Spare Tire Pressure

Jivewalker

Jivewalker

Member
Whats everyone keeping their spare at? I just lowered mine for the first time to make sure the pressure was good and found that it was at 50psi??? Surprised to see that, figure it was from the factory that way, maybe the lazy way to keep the TPMS from tripping? Dropped down to around 37psi, which is 5 over what I run the rest at. Interested to hear everyones ideas and reasons for what they keep their spare at. Does a higher pressure prolong life of a stagnant tire, etc..?
 
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Wouldn't it be better to just leave it at 50psi and just let some air out when you need to use ? Seems like its a better cushion in the event it does lose some pressure.
 
mace. said:
Wouldn't it be better to just leave it at 50psi and just let some air out when you need to use ? Seems like its a better cushion in the event it does lose some pressure.
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Its a good idea to keep the spare tire at the maximum pressure rated for that tire as it will not be frequently used unless you are doing a 5 tire rotation pattern. Tires lose pressure over time due to natural leaking and will eventually go flat, hence why all full sized Toyota spare tire/wheels utilize a TPMS. As regular maintenence of the vehicle you should have a tire pressure gauge to maintain proper pressure and should be checking it between oil changes.

Remember, you can always let air out to set the tire to the proper pressure when you need it. You can't always fill a 2nd flat tire with air if you get stuck on the side of the road (unless you invested in an air compressor.)
 
It is probably best to keep it at max pressure if you don't have an onboard air source unless you set a regular schedule to check it and you can always lower the pressure it if you need to use it.

Your 5th Gen 4Runner does NOT have a TPMS sensor in the spare as Toyota did away with the 5th sensor in 2010. Not only that ,the TPMS ecu does not have the capability to even read or register a 5th sensor,only 4. Been discussed many times before on here.Same goes for FJ's and Tundras also that I know of and Toyota service manager said the same for most new Toyota's.
 
I just had a thought...how do you keep the alarm from going off if you've moved your spare to the rear bumper? Program it out at the Dealership?
 
harper7 said:
It is probably best to keep it at max pressure if you don't have an onboard air source unless you set a regular schedule to check it and you can always lower the pressure it if you need to use it.

Your 5th Gen 4Runner does NOT have a TPMS sensor in the spare as Toyota did away with the 5th sensor in 2010. Not only that ,the TPMS ecu does not have the capability to even read or register a 5th sensor,only 4. Been discussed many times before on here.Same goes for FJ's and Tundras also that I know of and Toyota service manager said the same for most new Toyota's.
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Did not know this, ill look into those discussions, they have to be a good read!

Out of all the vehicles i've owned over the last 25 years this is the first that had max psi vs sticker psi on the spare so was just looking for the reason as to why. I check my tires frequently, and I definately don't leave it up to the stealership.

I thought the spare had tpms so I don't check as frequently.

I really see no disadvantage to overinflating, so gonna go with that from now on. Thanks for the input.
 
harper7 said:
It is probably best to keep it at max pressure if you don't have an onboard air source unless you set a regular schedule to check it and you can always lower the pressure it if you need to use it.

Your 5th Gen 4Runner does NOT have a TPMS sensor in the spare as Toyota did away with the 5th sensor in 2010. Not only that ,the TPMS ecu does not have the capability to even read or register a 5th sensor,only 4. Been discussed many times before on here.Same goes for FJ's and Tundras also that I know of and Toyota service manager said the same for most new Toyota's.
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Doh! Actually I believe you're right... I think they started dropping the 5th TPMS on a lot of models to save costs or more than likely because so many people kept getting upset that their tire pressure light came on when, GASP! they didn't check their spare tire like they're supposed to!

But yeah, I think you're right we started sticking with 4 sensors in '10+ :) Thanks for the correction.
 
Ryan1975 said:
I just had a thought...how do you keep the alarm from going off if you've moved your spare to the rear bumper? Program it out at the Dealership?
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See Harper's post above yours. The spare does NOT have a TPMS sensor. I have no problems with my full size spare on my bumper. Plus I keep the spare around 44 psi.
 
I bought an air compressor I can plug in and use whenever I've needed it. That thing has come in handy not only for myself but also in helping other friends and drivers. Well worth picking up and vuala, air anytime you need.
 
I knew the spare didn't have TPMS but wasn't aware you couldn't install and program a 5th. The Techstream will read 5 IIRC.
Hey at least we have spares, some Rav4 models don't.
 
1000MPH said:
Hey at least we have spares, some Rav4 models don't.
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Yes...and No....they are the sport model and have the 'run-flat' tires from the factory. So even if you do get a flat you can run on the tires for a while (to a place where you can get one). It is an option, but they are not cheap. Personally I would rather the ability to put on a full size spare and continue than deal with the run flats, but the spare tire on the Rav4 looks hideous, so it is a nice compromise if you like the Rav4 but hate the looks of the spare on the back.
 
tjnaples said:
I bought an air compressor I can plug in and use whenever I've needed it. That thing has come in handy not only for myself but also in helping other friends and drivers. Well worth picking up and vuala, air anytime you need.
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I do the same thing. I have a jumpstarter with a built-in compressor. If I need to put the spare on, I just top it off with the compressor. The spare tire valve stem is difficult for me to reach and I don't want to spend the time to lower the spare to check it on a regular basis.
 
I haven't fooled around enough with the TechStream software yet, but when I perused it after first plugging it in, there is indeed a slot for a 5th TPMS sensor available. I don't know if it's functional or not though, as I do not have a 5th sensor available. I might try plugging in dummy data when I have time just to see if it trips the light since it will not get data from that sensor.
 
K O said:
I haven't fooled around enough with the TechStream software yet, but when I perused it after first plugging it in, there is indeed a slot for a 5th TPMS sensor available. I don't know if it's functional or not though, as I do not have a 5th sensor available. I might try plugging in dummy data when I have time just to see if it trips the light since it will not get data from that sensor.
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Yep, techstream shows a 5th slot, but it doesn't seem to work.

I bought a spare tire and wheel to match my regulars, and put a TPMS sensor in it. I was only able to program any 4 of the sensors at one time.
 
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