Rotating your spare: should you do it, how often, and what pattern should you use?

[Pyral]

I bought a 5th alloy wheel to use as a spare so I can now rotate all 5 wheels and not waste my matching spare tire under my car. I've put 3400 miles on my new tires and I'm wondering when I should rotate them.

I found this image of the rotation pattern, the third gen would use the pattern on the right.

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I'm wondering if anyone has done this and is it a good idea?

 

[Hungryhawk]

TPMS can complicate things as you will need 5 sensors.
I like the example on right.
I do not rotate my spare presently. I have extra SR5 wheels, but its a project to remove steel wheel add another TPMS or possibly 5 matching sensors.
So its on a list of to-do's . I have a new spare tire matching the 4 on ground. I am driving on Pirelli Scorpion AT plus. A medium agressive tread and I rotate at 5,000 miles. With my open differentials I am not concerned about matching tread thickness for drivetrain issues.
Getting more life out of the tire purchase is a great idea!

 

[Pyral]

TPMS can complicate things as you will need 5 sensors.
I like the example on right.
I do not rotate my spare presently. I have extra SR5 wheels, but its a project to remove steel wheel add another TPMS or possibly 5 matching sensors.
So its on a list of to-do's . I have a new spare tire matching the 4 on ground. I am driving on Pirelli Scorpion AT plus. A medium agressive tread and I rotate at 5,000 miles. With my open differentials I am not concerned about matching tread thickness for drivetrain issues.
Getting more life out of the tire purchase is a great idea!

I'm pretty sure the early version of TPMS that 3rd gens had used the ABS system to detect changes in tire circumference, so no sensors in the wheel.

I don't have either, so there isn't anything to throw off

 

[Twisted Sid]

What 3rd gen had TPMS?

I do a rotation every 8k or every other oil change

 

[Pyral]

What 3rd gen had TPMS?

I do a rotation every 8k or every other oil change

None aparently, I assumed they got them like the 1st gen highlanders but that was later.

 

[Zhehan]

Putting a nice wheel under the car like that will ruin it, IMHO. That spare position gets all kinds of crap all over the wheel and tire. Especially if you wheel the truck a lot.

My .02

 

[Endlessblockades]

I've also never heard of TPMS in a 3rd gens, but I only have experience with mine and whatever Timmy works on. Last year, For the first time in my life I bought 5 new tires (the price was very good). Then a few months later, I bought 5 new wheels (again - BF markdown) and had them swapped in at the first rotation (around 5k miles). I've got free lifetime rotation at the shop I got the tires from and they adhere to a 5 wheel rotation scheme. I mark them to see where they end up, but i don't know which pattern they are using yet.They write SPARE in paint pen on the tread. I have never been as grown up about tires in my entire life - and not to be too morbid - I don't have that many full sets left......

 

[phattyduck]

Putting a nice wheel under the car like that will ruin it, IMHO. That spare position gets all kinds of crap all over the wheel and tire. Especially if you wheel the truck a lot.

My .02

I agree with this. I'd only do a 5-wheel rotation if I had a rear tire carrier or similar storage spot out from underneath. I currently run a 16" with 265/75-16 tire, which is matching diameter to the 265/70-17 I run on the other 4. I did have to get a 16" wheel that fits over the Tundra brakes. The spare gets the same brand/model of tire as the other 4 - just used so it can be cheap.

-Charlie

 

[Pyral]

Putting a nice wheel under the car like that will ruin it, IMHO. That spare position gets all kinds of crap all over the wheel and tire. Especially if you wheel the truck a lot.

My .02

You can put the outside of wheel facing upwards so it's hopefully not getting scraped or ruined.

If stuff accumulates on top I'll spray a protective coating on it before putting it up. The rims for now cost less than the tire, so if I have to replace a rim every set of tires it's still worth it if I don't waste a $200+ tire. I'm sure the rims wont always be as plentiful, especially if I'm going to be sentenced to living in New Jersey.

 

[HiluxSurf SSR-G]

I rotate the tires every 5000 km including a full size spare. I use the right diagram

 

[3bears]

kind of use diagram on right, say kind of because in winter I switch to different wheels and tires. My spare is a matching one so that I too can fit over my TBU

 

[Endlessblockades]

I'll add that I don't carry the spare except on some multiday off road adventures (carry it inside or on the roof. I don't think the 33" would have any chance of fitting in the spare spot, but more important, would drag on features. Plug kit, Glue Tread kit, and compressor is carried daily.

 

[JohnMc]

Full size spare and matching rim on the rear bumper. I rotate every 5K (more or less) and just go in a circular pattern. There doesn't seem to much of a wear rate difference between the front and rear, so it doesn't seem to matter (in any way that I've noticed) that the tires are not changing ends on each rotation. I've evenly worn out a set of Michelin AT2's, KO2's, currently working my way through a fairly fresh set of KM3's.

Side note: The KM3's are certainly better off road, no doubt about it, but they are certainly much more compromised on pavement. They're way more vague and soft and noisy. The reaction of the truck to steering inputs is almost comically delayed. KO2's are a better balance of on/off road capability for something that's driven on pavement a lot.

 

[rdruss]

I have a 4th gen, spare has always mounted outside face up in the under the vehicle location. Yearly maintenance has always been to drop/clean the spare. But then I decided to mount it inside the rear hatch in an upright position against the passenger side window which works very well if you have stock size wheels. I don't rotate it in very often but just got new tires so I may try to be more diligent with this.