Tire rotation - include 5th wheel / spare tire?

[Isaac]

Hey I’m due for a tire rotation my guy at the shop said we just rotate the 4 tires but I have seen a lot of threads of people talking about the 5th wheels going into action and to me that dosent make much sense cause that’s a brand new tire and the rest have been used so If we throw it into action won’t that be a bumpy ride? Let me know what yall do and inform me

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[RC Bronco]

I rotate all 5 of mine every 5k miles. Gets you extra life out of the set because you are running 5 tires instead of 4

that mounted fifth tire is “used” since it’s on the rim

 

[Keith J.]

I just did my first tire rotation at 6500 miles, included the spare, no issues with ride.

 

[the poacher]

Definitely 5 tire rotation, always.

 

[MyATV]

 

[Scott R Nelson]

If the place that rotates your tires only does 4-tire rotations, you can always swap the spare with the right rear tire, which is the same as what would happen with a proper 5-tire rotation.

Besides, if you do that you'll now know how to deal with a flat tire if it ever happens. When my Bronco was still fairly new I at least got the jack out and figured out how to get a front tire and a rear tire off of the ground, so now I know where the jack goes and how it works. But my dealer does a 5-tire rotation for me, so I haven't had to bother with the extra step.

 

[604Bronco]

I always rotated all 5.

 

[HolidayDog]

This is how you do it the right way. Ask anyone.

 

[Brian_B]

Pros and cons both ways

If you only do 4-tire, you can get away with a bit longer between rotations. And you only have to change out 4 tires when you get new tires, which doesn't hit the pocketbook as bad

But, when you get new tires, you have to get ~the same tire~ (unless you don't care about it not matching), and you have to get new tires more often (you get the same number of miles out of the tires, but with the 5th in the rotation they last 20% longer since you have another set of rubber eating miles and giving one a break)

The other bonus with 5 tire is if you do ever have to use the spare, you can just keep where it lands after you fix the other tire. With 4 tire, that spare likely has to go back to being a spare once you get the original tire repaired. But, 4 tire wins on the "if you have to replace the tire" scenario, since you'd have to purchase a mate for a new tire on otherwise higher milage set.

I'm doing 5 tire, it gives me the option of changing up my tire selection when I get new ones - say I find a good sale or what not. That, and it's a lot easier to do in my driveway since I only have 1 tire + spare off at any given time - so I can just schlep the jack around.

 

[timhood]

Nobody mentioned yet that if you use your spare only as a spare, eventually you will have to replace that essentially unused tire when the rubber gets old. You paid for and never used a perfectly good tire.

 

[adam1991]

Nobody mentioned yet that if you use your spare only as a spare, eventually you will have to replace that essentially unused tire when the rubber gets old. You paid for and never used a perfectly good tire.

eh. It's insurance. And you never WANT to use insurance, despite paying for it...

Nobody mentioned deleting the spare completely and rolling without it--just like with all my other cars.

 

[Area51BS]

I finally rotated mine in at 12k miles. No drive issues at all and other 4 are near new condition. Figure if I ever have to swap a flat the spare will always match the others and can stay where I put it. And then just fix the tire that’s on the carrier. If I had to pay extra to rotate the 5th I wouldn’t.

 

[FilmcoBronci]

Hey I’m due for a tire rotation my guy at the shop said we just rotate the 4 tires but I have seen

89k miles now. Great luck with rotation x 5. Replaced BD OEM tires around 50k miles and they probably had another 15k

Currently Running Falken AT-3W’s with 39k and they look barely used, deep tread, and no wobble or “mumble” as my kid used to say. Tire guy says he’s losing money per mile haha. Also keeps spare ready for action and relatively the same “round” as other 4.

FYI-
- 50%ish HWY 37-39 PSI
- 40% ish Gravel/Rutted mtn and country road 25-30 psi
- 10% Sand around 20 psi
Mostly for work but sometimes… (Always)
We take the long way home
- Big 5Tire rotation advocate.

 

[Scott R Nelson]

Nobody mentioned deleting the spare completely and rolling without it--just like with all my other cars.

That might work for a mall crawler, but if you regularly go out in the middle of nowhere you need to be able to get back out if you get a flat tire. This could be a serious issue.

For example, the location shown in the photo below is 37 miles from the nearest small town of any sort, and 67 miles from the nearest reasonably sized town. It would be very tough to handle a tire repair if you needed one there and didn't have a spare tire with you.

 

[adam1991]

That might work for a mall crawler, but if you regularly go out in the middle of nowhere you need to be able to get back out if you get a flat tire.

Oh, absolutely agreed.

And that's why I compared it to my cars, which don't have spares. For an on-road or light trail application, no spare might be OK.

It's a personal preference, but no spare is a choice.

It would be very tough to handle a tire repair if you needed one there and didn't have a spare tire with you.

yep. But I do see some people just pack a repair kit and a compressor in those situations. Me, I'd rather have the spare.

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