488 - Spare tire / wheel question | FerrariChat

488 Spare tire / wheel question

Discussion in '458 Italia/488/F8' started by up4speed, Jan 12, 2025.

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  1. up4speed

    up4speed F1 Rookie
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    Feb 16, 2012
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    Long Island, NY
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    Chris
    Does anyone know if a 458 front wheel will fit a 488 as a spare on the front and rear positions, without suspension or brake caliper interference?

    The reason I ask is because I have a leftover wheel from my 458, and would like to keep it for a spare, just in case I get a flat / blowout.
    I used to have a 360, and I tried fitting the front wheel on the rear, and it fit! So I purchased a spare that I kept for emergencies. I would like to do the same for my 488 if my old 458 front wheel also fits front and rear.
     
  2. up4speed

    up4speed F1 Rookie
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  3. mdrums

    mdrums F1 Rookie

    Jun 11, 2006
    3,225
    Tampa FL
    Even if the front fit on the rear the overall diameter of front and rear tires is different so the rolling speed would not be correct. I believe this would damage the transmission.I do know for sure that the cars ecu would think on eon the rear wheels is spinning faster than the other and ABS, brakes, traction control would be going nuts.
     
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  4. up4speed

    up4speed F1 Rookie
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    #4 up4speed, Jan 12, 2025
    Last edited: Jan 12, 2025
    Good point. I was thinking along the lines of just crawling home (within 30 miles), just to avoid a tow (I also have tire machines, so I can take care of the full repair). Of course this issue only comes to play if it's a rear tire that blew. The difference front to rear, is about .4" diameter, which equates to about 12 revolutions/mile. How do cars that come with a spare tire kit handle this?

    I'm not sure if that's enough to be an issue, but my logical side is thinking that it may not matter, I'm thinking that a car on the track, especially with all the traction stuff off and drifting, is introducing more slip and heat to the differential clutches. I'm not sure, it really depends on the design.
    So the question is, is that enough slip to damage the car, in the event something happens? I guess it's possible, but if I had to guess, I wouldn't think it's likely, especially if I crawl home at slower speeds. I would also turn it to CT Off to prevent any confusion with the electronics trying to interfere.

    Just some food for thought..... The 360 had a spare tire kit that can be ordered from the factory, and the difference in diameter front to rear was about 1", which equates to about 30 revolution/mile.The 488 is 1/2 the difference as compared to the 360, so it would be better, and less damaging to the car if I had to guess.
    And to make matters worse, I compared the 360 spare tire size to the rear tire size. The diameter of the spare is 1.78" smaller! That's 54 revolutions/mile. After looking at that, I'm 99.5% sure that the 488 will be fine with a front wheel on the rear of the car, as long as it fits clearancewise.

    Any Ferrari mechanics here for your thoughts? I really would like to have a spare, but not at the expense of causing any damage, so I want to make sure that my line of thinking is solid.
     
  5. LVP488

    LVP488 F1 Veteran

    Jan 21, 2017
    5,674
    France
    The 488 had a 20" spare wheel as an optional equipment (although it was probably almost never selected due to the available space it was removing from the trunk).
    This spare wheel was intended for both front and rear wheels, so the car has to be able to withstand a wheel with an incorrect diameter without falling into pieces. The speed with that spare wheel was limited though (typically it's 80 kph, i.e. 50 mph).
    Having wheels of different diameters on the rear axle would just make use of the differential - for occasional use I guess that should not be a real issue.
     

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