Hi all,
Last fall, I did the LeBaron 11.25 brake upgrade on my car which has 16" 5 spoke rims. We all know once you do the upgrade, the original Fiero spare tire becomes useless.

So my question, for those of us that have the LeBaron brake up grade - if you wanted to have a spare tire, would the 1986 - 1989 LeBaron donut spare fit in the Fiero spare tire compartment?

Just wondering - because Fiero inquiring minds want to know!

Dont know about the labaron spare but you can pick up one that is already set up for brake upgrades here. Price is OK at best.
http://www.westcoastfiero.c...timate_upgrades.html

[This message has been edited by Fieroseverywhere (edited 06-23-2007).]

Bump.....anybody out there in Fieroland with an opinion on this subject? - I can't believe that I would be the only one that has thought of this question?

So here's a theory - Obviously the LeBaron donut spare would be designed to fit over the 11.25 brake rotor and caliper set up. I'll measure up the Fiero spare, see how much extra clearance there is the compartment and then go the wreckers and measure a lebaron spare to see if it fits.

If anyone out there has done this - please weigh in and save me the trip.

Thanks

hey gene... the lebaron rotors and bolt pattern maybe the same but the size of the caliper and bracket may be different... because remember your using caddy calipers now... not sure how big a difference that would make but who knows really until you try it.

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I have had a LaBaron spare for my V8 Archie 11.25 brake conversion for several years. I highly recommend it. The LaBaron spare is much lighter than the Fiero spare, fits the rotor perfectly, and fits in the spare well with some effort. I also have a front mounted battery, which complicates things slightly. Picked up my spare for $20.

quote Originally posted by Fixit: I have had a LaBaron spare for my V8 Archie 11.25 brake conversion for several years. I highly recommend it. The LaBaron spare is much lighter than the Fiero spare, fits the rotor perfectly, and fits in the spare well with some effort. I also have a front mounted battery, which complicates things slightly. Picked up my spare for $20.

Do you know if the Rodney Dickman spare tire cover will fit over it?
Can you give me some quick measurements like tire width and diameter?
Thanks!

[This message has been edited by Oreif (edited 06-24-2007).]

Thanks guys for the responses - I just knew someone out there thought of this.

Fixit - The measurements of your spare would be great to know as Orief asks a good question regarding the tire cover.

$20 from your local wrecker - that's a deal anyone can make with your local yard. Just not practical buying the spare from West Coast Fiero's for us guys up here in Canada. The $80US cost of the spare would pale in comparison to the shipping cost.

The LaBaron spare is 16 inches in diameter, which makes it a tight but managable fit in the spare tire well. I do not have the actual tire size handy but I will get it for you. I have a Dickman cover as well and can tell you that while you can get it on the LaBaron spare, since the tire is larger than the regular Fiero spare, the elasticised edge will only go to a little past the center line of the tire. With the cover on and seated in the spare tire well it looks fine and no one seems to notice that the cover only extends a little past the center line of the tire. At some point I thought I would take the cover to a tent maker or boat cover shop and see if they could do something to improve the fit, but the fact that no one seems to notice has materially slowed that effort.

I picked up a Subaru spare tire/wheel at the wreckers - 16"x4" with 5x100 BC. I ordered a new Firestone T115/70D16 tire for it - fits the spare wheel tub perfectly. The stock Fiero spare size is T125/70D15.

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3.4L S/C 87 GT www.fierosound.com
2002/2003/2004 World of Wheels Winner &
Multiple IASCA Stereo Award Winner

[This message has been edited by fierosound (edited 06-26-2007).]

Excellent stuff - 2 great solutions!!!!!! That's why I love this fourm - never underestimate the creative mind of a Fiero owner!!!

quote Originally posted by Fixit: The LaBaron spare is 16 inches in diameter, which makes it a tight but managable fit in the spare tire well. I do not have the actual tire size handy but I will get it for you. I have a Dickman cover as well and can tell you that while you can get it on the LaBaron spare, since the tire is larger than the regular Fiero spare, the elasticised edge will only go to a little past the center line of the tire. With the cover on and seated in the spare tire well it looks fine and no one seems to notice that the cover only extends a little past the center line of the tire. At some point I thought I would take the cover to a tent maker or boat cover shop and see if they could do something to improve the fit, but the fact that no one seems to notice has materially slowed that effort.

FIXIT,

Did you ever get that tire size of the LeBaron spare?

Thanks,
Bob

I'll bring this one up one more time. I will be heading down to the junk yard again today in hopes of finding a spare that will work.

