Cheap A$$ Spare

[Bruno]

I find it easier to rotate the spare in. Pop the spare off first and swap it in the right rear. Then continue about. You don’t have to have two corners of the car up at the same time.
IMO and I’m being brutally Honest but not trying to be mean. DO NOT CHEAP OUT! It looks like crap having no or mismatched spare just buy the same size and rim!

yea I thought the same size is best for looks and ease of use - just thought I could save a couple hundred by having the spare covered and being an "actual spare" - and not part of the rotation or exposed to weather.

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[Bruno]

The posted replies say 90% of the good stuff.

There are only negatives to purchasing a smaller spare. While only benefits to putting in the extra effort for the 5 wheel rotation and having a full size spare at the ready in the event it’s required.

I wouldn’t even think about using 4H/A/L or lockers if you ever needed to swap in the donut while on trail, that’s asking for nothing but mechanical problems down the line or it could put you in a worse scenario with a blown diff/TCase.

Your money, your choice.

Thank you - I never suggested buying a smaller spare - just buy a cheaper spare the same size.

Another person suggested keeping the original smaller spare, but that idea is not where I was going with this topic.

The question is: Is it a bad idea to have a same size spare, but a cheaper tire thats kept out of rotation and kept covered.

 

[Boreal]

yea I thought the same size is best for looks and ease of use - just thought I could save a couple hundred by having the spare covered and being an "actual spare" - and not part of the rotation or exposed to weather.

If you go by the general 10 Year rule for tires, you’d also have to factor in replacing it. I don’t know if you plan to keep a vehicle that long, but natural degradation still takes place regardless of UV exposure. Dry rot could set in and cause an untimely blowout, should you need to use the spare down the road

Thank you - I never suggested buying a smaller spare - just buy a cheaper spare the same size.

The question is: Is it a bad idea to have a same size spare, but a cheaper tire thats kept out of rotation and kept covered.

Whoops, I misread the sizing part!

 

[LAB0035]

Im buying 255/85 R16 Tires, they are around $250 Ea.
For the Spare, I can:
1) Buy the same tire and rotate 5.
2) Buy a cheap alternative, and cover it.

Is option 2...weird?

Ex: A used 255/85 R16 Trailer tire is around $50, and could definately get me home.
+ I would not need to do the weird 5 tire rotation.

The only problem with running a cheap spare !! if the spare does not have the same O.D. as the tires on the ground and you trash a tire while offroading then you have lost the use of the locking diff. and may not get back to pavement. if you get a flat on the highway then it will get you home just run in 2WD and no lockers. I never rotate my spare. I leave it new and when the other four wear out i keep the best one for a spare and buy 3 new ones and replace my new spare with the old one. i get 2 life cycles before i have to buy 5 new tires

 

[Bruno]

The only problem with running a cheap spare !! if the spare does not have the same O.D. as the tires on the ground and you trash a tire while offroading then you have lost the use of the locking diff. and may not get back to pavement. if you get a flat on the highway then it will get you home just run in 2WD and no lockers. I never rotate my spare. I leave it new and when the other four wear out i keep the best one for a spare and buy 3 new ones and replace my new spare with the old one. i get 2 life cycles before i have to buy 5 new tires

Thank you yes as mentioned the cheap spare would be identical size

 

[zuke]

Off road with a mismatched spare is less of a problem than on road... If you have your lockers on, it's because the traction sucks, right? Not gonna bind things up when the traction sucks, If the traction doesn't suck, you should turn off the locker anyway.

In any case, if you don't want to do 5 tire rotations, then don't (I Don't) But still buy 5 matched tires and rims, when you wear out the first set, buy three new tires of the same size and brand, put them on the Bronco, along with the "new" Spare, Take the best of the remaining tires, and make it the spare. It takes longer following this pattern, but as long as you wear out and replace the first set, you've gotten the same return as doing a 5 tire rotation... Disadvantages to that are you can't switch brands of tires, and if you don't do enough miles to wear out a set in 6 or 7 years, than you're going to hit the spare's shelf life without actually wearing it out.

