So, what about that spare?

[cjacob316]

Philsey's post got me to thinking. Best to review this before it's needed.

Wife has the 4Runner today, so I went online to look at the owners manual.

Section -> If your vehicle needs to be towed

Page 433 -> If you have a flat tire

You will need the following item:

Phillips screwdriver


I take it Philsey's tool bag did not have a Phillips in it. How nice of Toyota to tell you this while you're on the side of the road reading the owners manual.

Yeah...I know...shoulda read it beforehand. Just sayin'.

Phillips goes in the bag when she gets home tonight.

I'll be checking my wife's Camry later too now that you bring this up. Would be a good investment to buy a couple dedicated phillips drivers for the spare kits

I just had a sidewall blow out last week @5am, dark and cold. This was my first flat ever. I instantly realized this was not going to be fun changing out the driver side flat on the freeway when cars and semi going 65+ and it did not help when I discovered the tools was painted shut. I was very fortunate that a road side asst vehicle came by within 5mins and offer a free service. I was instantly relief. But yes, those are all valid point to keep in mind for future references. I'm looking for a tire compressor/inflator at the moment. Any recommendation? Viair 88P?

for the price and solely for roadside, the slime brand from Walmart has been good to me for 4+ years super cheap. They come with a long green air hose and a fairly long power cord complete with a light. the filler end screws into the stem. Picked up a digital pressure reader there too, not too bad. The other option is to get a combo jumper/inflator, they will run without a cord. I know Ryobi makes an inflator in their 18volt line, I think dewalt does as well if you want to go the cordless route.

 

[philsey]

Page 433 -> If you have a flat tire
You will need the following item:
Phillips screwdriver.

Ha. I did dig out the manual - missed that.


I take it Philsey's tool bag did not have a Phillips in it..

Does now.

One thing in hindsight I did forget: A sturdy block of wood for a jacking base.

 

[1engineer]

According to statistics, you will, on average, have five flats in your lifetime. Some more, some less, but five on average. I have not had a full blown flat having to change on side of road in forever. Even with four daily driven vehicles we have only had one in four years. So while it's always a good idea for all this stuff in reality you might as well carry around everything you might only fail five times in your lifetime. Need a big trailer....

 

[Engineer]

Great Thread, funny thing was this happened to me a couple days ago while the bumper was off I decided to lower the spare and was shocked when I realized that I needed a screwdriver. Was not a problem but it got me thinking how many people wouldn't have one.........but to [MENTION=66316]1engineer[/MENTION] point how many people change tires now a days. I saw a Land Rover with a flat tire and Full Sized Spare on the rear hatch with the owner in the passenger seat of the flat bed pull into discount tire and I almost asked him what was wrong with his spare but I restrained (maybe he tried and there was other problems but unlikely)

For 99% of us if we had a flat its not life or death (can call a tow and wait), may not be the most convenient (time) or cheapest option but that is the direction the world is going to, hence run flats. For those that are actually off the road a repair kit + compressor is insurance but you run the risk of having a un patchable sidewall puncture/tear so bring in the real world spare and way to jack the truck up. Then there are those that are Truly off the beaten path and a kit + 1 spare isn't even enough, these are the situations where walking out is not a viable option. At that point I am with the "how many can I reasonably carry" crowd. Think "Isolated Wilderness" which are areas I will avoid unless very well equipped (Some one better know your travel plans if you are in an area like this)


I think preventative maintenance on your spare is prudent but certainly not something I expect most owners to bother with. Although I do think Toyota should have put a Ikea style Screwdriver in the black bag.

 

[cjacob316]

One thing in hindsight I did forget: A sturdy block of wood for a jacking base.

Another reason I keep a spare jack is because I didn't realize how bad the footing was until I went to put the new tire on and couldn't, I had to borrow someone else's jack to re-position and get some more height. A stable base would have prevented that. I was in a dirt/gravel parking lot.

According to statistics, you will, on average, have five flats in your lifetime. Some more, some less, but five on average. I have not had a full blown flat having to change on side of road in forever. Even with four daily driven vehicles we have only had one in four years. So while it's always a good idea for all this stuff in reality you might as well carry around everything you might only fail five times in your lifetime. Need a big trailer....

It has been a while now for me, just bad driving habits in the past. The only blow out on the road/interstate was a screw that got pulled out by the metal expansion spacers in bridge segments one night and that happened to be the night one of my bottle jacks decided not to work. I do also have roadside through insurance now that does not really cost me much, always worth looking in to.

I am surprised that one end of the pieces in the kit isn't a phillips head, just like some kits have a pry bar end, I swear one of my vehicles had a phillips on the end of one of the rods.

