How to protect spare wheel?

[pudzley]

I put on a set of aftermarket wheels on my 04 SR5 last year and been driving around with the stock spare and no OEM lug nuts lol. I got my hands on a very cheap spare to match my aftermarket set and it's in perfect shape... I'd like to keep it that way but I know what happens to spare wheels mounted underneath a frame, especially living in the Northeast...

Any good ways to protect the spare wheel from salt/debris, etc? I've seen spare wheel covers, but not sure how that would work given the steel line running through the middle of it. Thanks!

 

[S p a r k y]

Do you put that spare into a 5 tire rotation? If so, and your worried about it messing up, I would keep it in the garage or house and leave the stocker underneath for emergencies. A spare is just for emergencies. “Matching” if not in rotation or mounted for people to see, I wouldn’t think there is a reason to keep a perfect aftermarket wheel under the car.

 

[Terminator03]

Sort of on the idea that Sparky mentioned, I have aftermarket wheels with different offsets and larger than stock tires, so the spare presented a similar problem for me. I chose not to waste money on a matching spare just to stuff it underneath (I also live in the salty northeast). Since the stock was no longer correctly sized, I don’t even carry it at all which saves weight back there. If I was into serious off-roading, I’d have a rear carrier, or rooftop mount anyway as it’s not very practical crawling under the truck to get the spare in most off road situations anyway. If I get a flat, I’ll use my AAA card to get it flatbedded home or to a tire shop where I can fix it easier/safer anyway so I don’t even bother having one at all. Depending on your needs/use this may or may not be a practical option for you...