Does anyone know the years of Subaru or Lebaron that will work? I looked at an 86 lebron yesterday and it had a 14" spare. There is one 88 fiero at the yard so I can make sure I am getting the correct bolt pattern. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Just found a list of cars that had the 11.25 rotors. Hopefully some of them will have a large enough spare to work over me 12" rotors. Any more info that can be added would be greatly appreciated.
http://www.fieroaddiction.com/brakes.html

[This message has been edited by Fieroseverywhere (edited 02-24-2008).]

I doubt either of these will work with the 12" Corvette. I'm going to have to get the WCF wheel one of these days.

Found one. It came out of a 96 Subaru Legacy. 16x4 with 135/70-16 tire on it. Here are some pics...



I see no reason why it won't fit over vette rotors yet. I am using Rockcrawls brake setup with the 88 fiero calipers so clearance is a bit better then with vette calipers. I currently have 16" wheels on the car and clearance is good.


Guess I'll find out for sure next weekend. For 10 dollars its worth it for a spare that might fit. If it doesn't work I'm sure someone here on the forum would be interested in it. I measured 14" at the smallest point inside so I'm almost positive that it will work. I will post my results next week when I know for sure.

[This message has been edited by Fieroseverywhere (edited 02-24-2008).]

quote Originally posted by Fieroseverywhere: I see no reason why it won't fit over vette rotors yet. I am using Rockcrawls brake setup with the 88 fiero calipers so clearance is a bit better then with vette calipers. I currently have 16" wheels on the car and clearance is good.

Great research. I don't actually have Corvette calipers, I have basically the same setup with 88 Calipers and Corvette 12" rotors. It sounds like I need to start looking for a Subaru spare tire. Thanks!

The Subaru bolt pattern is the same but the centerbore is 1mm smaller than the Fiero. Have you guys checked to see if those wheels will even fit over the Fiero hub?

[This message has been edited by Steven Snyder (edited 02-24-2008).]

quote Originally posted by Steven Snyder: The Subaru bolt pattern is the same but the centerbore is 1mm smaller than the Fiero. Have you guys checked to see if those wheels will even fit over the Fiero hub?

There was a fiero at the yard so of course I threw it on just to be sure. It was an 88 coupe. I saw no fitment issues with the rear of a fiero. I only checked the rear though since someone already took the front bearing/hubs off. With a bit of luck there will be no issues with the vette rotors either. I'll know for sure by friday. I will also be puting this on an 85GT with an 88 cradle swap so I will know for sure on the early front suspensions. I can also check it out on Dads 88GT to know for sure on the 88 fronts.

[This message has been edited by Fieroseverywhere (edited 02-24-2008).]

quote Originally posted by Steven Snyder: The Subaru bolt pattern is the same but the centerbore is 1mm smaller than the Fiero. Have you guys checked to see if those wheels will even fit over the Fiero hub?

Steven, what is the smallest centerbore that would fit over a Fiero hub anyways? (Is there a difference '84-'87 / '88?)

[This message has been edited by Austrian Import (edited 02-24-2008).]

Fiero center bore is 57.1mm. As accurate as a measuring tape can be I got between 57 and 57.1 on this spare. Looks to be about perfect.

The lebaron convertible had a spare tire cover that looks great on a fiero..I imagine the lebaron hardtop may have the same style spare wheel cover matches the gray interior sort of !! a neat cheap upgrade

quote Originally posted by Fieroseverywhere: Fiero center bore is 57.1mm. As accurate as a measuring tape can be I got between 57 and 57.1 on this spare. Looks to be about perfect.

57.1 is correct.

I'm surprised the Subaru spare wheel is not hubcentric.

I am using a spare from my dead Grand Am that came with 16 inch rims in my 85. Fits tight in the holder, but does fit.


Brad

quote Originally posted by Fieroseverywhere: Fiero center bore is 57.1mm. As accurate as a measuring tape can be I got between 57 and 57.1 on this spare. Looks to be about perfect.

I need a spare that will work with rockcrawls brake kit that uses the 12" vette rotors with '88 calipers on a pre-88 car. Is that what you have, and does the Suby wheels seem to work for sure then?

quote Originally posted by FieroFanatic13: I need a spare that will work with rockcrawls brake kit that uses the 12" vette rotors with '88 calipers on a pre-88 car. Is that what you have, and does the Suby wheels seem to work for sure then?

I have an 85GT with an 88 cradle swap. I will get a chance to try them out on the car next weekend and will know for sure if they will fit. My particular car should tell us how it will work on both the pre-88 and 88 setups. I'll let you guys know by sunday how it goes.

