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Mporter
October 6th, 2009, 05:23 PM
So I have seen quite a few people who have say, a set of BFG KM2's on their jeep but then have a procomp of the same size and everything on the back (example is from a coworker). I know on my toyota owners manual it says that you should rotate your spare into the mix as well, which makes sense.

Many people who wheel don't like the added weight of a full size (31, 33, 35, etc) spare on their rig and will carry a spare the approximate same height, but smaller width. This works fine for getting you off the trail and home and help keep the weight down. You can even run it on the street for quite awhile. This works quite well and I have done this myself.

But I have a question, do you just rotate the same 4 tires and then just keep the spare in good shape for that "in case" moment when you have a flat or something. Or do you rotate the spare in as well so you may have 3 of one type of tire, and then 1 different one.

If you have a matching set of 5 tires, rotate the spare into the mix when you do the regular rotations. If you only have 4 of the same tires, simply cross rotate them every now and then. Another thing that you can do is, about 1/2 or 1/3 of the way through the tire life, have the tires remounted and flipped so that the inside of the tire is now on the outside. Make sure that you don't have a directional tire if you do this.

I also noticed that my spare tire (even though it's the stock size) is a different brand than the 4 Michelin LTX's that are on my car, which makes me think that the first way is how Discount rotates em.

Not a big deal. Best bet here is to simply keep it as a spare and cross rotate your 4 matching tires. Your 4x4 system can handle well over 1/4 difference in tire height. You can run different tires in the front or rear, but different makes of tires the size can vary by a lot. If you get over 1" of difference in tire height and run your rig in 4wheel drive on dry pavement, you are going to bind the transfer case as one set of wheels is going to be turning faster than the other to some degree.Keep doing this and something is going to eventually break.

WINKY
October 6th, 2009, 06:42 PM
if you have to use your spare for any kind of 4wd application rotate it through as if you hit any kind of dry pavement with a larger diameter tire due to not being used it will strain or break your drivetrain. i rotate my spare through about every 1/8th inch of wear.

KnuckleHead
October 6th, 2009, 06:54 PM
I've heard that not every tire make is the exact same size.... you should always have the same make, model and size tire..... also you should rotate your spare into the mix so you have the same wear....

scout man
October 6th, 2009, 07:09 PM
I've heard that not every tire make is the exact same size.... you should always have the same make, model and size tire..... also you should rotate your spare into the mix so you have the same wear....

example, my 35" tires only really measure 33"

Mporter
October 6th, 2009, 07:24 PM
you should rotate your spare into the mix so you have the same wear....

That's what I figured

Rob
October 6th, 2009, 10:45 PM
if you have to use your spare for any kind of 4wd application rotate it through as if you hit any kind of dry pavement with a larger diameter tire due to not being used it will strain or break your drivetrain. i rotate my spare through about every 1/8th inch of wear.

x2. Same reason you don't ever replace one or two or three tires on a 4by. You always buy five new ones.

ShutUpHippie
October 6th, 2009, 10:47 PM
I am really dreading the outrageous bill that will come with replacing 5 35x12.5 mud-terrains. :(

Rob
October 6th, 2009, 10:50 PM
I am really dreading the outrageous bill that will come with replacing 5 35x12.5 mud-terrains. :(

That's one reason I put the stock wheels and tires on over the winter and if I know it's gonna be a while between trail runs. It saves wear and tear on the more expensive off-road tires. Looks a little funny with the smaller passenger tires on, but money's money and I'm not made of it.

scout man
October 6th, 2009, 11:36 PM
I am really dreading the outrageous bill that will come with replacing 5 35x12.5 mud-terrains. :(

i'll take your old ones!! I am in very desperate need of tires. I am sure your old ones will still be better than my good ones!

Pathrat
October 6th, 2009, 11:51 PM
I have six Firestone MTs. I have the worst one in the basement as a spare spare, and the second most worn is my spare. I bought two new tires this last spring and put them on the rear during the heaviest use during wheeling season. Then, the rotations begin. This system seems to have worked for me just fine. I have Firestone AT's for my winter tires, just four of them. If I blow one, I can use the more worn spare until I can get a new AT, which is easier to get than the MT.

WINKY
October 7th, 2009, 05:02 AM
I am really dreading the outrageous bill that will come with replacing 5 35x12.5 mud-terrains. :(


about $1450 for me

5 super swamper ssr radials 35x10.50x16