordered it? That being said, maybe I can find a 2021 onyx in stock and try the same thing. If I do, I’ll update the comments.
@@arnelarson2849 Did you try the factory part. I have a Touring. I’m hoping to do the same thing
I can confirm the Arne’s idea works. That is the correct part number. You can just order the foam insert and put it in your touring.
I too am a lesbian. I mean I too own a 2021 Outback XT, mine is the step below the Touring. Limited I think? Idk
Lol
😂🤣🤦♂️
Lol