Thanks for the swaybar by the way. It is a great addition to my car.

quote Originally posted by Fieroseverywhere: I have an 85GT with an 88 cradle swap. I will get a chance to try them out on the car next weekend and will know for sure if they will fit. My particular car should tell us how it will work on both the pre-88 and 88 setups. I'll let you guys know by sunday how it goes. Thanks for the swaybar by the way. It is a great addition to my car.

Glad the rear bar worked out for you- I'm really hoping that there is a handy spare to use with the brake kit and will be waiting to hear what you figure out!

-Gary

quote Originally posted by Fieroseverywhere: Fiero center bore is 57.1mm. As accurate as a measuring tape can be I got between 57 and 57.1 on this spare. Looks to be about perfect.

I hope you are right about the Subaru spare tire wheel, I just bought two of them.

Please, one of you let us know if the Subaru 16 inch spare fits! I want to pick one up if they do.

Thanks!

-Gary

Ok. It fits but required some very easy modifications for my particular set-up. There were differences between the front and the rear. First off the inside diameter of the wheel is perfect to fit over the calipers both front and rear. They are not the best pics but here goes. There is plenty of clearance here.


The tire will need to be changed to fit under the hood since it is too big. For reference the stock fiero spare size is 125/60-15. Size on this spare is 135/70-16. I'll discuss part in more detail below.

Now here is what I did for the front. My set-up for the front is an 85 front suspension. I used the fieroaddiction.com adapter brackets, 88 fiero calipers, and 12" corvette rotors. The center bore for the front was not an issue and it seems that the front comes out to be lug-centric. The only problem I ran into was a very slight bit of caliper clearance. The clearnace was because of the inner most radius of the wheel. Here are some pics to show you what I mean.

This scratch on the wheel is where the clearance issue was. As you can see it is very slight.

Here is where the spare contacted the caliper.


The black marks on the caliper next to where the pad pins are is where the problem is. The way I look at is there are 2 solutons to this problem. Either file back the calipers just a touch for clearance or buy a small wheel spacer that will bring it out slightly. I went with option 2. The local auto parts store up the street sells single spacers for 5 dollars. Here is the spacer I bought. 1/8 in (3mm) thick universal 5 lug spacer.

Thats it for the front. Everything spins freely. To sum it up quickly... Buy spare, add spacer, change tire, done.

For the rear I ran into a completely different issue. I am using an 88 rear suspension and cradle on this car so I figured I would run into different problems. There was no caliper clearance problem at all. The problem came with the center bore of the wheel as Steve Snyder had suggested earlier in this thread. This was a simple problem to solve since the difference in cneter bores was ever so slight. I used a die-grinder with a flapper wheel (pic above) to widen the hole just enough test fitting it often to make usre it was a tight it. Here is a shot for comparison of the front and rear hubs for comparison. Now you see what I mean for the differences.
Rear.


Front.


To sum up the rear... Buy spare, open center bore slightly, done.

The last issue I ran into was with fitting the spare under the hood. The tire on the spare is too big to fit under the hood correctly. I am looking into a size that will fit but I think Fierosound already posted the size needed in this thread. I can tell you that you will want a 125 or norrower tire but I don't know the profile yet. I will post when I find one that will work.

Hope this helps a few of you out there. This spare is rediculously common, easy to find, and costs almost nothing. I recommend test fitting them on your car since every set-up can vary slightly and what worked for me might not be ideal for your setup. Good spare hunting.

quote Originally posted by Fieroseverywhere: Hope this helps a few of you out there. This spare is rediculously common, easy to find, and costs almost nothing. I recommend test fitting them on your car since every set-up can vary slightly and what worked for me might not be ideal for your setup. Good spare hunting.

That's all good news. I can deal with an 1/8" spacer and a center bore opening, in order to have a spare tire. I'm too paranoid to drive across country with no spare.

I will report on my results, but first I the wheels have to be delivered, and second I have to install the 12" brakes!

quote Originally posted by jscott1: That's all good news. I can deal with an 1/8" spacer and a center bore opening, in order to have a spare tire. I'm too paranoid to drive across country with no spare. I will report on my results, but first I the wheels have to be delivered, and second I have to install the 12" brakes!

Thats what I figured too. Its just temporary and I won't be running it hard with a spare on it. It'll get me home or to the nearest tire shop if needed. Anyone with corvette calipers want to test it out? I'd like to see how it fits there. I think this spare may work for other brake upgrades also all depending on caliper choice or spacing.

So now that the spare problem is figured out. What do you you with the flat? Will it fit in the trunk? I know a 15" tire fits barely.

