Newbie question about the spare on the back of the Wrangler

[Sontavaman]

if you like to keep your spare looking nice, keep it as a spare only. Thats saves the rim from the occasion paint scraping they take when on the ground. additionally, I like the tire to remain all new and whiskery on the back. I will sell the tire As like new on CL when I upgrade to 35s or 37s.

Sponsored

 

[YellOhJL]

I’m struggling with the math here. If I rotate all 5 then I’m replacing all 5 but only get 25% more miles between replacement (replace all 5 at 50k miles vs 40k miles). That means that it will take 4 replacements of 5 tires to break even. So it wouldn’t be until my vehicle has 200k miles that I break even on my investment of rotating all 5 tires. Right?

What you are getting is a spare tire that does not have dry rot; being out and exposed to the sun is going to deteriorate the tire, and a matching spare if you do not replace your 4 tires with the OEM model. For myself, I'm on a lease and I am hoping by rotating in the spare, the tires will not have to be replaced when I turn it in.

 

[BDinTX]

I've been planning to pull the spare tire into rotation (in about 400 miles) but reading this through got me to thinking:
If I rotate the spare in, all tires will have more even tread wear. If I never get a flat (or get a repairable flat) it prolongs the time to replacement. At that point, if I want to maintain the 5 tire rotation I have to buy 5 tires instead of just 4. BUT say I get about halfway through the life of the tread and get a puncture that can't be repaired? Then I'll probably need to replace the remaining "still good" tires. In that scenario it may be better to keep the spare out of the rotation so I'd only had to buy 3 tires and put a half worn one on the spare. I guess it probably boils down to how serious you're offroading is and if you think you'll be able to drive 'em bald.

 

[tts42572]

Haven't gotten my Jeep yet but been pondering this.

I'm probably planning to just rotate the 4 and keep a nice looking spare on my back.

I have no idea what I'll do tire-wise 3 or 4 years down the road. Don't know if I'll do the same tires, or different tires on same rims or different tires and different rims.

So I think I want to keep my spare rim and tire looking decent on the back.

If I do decide to change things down the road, I'll just buy a 5th. Or maybe I just stay with the same tires and get away with the spare being there for 4-5 years before needing to swap it out. On the other hand, if I put it in the rotation, I know I'll be buying 5 tires for sure. And all rims will get worn.

I definitely see the value in rotating 5 through though. Just don' think I'll bother.

 

[Goin2drt]

I leave it and do not rotate it in.

 

[timn1984]

I've been planning to pull the spare tire into rotation (in about 400 miles) but reading this through got me to thinking:
If I rotate the spare in, all tires will have more even tread wear. If I never get a flat (or get a repairable flat) it prolongs the time to replacement. At that point, if I want to maintain the 5 tire rotation I have to buy 5 tires instead of just 4. BUT say I get about halfway through the life of the tread and get a puncture that can't be repaired? Then I'll probably need to replace the remaining "still good" tires. In that scenario it may be better to keep the spare out of the rotation so I'd only had to buy 3 tires and put a half worn one on the spare. I guess it probably boils down to how serious you're offroading is and if you think you'll be able to drive 'em bald.

I literally Just had this situation a couple of weeks ago. I was waiting to replace my tires, (5 Wrangler Stock Sahara tires) that I was rotating 5 tires with each oil change. I had a nail in the sidewall that had a slow leak. I took it to repair and of course it could not be repaired. I was in a dilemma, I wanted to upgrade to K02's anyway next year and had 18 inch rims. So I thought about it and either I would buy a new tire (Wrangler) for around $180, or since the current tires were already 2 yrs old and about 20,000 miles, I decided to go with the deal they had, buy 3 get one for $1. I will now only rotate 4 tires and I kept one of the good Wranglers for the spare.

 

[jeepoch]

One of the most important reasons to perform a 5 wheel rotation is tire diameter. Tires obviously get smaller as they wear. If you don't use that 5th wheel in the rotation when you go to use it, one wheel may have a much smaller diameter than the newly installed spare.

While this may seem insignificant, your differential on the affected axel will indeed notice. It will work non-uniformly as one side rotates at a different rate per unit distance. This may cause binding depending on the surface traction and may generate unnecessary wear and even potential differential damage.

Uniform size tires are significantly more important on vehicle's with all-wheel drive powertrains and less so with open diffs. Still, depending on how, where and for how long you run and keep that spare active will determine the amount of mechanical binding on your differential.

I'd rather show my fellow (very knowledgeable) gear-head Jeeping buds that the spare looks just like all my other tires. They'll know that not only am I getting extra tread life but that I'm also concerned about not binding my axle if I ever do need it while wheeling with them out in the boonies somewhere.

Yes, I'm being a little facetious in that no one is ever going to really notice. But I will. That 20% extra tire life is significant to me. With it in my regular 5 wheel rotation, it's always as close as possible to staying as close to the same diameter as the others. My Jeep will certainly notice that.

Jay

 

[Goin2drt]

@jeepoch certainly a concern for all wheel drive cars and prolonged use. If you are using that spare as a way to just get the actual tire fixed then probably not all that much of a concern. If that tire is not repairable again now you are only buying three new ones if truly they are that worn. I guess too each is own.

 

[jeepoch]

@Goin2drt, totally agree, just pointing a subtle point out for the newbies. How big of concern it is is certainly subjective.

Some Jeepers lose sleep if their lift kit off centers their axle by a quarter inch.

It's all in the details.

Jay

 

[kermitjewel]

rotate

 

[RubiSc0tt]

I have always rotated my spare tire in using the rearward cross pattern posted above. Being that Wrangler is a 4wd vehicle it is important to have all 5 tires at even levels of treadwear to avoid any handling issues.

Sponsored