Underneath...just like the Tribeca

 

Oh, interesting. Thanks. Is it a full-sized spare then? That would be nice.

 

If its a temporary spare then I hope the allowed range on that tire is good enough for long distance commutes at regular highway speeds because I will be taking this on road trips. If not it will be more of a reason for me to just rent a Suburban.

 

Maybe I'll continue keeping a full sized spare on my roof rack like I have with my Outback over the last 6 years. Hmmm.

 

Whoa.... I hope you're good at bench pressing 65+ pound overhead!?!? Maybe consider aftermarket hitch spare tire mounts?

 

It comes down risk and cost to mitigate. What is the frequency and probability of a flat? If you are on a mountain road with shale gravel, probability is high, but on a highway it is low. However, even with low risk, you still have the spare which should take you to the nearest town where the tire can be fixed. I also carry plugs in some of my vehicles, which are good for fixing nail or screw flats very easily and quickly.

So on a shale gravel road way out in the boonies somewhere, I might be more comfortable with a full size spare. But on a highway, with low risk, a small temp spare is fine with me.

 

I take my Outback on huge trips into the mountains. I've had flats and will never go without a full-size spare again.

 

Smart move, just knowing that in 20 minutes you can be back on the road sells me enough on keeping the spare. I hate depending on roadside when its something I can easily do. Only in the city can I see myself without a spare. Roadside reponse times are greater then.

 

As was stated earlier, the spare tire is located under the cargo area and appears to be a temporary spare. I was able to snap a (low quality) picture at the Indy Auto Show last week.

 

That looks like a full sized tire on a steel wheel. The space saver spares are tiny.

 

Hopefully they have a full size spare option for anyone who will be using the towing capability of this vehicle...

 

I'm keeping the possibility of a new Outback out there as an alternative to the Ascent if it doesn't seem like a good fit for mountain camping trips and whatnot. I had no idea that newer Outbacks had moved to a full-sized spare. That is so great and the kind of practicality I'm looking for and hoping the Ascent won't just be an AWD minivan.

 

The national product manager Dominick Infante said it is a full size spare (7:05).

 

I was just wondering the answer to this question. Thanks! This is great news. It's nice to not have to call for roadside assistance and be self sufficient. To my shock, my wife's Volvo s60 doesn't even have any kind of spare! Yes we had to get it towed and rode in the tow truck. Luckily it was before we had kids.

 

Good grief. How tall is that dude? Now I'm even more confused.

But good news! Thanks so much for the catch.

 

I think there may be some confusion on what a "full-size" spare is.

Dominick Infante in the posted video, as well as pictures from the auto show floors, show that the spare is a "full-size" donut / temporary tire. On any AWD Subaru with a spare, the tire needs to be "full-size" in regards to circumference due to the all-wheel drive system mechanicals.

Just like on a current Forester or Outback, the tire is equivalent in circumference / diameter to a normal tire, but the width and tire design are not the same. This spare does not appear to be acceptable for off-road use or towing, as it is still a donut / temporary design.

A conventional "full-size" spare would be equivalent in tire circumference, width, and design to allow no degradation or limitation of performance when changing to a spare tire.

 

Gotcha, that makes sense. My biggest question about the spare size is if it is the same circumference, would a REAL full-size spare fit in the same spot? I drove my 2012 Outback for a year before I realized mine would BARELY fit under the deck in a pinch.

 

Since the spare is mounted underneath the vehicle in the Ascent, there is a good possiblity a real full-size spare would fit. The increase in width compared to the donut would mean that the tire would hang down lower, which could hurt departure angle or appearance from the rear (if the tire shows below the bumper). The next question would be if the mounting hardware would work with the wider wheel / tire, but it may be not too difficult to make work.

 

It's not a full sized spare. He says it's a donut with the same vertical dimensions.

 

I hope it will be a full width spare. I bought a fifth wheel/tire for my 2917 Forester which I keep wedged vertical between the passenger seat and the back seat's bench, covered fully. The dogs claimed the cargo bay for their own.

