5 Wheel or 4 Wheel tire rotation?

[Ronnie S]

Front tires typically wear faster than rears due to cornering.

Gotcha. Ok thank you for that.

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[KDB]

Any advice on this? Is the noisiness normal?

Yes, just means that the tires wore a little different so when you move them around to a new position they might be a bit louder temporarily until they wear into their new location

 

[Roadglide]

Yes, just means that the tires wore a little different so when you move them around to a new position they might be a bit louder temporarily until they wear into their new location

I do 4 and I do it myself so I know it gets done correctly. I torque each lug nut to 130 lbs.
Your brakes will last longer this way also. Don't believe the impact gun the tech is using actually torques the lug nuts to the required setting. I like a nice looking tire on the back.
Eventually you will have to replace them all anyways.

 

[Ronnie S]

I do 4 and I do it myself so I know it gets done correctly. I torque each lug nut to 130 lbs.
Your brakes will last longer this way also. Don't believe the impact gun the tech is using actually torques the lug nuts to the required setting. I like a nice looking tire on the back.
Eventually you will have to replace them all anyways.

Hmm? Forgot to ask the Discount Tire tech if they torqued the lugnuts to the recommended manufactured settings. Hopefully he did. Always something to worry about.

 

[offset_98]

4. I never did 5 in my Crown Vic, my Explorer, my Expedition all of which had an identical wheel/tire to the rest of the vehicle. No, replacement tires weren't exact replicas of OEM either but when I needed a spare for 10-100 miles, they worked out, nothing broke and life went on. Being that I have a tire cover on the Jeep, 3-5 years from now when I select different tires, no one but me will know the spare under the cover doesn't match.

 

[My1stBuild]

Another factor, lots do not consider, is the fact that a sun baked rear mounted spare becomes less reliable with each passing year, regardless of the full tread depth.

Rotate all 5....................

 

[homebrew]

I was on the all 5 rotation plan then I started thinking that’s an extra 300-400 bucks I’m grinding into the ground literally lol. I’m thinking about having a cover made for my spare to protect it.

 

[jimmyzwheelz]

I was on the all 5 rotation plan then I started thinking that’s an extra 300-400 bucks I’m grinding into the ground literally lol. I’m thinking about having a cover made for my spare to protect it.

A tire cover is not going to stop the natural degradation of the rubber compounds. Tires loose their elasticity and pliability over time and become hard, losing their traction and grip. Age is the main enemy to tires...as it is to most things.

 

[photowiz]

Okay I just turned 5,000 miles on my Rubicon. Do you guys recommend 5 or 4 wheel tire rotation? I love my falken mts so I’ll probably get the same set again when these wear out. So in this case I was thinking just a 4 wheel tire rotation so I won’t have one brand new noisy tire in the road. Lol! What are you guys thoughts?

I'm in the 5 tire camp.

 

[WhatExit?]

I used to do a 5 tire rotation, IMO I think it's the smarter thing to do. If nothing else just because you know that your spare is in a good usable condition. That said I quit doing 5 tire rotations, primarily because my driving habits changed (no longer using the Jeep for crossing the country several times a year) and I believe that the JL Rubicon does not have a limited slip axle in the rear like the TJ Rubicon did. That open differential makes me more comfortable putting a new tire on the same axle as a worn tire. But really the main reason I'll most likely do 4 wheel rotations rather than 5 is because I like my spare tire and wheel to look good when hanging on the back. It's dumb, I know, but my other tires and wheels will get a lot of rock rash on them, I like having one still look nice. In about 10 years time I'll sell my unused spare (I'm a terrible person, I know) and get a new one.

 

[Rufus]

I’m going to do a 4 tire rotation for this reason: I don’t drive a lot. These tires will probably need to be replaced due to age rather than remaining tread in my case. Even though I use a spare tire cover the spare will probably be done due to age too. So the determining factor for me for tire life is likely to be age rather than mileage, so I don’t see the point of a 5 tire pattern in my case.

I’d probably think about it differently if I drove every day and 10k+ miles per year.

 

[TJ2018]

I’m going to do a 4 tire rotation for this reason: I don’t drive a lot. These tires will probably need to be replaced due to age rather than remaining tread in my case. Even though I use a spare tire cover the spare will probably be done due to age too. So the determining factor for me for tire life is likely to be age rather than mileage, so I don’t see the point of a 5 tire pattern in my case.

I don't like having tires much longer than 5 years. After that I have noticed a significant loss in inclement weather traction. I know industry experts say you can go from 6-10 years (depending on who you ask) but I consider it cheap insurance.

 

[Rufus]

I don't like having tires much longer than 5 years. After that I have noticed a significant loss in inclement weather traction. I know industry experts say you can go from 6-10 years (depending on who you ask) but I consider it cheap insurance.

That’s about what I was thinking...5 years. For me and my driving habits that will probably coincide with tread life anyway. And I use the stock size so I’m not talking about super expensive replacements either.

And if the spare looks like it has life left then I will keep it as just that...a spare.

 

[Hayseed_JLUR]

I have done both and the high amount that I do - it has not mattered either way. Lot of "what ifs" on here without any proof.

 

[Ronnie S]

All I know is i did the 5 tire rotation on my falken mt’s and man the rear driver one is super noisy! Hoping it mellows out after a few hundred miles.

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