 

[Engineer]

According to statistics, you will, on average, have five flats in your lifetime. Some more, some less, but five on average. I have not had a full blown flat having to change on side of road in forever. Even with four daily driven vehicles we have only had one in four years. So while it's always a good idea for all this stuff in reality you might as well carry around everything you might only fail five times in your lifetime. Need a big trailer....

Only had 1 flat in my 10years of driving, Luckily for me I discovered it the next morning in the hotel parking lot (this was after a night of driving through the mountains) as I discovered that the aftermarket wheels required a different socket then then the standard one that came with the car. Cheap lesson learned on my end

 

[drewser]

My first was about 19 yrs ago when I'd first moved to town, and still had my Toyota Celica's trunk full of stuff I hadn't unpacked yet. Heading to a property in a sketchy part of town and popped a tire on a pothole. Had to pull over and unload the entire trunk to get to the jack & spare, and changed tire in long sleeve shirt & tie on a muggy Texas June day, all while fending off panhandling "requests" (none too threatening). Delightful.

 

[bpwwer]

I think I've had my 5 actual blow outs:

1) Hit a pot hole so hard that it blew the tire. Didn't have much money at the time so a cheap used tire was the replacement.

2) Cheap used tire blew while pulling out onto a main road, caused a bit of off road excursion into a telephone pole. Totaled the car.

3) Late night, HWY 80 outside of Cheyenne in the middle of a pouring rain storm, hit a brake drum in the middle of road. Brake drum from from a pickup a bit farther up the road. Not only blew the tire but damaged the rim as well. After swapping tires around so the space saver was on the rear (front wheel drive car), drove 16 hours straight to get home.

4) Utah back road in 2006 runner, tire patched back in town and used for spare

5) Utah back road in 2006 runner. This one tore the sidewall, had to drive a couple of hundred miles to find a replacement ... Limited and their unique tire choices.

So I'm good now that I'm at the average, no more blow outs for me :thumb:

 

[IdRatherBe]

I had the privilege of learning how to change my first truck/suv tire (MUCH different than a car tire which I have changed many times) the first month of my 4runner ownership. I managed to run over a 3 inch piece of crumpled metal and it destroyed my rear passenger tire. For added difficulty it was at dusk right after work on the southside of Houston in the uturn lane of an underpass. For those unfamiliar, this is the location of choice for the homeless and panhandlers. AWESOME. I managed to rig it up well enough using the flat part of a rod supplied in the kit, but the darn thing must have fallen apart at least 3 times while I was using it.

Bottom line, I got out after an hour of fumbling and was on my way, but it was a hell of a process. I was happy I had the full spare, though.

 

[Boyds4Runner]

I'm prepping for a several weeks-long road trip and decided it would be smart to check my spare - since I've never touched it since new.

Lesson #1: To assemble the tire-lowering crank/rod-thingy you'll need a pliers or phillips screwdriver, as the screws are painted shut. I mention this as I do not typically carry tools, and this might have been a show stopper at the side of the road. (Maybe I'll carry some basics beyond a Leatherman).

Thank you for posting the PSA and as others have mentioned I too agree with a little practice in the home garage so that one gets familiar with what they have to work with.

It is a good idea to carry some basic tools as well but just in case someone doesn't and is trying to get the crank rod assembled for the first time this can be done without tools. The "L" shaped handle that will become the crank has a square peg that will fit over the screw-bolt on the legs of the stem to tighten and loosen them. Maybe the thumb-style screw might need extra force or a screw-driver but for the most part the tools in the tire changing kit should work well enough on their own without additional tools. At least that was the case with my 2004 SR5 and the newer 2015 I have.

I have included some pictures to aid. Or maybe I got the wrong interpretation of this but hopefully the pictures help.

 

[philsey]

^^ Clever ba$tards, those Japanese engineers, eh?

 

[rochmpr]

Thank you for posting the PSA and as others have mentioned I too agree with a little practice in the home garage so that one gets familiar with what they have to work with.

It is a good idea to carry some basic tools as well but just in case someone doesn't and is trying to get the crank rod assembled for the first time this can be done without tools. The "L" shaped handle that will become the crank has a square peg that will fit over the screw-bolt on the legs of the stem to tighten and loosen them. Maybe the thumb-style screw might need extra force or a screw-driver but for the most part the tools in the tire changing kit should work well enough on their own without additional tools. At least that was the case with my 2004 SR5 and the newer 2015 I have.

I have included some pictures to aid. Or maybe I got the wrong interpretation of this but hopefully the pictures help.