Brad

quote Originally posted by twofatguys: So now that the spare problem is figured out. What do you you with the flat? Will it fit in the trunk? I know a 15" tire fits barely. Brad

GOOD question! My stock 215 rears on my old '86 GT were a fairly tight fit in the back trunk...

The rolling diameter of the tire should be within a few percent regardless of the wheel size. Still you probably have the trunk full if you are on travel, so bring some bungees and hope that you have a luggage rack.

After several abortive attempts to find a stock spare that would fit both the spare well and over my 11”+ disks and calipers, I finally broke down and ordered the WCF modified Fiero spare rim. It works fine in that they don’t try to fit over the calipers/disks at all. Instead, the mod turns the center of the wheel around resulting in only about a 1” offset on the hub side so there is nothing to get in the way of the disks and calipers—slick idea.

I wasn’t thrilled by the price and was a little disappointed that WCF didn’t clean up and paint the old wheel they used to do the mod after they finished the welding. To have to sand the paint after receiving it was a little irritating. But, it cleaned up well enough in the end. Here are some pics—hubside and outboard--after paint.

HUBSIDE


OUTBOARD (Street Side)


As to what to do with your flat if you’re carrying passengers with luggage in the trunk, a towel on the roof and a cargo strap run through the doors should get you to the nearest repair. I now carry both in my emergency kit.

Another alternative if you don’t want to go through all this: Carry a cell phone and keep your auto club membership current.

quote Originally posted by GoGetter: As to what to do with your flat if you’re carrying passengers with luggage in the trunk...

After you have taken the spare out of the front, you take all the junk you have in your trunk and put it in the front. You take your flat tire and put it in the trunk.

If for some reason your flat won't fit in the trunk, (you have a Madcurl sized wheel and tire) then you have the passenger hold it in their lap.

quote Originally posted by Fieroseverywhere: The last issue I ran into was with fitting the spare under the hood. The tire on the spare is too big to fit under the hood correctly. I am looking into a size that will fit but I think Fierosound already posted the size needed in this thread. I can tell you that you will want a 125 or norrower tire but I don't know the profile yet. I will post when I find one that will work.

Yup. You want a Firestone T115/70D16 tire for it - fits the spare wheel tub perfectly.

quote Originally posted by fierosound: Yup. You want a Firestone T115/70D16 tire for it - fits the spare wheel tub perfectly.

Perfect. Now where did you find one? I've been looking but nobody lists tires in that size.

Right now I just have the spare in the trunk.

quote Originally posted by Fieroseverywhere: Perfect. Now where did you find one? I've been looking but nobody lists tires in that size. Right now I just have the spare in the trunk.

I too could not find a source for a new tire in the "donut" sizes. I was told by several very big tire distributors that they no longer have a source for “donut” tires. Apparently, they are being run out of the market by run-flat tires and the like. On the advice of my local Pontiac dealer’s parts department, I ended up finding a used tire of the appropriate size at a tire shop nearby that handles used tires.

If you put a 16" spare in the front you may want to check to see if your sunroof still fits in the front too

quote Originally posted by GoGetter: I too could not find a source for a new tire in the "donut" sizes. I was told by several very big tire distributors that they no longer have a source for “donut” tires. Apparently, they are being run out of the market by run-flat tires and the like. On the advice of my local Pontiac dealer’s parts department, I ended up finding a used tire of the appropriate size at a tire shop nearby that handles used tires.

Good call. I'll look into that. Thanks.

quote Originally posted by Phil: If you put a 16" spare in the front you may want to check to see if your sunroof still fits in the front too

Lucky for me this car does not have one.
I actually had a conversation with a guy from a local firestone store today. Here is how it went...

Guy: Firestone, how can I help you?
Me: Hello, I need a replacement tire for my compact spare.
Guy: Ok. Do you know what size you need?
Me: T115/70D16
Guy: Ok hold on a sec and I check it out for you....
5 minutes later...
Guy: Well I have good news and bad news for you.
Me: Whats the good news?
Guy: One is a available and its only 175 dollars. (Hehe. Only 175. And thats the good news? )
Me: Ha! So whats the bad news?
Guy: Its not in this country and will probably take a couple of months to get here.
Me: Ha! Did you say months?
Guy: Yep.
Me: Well thanks anyways I'll keep searching...


I'll be checking out a few other places throughout the week. I may even look into some of the run flat tires if I can find one in the correct size. I'll keep you guys posted.

If nothing pans out I'll just keep the original tire on it and keep it in the trunk. At least I'll have one if I do get a flat. Guess I can move the tool box and other items to the front til then.

[This message has been edited by Fieroseverywhere (edited 05-07-2008).]