 

It is a full height spare tire, but not a full size spare tire. So it's still temporary and if you have a trailer loaded, you'll have to drop the trailer because it will not be rated for towing.

 

So will a full size tire fit in the same spot?

 

I would suspect the narrower spare is only there because a full size would detract from the looks ie be seen under there and appear to hang down too far. Functionally it probably works just fine.

 

Might be something to consider swapping out when replacing your first set of tires (buy 5, etc)

 

Yep, but those new to real, all the time AWD need to remember what we both know pretty well - they need to rotate their tires through the spare, especially if (like me) they're going to get thick tread All Terrain tires.

It's an added hassle, and an added TPMS, but, they have to "reprogram" them each time anyway, when they rotate, since these newer Subarus show each tire individually.

 

For the record if you blow a tire you can usually have a replacement shaved to the same circumference. In other words if your tires are a few months old and you’re down to say 11/32, you can have the replacement shaved to 11/32 also rather than buying 4 new ones.

 

That's correct. But the dealership won't (or shouldn't) do it, because of following Subaru recommendations. That's not to say someone else might not do so.

But tires that are only a few (two or three) months old probably won't be worn that much to make a difference. It's when you do what my wife did - which was get a flat on her Forester and then drive a mile home on a completely flat tire, which destroyed the sidewall - and my car had 25,000 miles on the OEM tires - that I got to spend $800 on a new set of 4.

Had someone in yesterday who wanted an appraisal for his car, it had 63,000 on it, and it still had the OEM tires on it. I'm not sure how ... when the tread wear indicators aren't visible because they're worn off ...

(That also should give you an idea of how long the OEM tires will last, even in Oklahoma. Do NOT try to drive them that long if you live in an area that gets snow. Or make sure you have a second set of snow tires to go on in the winter.)

 

It's listed on Page 7 of the Product Specifications Sheet Rev. Date 3/26/18 under "Cargo Area" as "Spare Tire: Mounted under rear of vehicle"

 

Looks like full size tire will fit if it's flat

Looks like full size tire will fit if it's flat

 

Looks like full size tire will fit if it's flat

That verbiage threw me for a moment. I was wondering what in the world is a “full size flat tire” lol. I don’t know why you wouldn’t just throw the flat in the back of the vehicle vs going through the hassle of hooking it up underneath the car only to drag it back out once you get to the tire place. I for one do t drive around on a doughnut for more than a day. :grin:

 

Hey all, scroll through this gallery by @trashfo

https://imgur.com/a/7pF6970

You'll see great pics of the spare tire and area. A full sized will hang out. I'll see if they will let me take measurements tomorrow.

 

If your trips are with a trailer just rig a full size spare that fits both the trailer and the Ascent. Then stow it on the trailer.

I kept my hitch gate even though its heavy as heck probably 150lbs with a fullsize Ascent tire mounted to it but with a 500lb max rating I could still easily tow my 4x6 with the hitch gate in play.

 

Trey took measurements, btw...

Spare tire is 6.5" wide and 29.7" tall (diameter). The normal tires are 9.6" wide and 29.6" tall. Will a full-size tire fit? It was difficult to inspect with bunch of ppl around the car but I believe so (see photos).

 

Really hope for getting the tire mounted under. Like you, i am planning to use roof for hauling roof tent, or camping gear, while using the inside for sleeping.

 

I am VERY curious as to how the setup of a deflated full-size spare will be for the more-adventurous off-roaders and the ones who will use their Ascent for towing duties.

One thing I do like about the underside-mounted spare tire is that it will not negatively impact cargo capacity when a deflated full-size wheel and tire assembly is mounted on it. Whenever my Subaru XV Crosstrek gets a flat, I have to use the quick-release levers on my Cusco rear strut tower bar and leave the strut tower bar disconnected for the duration that the deflated full-size wheel and tire assembly is out-of-service and mounted in that area.