 

[Figmo]

yea I thought of that too but wouldnt that look weird to have a spare smaller than the others?
Or maybe nobody would notice since its in a different location...?

So you want to buy a $50 tire and put a cover over it so nobody will notice, but you’re worried that people will notice your factory spare is different??? <scratches head>

Ummm….so put a cover over the factory spare? Then use the $50 you just saved to buy me dinner next time I’m in town?

 

[Bruno]

So you want to buy a $50 tire and put a cover over it so nobody will notice, but you’re worried that people will notice your factory spare is different??? <scratches head>

Ummm….so put a cover over the factory spare? Then use the $50 you just saved to buy me dinner next time I’m in town?

Yes. So nobody will notice the difference in tire type.

Becasue of size difference - factory tire: 255/70 R16 vs New Tire: 255/85 R16 on all 4 tires .

they look very different in size

So again, all 5 tires the same size, just the spare is cheap and covered
.... thanks for the invite im gonna have to pass on the dinner...

 

[Oldhippie]

I am all for a cheap used spare (throw a cover over it if you are concerned about looks)...the fact is off-road use tires do not wear evenly even if rotated properly and tires are upgraded/changed by manufacturers all the time so the same tires are not always available when ya need a new one (especially at some random tire shop near the trailhead). But I guess if ya are just street driving the 5 tire rotation thing may work ok (if ya never destroy a tire)...

 

[mpeugeot]

Im buying 255/85 R16 Tires, they are around $250 Ea.
For the Spare, I can:
1) Buy the same tire and rotate 5.
2) Buy a cheap alternative, and cover it.

Is option 2...weird?

Ex: A used 255/85 R16 Trailer tire is around $50, and could definately get me home.
+ I would not need to do the weird 5 tire rotation.

So I wanted a cheap set of beater tires... I picked up a set of 5 Black Diamond wheels, tires, and TPMS sensors for $500.

Seemed like the best option at the time.

So if my set of 5 lasts 36k miles (36k/$500), it would $0.0139 cents per mile. Seems reasonable.

 

[jehines3]

I find it easier to rotate the spare in. Pop the spare off first and swap it in the right rear. Then continue about. You don’t have to have two corners of the car up at the same time.
IMO and I’m being brutally Honest but not trying to be mean. DO NOT CHEAP OUT! It looks like crap having no or mismatched spare just buy the same size and rim!

And here’s me keeping my spare center cap to roll a single pass. The spare needs a spare center cap to execute this strategy, otherwise it’s not exactly that easy.

 

[vzqhsg]

yea I thought of that too but wouldnt that look weird to have a spare smaller than the others?
Or maybe nobody would notice since its in a different location...?

It would be disgusting. I wouldn't be caught dead with that on my truck. Be careful they don't call the spare tire czar on you. I've heard folks get put in jail for this.

 

[Hossfire]

I find it easier to rotate the spare in. Pop the spare off first and swap it in the right rear. Then continue about. You don’t have to have two corners of the car up at the same time.
IMO and I’m being brutally Honest but not trying to be mean. DO NOT CHEAP OUT! It looks like crap having no or mismatched spare just buy the same size and rim!

I made a similar thought known and got a lot of negative feedback. I think a smaller or cheaper spare on the back looks like you cheaped out.

 

[fr8ycat]

Is option 2...weird?

Yes...everybody frowns on tire covers because it shows that the owner that spent 10's of thousands of dollars on that new Ford Bronco can't afford a $250 spare tire.

Might want to wait until Ford comes out with the Bronco trailer.

 

[kodiakisland]

If it's a grocery getter, then a cheap spare is fine. If it's anything else, do you really want to depend on a cheap ass spare to get you out of where ever you are?

That said, I've got a lower cost (Mastercraft) spare in my Tacoma since it's been retired from any real use and is mostly for driving to work or the farm.

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