activate unused spare tire

[tcpoob]

2005 v6 4wd 4Runner 53600 miles
stock 265/65/R17 Bridgestone Dueler tires
front tires are worn more than rear
never rotated
intend to replace all tires by winter
never used the spare
saw a small crack or dry rot on the rear passenger tire side wall

can i replace the rear passenger tire with the never used 3+ years old full size spare (same tire, just no tread wear)? i know it's not a good idea in general but since i am replacing all of them by winter, is this terribly bad?

also when loading luggage throu tail gate window, the rear wiper was broken. i think it might have been the plastic cover that broke - which was paper thin and seemed very aged plastic where it broke. i took the wiper off including the little coil spring as i was leaving out of town in a hurry. has anyone run into this?

 

[004Gunner]

As long as the bead is good and tire pressure is adjusted properly then you should have no problem. That's assuming it's the factory spare replacing a factory wheel, mixing wheel sizes is a bad idea

 

[tcpoob]

thanks. Yes it's all factory stock wheel and tires. Everywhere I look they say "don't mix new spare with worn tires".

As long as the bead is good and tire pressure is adjusted properly then you should have no problem. That's assuming it's the factory spare replacing a factory wheel, mixing wheel sizes is a bad idea