This! These parts have basically been unchanged on all Toyota's that I have had. This is what I have always done. Necessity is the mother of invention.

 

[cbreze]

Better to be prepared and never need it then not prepared and need it. I haven't had a flat in probably 15 years at least but do keep my stuff at the ready, lubed where needed and ready to go.

 

[Orbital Debris]

Funny how timely this forum can be. I just got back from a cross country trip, and the TPMS light came on early in the second day. It was a slow leak and I was able to keep the tire inflated for the remainder of the trip. This allowed me to change the tire in the comfort of my garage and locate and remove the tiny nail that caused the leak. As dirty as the spare was, I sprayed the spare lift mechanism liberally with WD40 to prevent future problems, this was a good idea.

I've kept a tire inflator in the truck ever since I started having trouble finding a gas station with a working air service. It has paid for itself in saved quarters. I also purchased a 21mm deepwell socket and 1/2inch drive breaker bar that remain in the truck so I don't have to rely on the flimsy lug wrench in the kit (for removal only, the socket goes onto a torque wrench to tighten!). I carry and have successfully used a plug kit several times, but never on the side of the road.

I have had to change a tire on the side of the road recently due to a puncture. Whatever I ran over left a neat 1/4 inch hole that required me to pull over immediately.

After purchasing the 4runner I racked out the spare to check the pressure (this should be a no less than yearly periodicity) and found that someone had filled it to 55psi! I'm probably overly cautious, but I walked through a tire changeout. You never know when someone at the dealership decided to 'borrow' one of the tools.
In addition to the handle fitting the square nut, a box end 7/16 wrench will fit the square nut as well. I threw a spare one into the kit just in case.

Also one note, after a "Toyota Care" free tire rotation, I noticed a vibration at speed. When I got home, I loosened and retorqued the lugnuts in the proper order and the vibration was gone. I always knew that there was a reason for the torquing sequence, but would not have guessed that it would have caused a vibration like that.

 

[BobsTrail]

Spare Tire

I had trouble just getting the spare to lower. Here is a link to an old post of mine with photos.

http://www.toyota-4runner.org/5th-gen-t4rs/134396-spare-tire-access-2013-te.html#post1290106

 

[phillyd2]

Good PSA. I've helped change flats for two members who did not know how to lower their spares. All should at least practice getting it out and back a few times. And those with a lift should make sure they account for the additional height and the bottle jack.

 

[Matt007b]

Good thread - lots of good info..

you guys are probably stronger than me since I'm a skinny guy but I've learned to put a cheater bar in my car to make it easier to get the bolts off and put on... Last flat I had was in a 2010 Nissan Titan and the dealership must of used some serious air gun power because I was literally standing jumping up and down on the wrench standing on the wrench and grabbing the fender wells lifting the truck trying to break the bolts on the wheels.. 5 times :doh:hwell::uzi::noidea:

And not to be sexist or offend any females on the board but good chance a few girls I know wouldn't of been able to break the bolts I was really lucky to get them loose myself...

from now on I have a nice metal pipe in the back to give me more leverage so I don't hurt myself the next time I try it...

 

[rochmpr]

http://www.toyota-4runner.org/5th-gen-t4rs/130567-5-vs-4-tire-rotation.html

Here is a little analysis of 5 versus 4 tire rotations. You would lose money but gain in maintaining your spare tire apparatus.

This analysis would be a fair statement should one always plan on running the same size tires. Those of us that run larger tires have to buy the 5th tire, plus, if you're getting aftermarket wheels, what's a few extra bucks for the TPMS. At this point, your already deep in the hole, so performing 5 tire rotation will actually increase the longevity of the tires, as they are only seeing 80% use. Doing this, I had about 40k on a set of DuraTracs on an FZJ-80 and still had plenty of life left.

There is no one is better than the other, but personally, with a set of 5 matching tires and wheels, I will do the 5 tire rotation. If I only had a set of 4 matching, then, I would only do the four.

 

[Kennyr44]

This is a good thread. It inspired me to figure out my spare tire situation. I did learn that a phillips screwdriver is needed and not provided. I also found that my spare was overinflated to about 47 lb. The wheel dropped down pretty smooth. All good . I left the extra air in the tire.

 

[onthejob]

I just picked up my '15 TE last week and I was disappointed to see the full size spare was mounted on a steel wheel so you can't do a 5 tire rotation without buying a 5th matching alloy rim. What a waste of a full size tire if you just leave it there for an emergency. Tires have expiration dates now right?

On a side note, is the alloy rim on the '15 TE the same one as one of the FJ alloys they use to offer? They look identical.