5 tire rotation discussion

[WILDHOBO]

Are you saying that the spare shipped with the truck is not the correct offset for use on the vehicle it came with?

No. I’m saying that 12.5” wide tires on factory wheels are too far in and rub suspension parts. If one cheaps out and puts that tire on a steelie wheel for a spare, they’ll be unhappy when they need to use it.

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[XraytecH]

Yep. One floor jack and I’m done.

And spreading out the tire miles over 5 tires is a bonus.

 

[WILDHOBO]

And spreading out the tire miles over 5 tires is a bonus.

I agree, but for me that’s the side bonus. I do it so when I’m offroad and actually need the spare, I can continue the trail without being handicapped into connecting my swaybar or worse.

 

[Zachanadandy]

12.5” wide tires will rub on factory offset wheels without a spacer. If I swap in the spare, I’d rub offroad. No beuno.

Up front you would get a slight rub, you could always put the spare on the rear. If you're more comfortable with a matched spare or 3, run them. The fact is it's not necessary but you do you.

 

[Badunit]

I've never done a 5-tire rotation. For example, the spare on my 1997 TJ is the original tire it came with. It still looks good. I don't know how safe it would be after 28 years but it looks good.

 

[LouisvEarlleJT]

Can we alter the subject slightly to discuss if I should 6 or 7 tire rotate?

This works better than I feel like it should haha

 

[WILDHOBO]

Up front you would get a slight rub, you could always put the spare on the rear. If you're more comfortable with a matched spare or 3, run them. The fact is it's not necessary but you do you.

Do you take yours off road? Have you ever changed a tire on a bad incline in mud or snow or slick rock? I’m guessing you’ve never been in a situation where you have a flat in the front on the trail. Let me know how safe it would be to swap one of your rears to the front before you put your spare on the rear. Necessary for a grocery store parking lot, nope. But for actual real world use, it is if you don’t want a bad situation.

 

[Zachanadandy]

Do you take yours off road? Have you ever changed a tire on a bad incline in mud or snow or slick rock? I’m guessing you’ve never been in a situation where you have a flat in the front on the trail. Let me know how safe it would be to swap one of your rears to the front before you put your spare on the rear. Necessary for a grocery store parking lot, nope. But for actual real world use, it is if you don’t want a bad situation.

Yes because the slight rubbing you might get from putting the spare up front would prevent you from moving the vehicle to a better place to then switch tires around? Hell I'd winch to a better spot just to change the tire no matter what spare I have, especially in the JT with it mounted under the bed. Of course I'm only changing a tire if I've ripped a hole in the sidewall anyway at which point I'm not concerned about damaging it further by moving the vehicle on the flat tire. A simple debead is getting jacked up and starting fluid placed back on the wheel without touching a lug nut or spare tire. I carry plugs, patches, and a compressor... and am perfectly comfortable with my under sized mismatched spare for the worst case scenario. If it gets worse than that there will be a trip for parts, just like the time I changed the blown up th400 in my wagoneer...on the side of the trail. You'll never have enough spares for every scenario. The tools, ability, and plan to deal with it are far more important. I wouldn't even consider a flat tire a bad situation regardless of location after the real world experiences I've been a part of, but you do you.

 

[WILDHOBO]

Yes because the slight rubbing you might get from putting the spare up front would prevent you from moving the vehicle to a better place to then switch tires around? Hell I'd winch to a better spot just to change the tire no matter what spare I have, especially in the JT with it mounted under the bed. Of course I'm only changing a tire if I've ripped a hole in the sidewall anyway at which point I'm not concerned about damaging it further by moving the vehicle on the flat tire. A simple debead is getting jacked up and starting fluid placed back on the wheel without touching a lug nut or spare tire. I carry plugs, patches, and a compressor... and am perfectly comfortable with my under sized mismatched spare for the worst case scenario. If it gets worse than that there will be a trip for parts, just like the time I changed the blown up th400 in my wagoneer...on the side of the trail. You'll never have enough spares for every scenario. The tools, ability, and plan to deal with it are far more important. I wouldn't even consider a flat tire a bad situation regardless of location after the real world experiences I've been a part of, but you do you.

In comparison to other bad situations, yes, tires are nothing. I too have patch tools, and recovery gear coming out of my ears. I’ve taken a tire off a bead with winch pressure on a large ledge. With bead tracks on the wheel, it wasn’t going to reseat without a tire machine. Even with my 300psi of co2. I was pretty happy to have a matching wheel on snow covered slick rock in Moab. Neither rear was anywhere near a safe location to jack up and do a swap.

 

[Zachanadandy]

In comparison to other bad situations, yes, tires are nothing. I too have patch tools, and recovery gear coming out of my ears. I’ve taken a tire off a bead with winch pressure on a large ledge. With bead tracks on the wheel, it wasn’t going to reseat without a tire machine. Even with my 300psi of co2. I was pretty happy to have a matching wheel on snow covered slick rock in Moab. Neither rear was anywhere near a safe location to jack up and do a swap.

But even in your rare situation, you could throw a stock spare on the front, get up the ledge, and then move tires around. Also, I've mounted 42s without a tire machine, if it doesn't seat with air pressure, spray starting fluid in there and toss a match. I've yet to have a tire I couldn't reseat that way.

 

[WILDHOBO]

But even in your rare situation, you could throw a stock spare on the front, get up the ledge, and then move tires around. Also, I've mounted 42s without a tire machine, if it doesn't seat with air pressure, spray starting fluid in there and toss a match. I've yet to have a tire I couldn't reseat that way.

All of that is true, and I apologize for assuming you hadn’t been in those situations. You clearly have, and likely have more experience than I do by far. As you said. I do me. I’m over prepared by choice. I like figuring out the logistics of a recovery more than most. I thrive on it actually. But I still choose to have as many advantages at my disposal as are reasonable.

 

[bill61]

So with all this talk about keeping a 33 as a spare while having 35s or 37s is there no problem with wheel speed sensors if the 33 is thrown into the mix?
I’m coming from a JKU and wheel speed sensors go off when I spin a tire accelerating or skid one during braking (happens occasionally when I cut a corner and get a tire on the concrete gutter).

 

[Hootbro]

So with all this talk about keeping a 33 as a spare while having 35s or 37s is there no problem with wheel speed sensors if the 33 is thrown into the mix?

It will throw some traction codes running a undesize spare. Most advice will tell you that you really do not want to run a undersize wheel on any drive axle and to rotate the undersize spare to the front axle that is not engage in 4WD.

This scenario of running a undersize spare should be looked at as an emergency situation until you can get the vehicle to a safe place to get the full size tire/wheel repaired or replaced. You do not want to be driving 60+ miles at highway speeds on a undesize spare.

 

[Supazuk]

I don't rotate tires on truck at all, per say... since it is primarily RWD I drive till the fronts are close to worn. I put the rears up front and new tires in the rear usually before snow season, rinse and repeat

 

[bill61]

It will throw some traction codes running a undesize spare. Most advice will tell you that you really do not want to run a undersize wheel on any drive axle and to rotate the undersize spare to the front axle that is no engage in 4WD.

This scenario of running a undersize spare should be looked at as an emergency situation until you can get the vehicle to safe place to get the full size tire/wheel repaired or replaced. You do not want to be driving 60+ miles at highway speeds on a undesize spare.

Yep, totally agree. Just curious why some are so cavalier about it. Heck, even the tiny spare in cars always bothered me (replaced with a can of flat fix these days). Most flats I’ve had were quite a ways from tire shops. Like 30 or more miles or 10 miles of trail. It’s one of the things I take seriously. And size matters LOL.

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