Spare Tire Rotation Question

[Tdub0527]

I brought my Bronco in at 5k miles for its first oil change and tire rotation.

I’ve never owned a car with a full size spare on the back. I guess I assumed the dealership was going to put the spare into the tire rotation. I looked (after I got home) and it appears the new tire markings are still on my spare and they did not put it into rotation.

Is that something I should’ve specifically asked for or should have they done that for me?

The dealership is 20 minutes away so I’m thinking of just having a local shop swap the tire. Thoughts?

Thanks for the advice.

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[E. Davis]

Two trains of thought here. Rotate with 4 and keep your spare fresh and pristine. Or rotate with all 5 wheels to get full usage out of all tires evenly over time. Either way is fine. But whichever way you choose, stick to the same rotation pattern each time.

 

[SubmarineNuke]

With full sized spare and matching wheel I always ask for 5 tire rotation. A quick trip to a local Discount Tire could fix this, or yeah go back and tell them they didn't do it right and make them fix it.

 

[KDTX]

I looked at both rotation diagrams - I thought you were not supposed to reverse directions of the tires. In both diagrams, when you criss cross to the front the wheels will rotate the opposite direction. Always heard this messes with the internal belts of the tire? (Or) are you actually supposed to remove the tire from the rim and remount so it is going the same direction? I don't ever remember any shop doing the latter.

I have always done front to back and then back to front on the same side and usually get over 50k BFG At's with pretty balanced wear.

 

[Shawn_1121]

does the 5th tire/spare come with a tpms sensor? when i had my jeep I didnt have a tpms therefore never included it in the rotation. when it came time to buy new tires? only had to buy 4.

 

[Aman]

I looked at both rotation diagrams - I thought you were not supposed to reverse directions of the tires. In both diagrams, when you criss cross to the front the wheels will rotate the opposite direction. Always heard this messes with the internal belts of the tire? (Or) are you actually supposed to remove the tire from the rim and remount so it is going the same direction? I don't ever remember any shop doing the latter.

I have always done front to back and then back to front on the same side and usually get over 50k BFG At's with pretty balanced wear.

The tires on the Bronco are not directional.

does the 5th tire/spare come with a tpms sensor? when i had my jeep I didnt have a tpms therefore never included it in the rotation. when it came time to buy new tires? only had to buy 4.

The spare includes a TPMS sensor.

 

[DaveInSA]

I looked at both rotation diagrams - I thought you were not supposed to reverse directions of the tires. In both diagrams, when you criss cross to the front the wheels will rotate the opposite direction. Always heard this messes with the internal belts of the tire? (Or) are you actually supposed to remove the tire from the rim and remount so it is going the same direction? I don't ever remember any shop doing the latter.

I have always done front to back and then back to front on the same side and usually get over 50k BFG At's with pretty balanced wear.

Only with directional tires. Only time I had directional were on my Corvette. But you couldn't rotate those anyway as the fronts were smaller than the rear's and they were directional. The Bronco's tires are not directional and can be used either way, so you do the patterns shown, provides more even wear.

 

[jasonkosi]

I think it depends on the service department. Mine asked me if I wanted to rotate the spare in, others may leave it up to the customer to mention if they want to or not.

 

[malt_liqueur]

I've always preferred rotating with all five of them. Lasts longer and when it comes time for a new set of tires you wont need to deal with getting rid of that one new tire if you plan on switching tire size, style or brand.

 

[BulldogBear]

If you take it to the dealer or tire shop, chalk the inside of the tires with their current location (DF=Driver front, PF=passenger, etc etc). That way you can see if they actually rotated them.

Highly recommend 5 tire rotation. If you don't, after 30-40k, you'll only want to use the spare… sparingly. As in, only to get you off the trail or to the tire shop - the size difference from a new spare to a tread that's ready to be replaced won't play nice with your diffs w/regular use.

 

[RagnarKon]

You already basically got your answer, so I'll keep it brief—

If you do a 5-tire rotation you can effectively increase the lifespan of that set of tires by 20%.

And because it is a 5-tire rotation, you can easily do it yourself in your driveway with a single jack. Don't need multiple jacks, don't need jack stands. You don't even need to buy a jack—your Bronco has an emergency jack included in the rear of the vehicle.

 

[RagnarKon]

Two trains of thought here. Rotate with 4 and keep your spare fresh and pristine. Or rotate with all 5 wheels to get full usage out of all tires evenly over time. Either way is fine. But whichever way you choose, stick to the same rotation pattern each time.

FYI— That's the typical pattern for front-wheel drive vehicles. Rear-wheel drive vehicles (like the Bronco) don't utilize a cross.

• Front Wheel Drive
  • Spare > P/R > D/F > D/R > P/F
• Rear Wheel Drive
  • Spare > P/R > P/F > D/R > D/F

Does it really matter?? Not sure to be honest, I haven't done the research.

EDIT— I'm an idiot, if I had actually read the diagram I would have noticed it said "for front wheel drive vehicles". Here is diagram for a rear wheel drive vehicle:

 

[Roger123]

I'm in the 5 tire camp for many reasons stated above. But I'd use this diagram (G) for the sequence (Rear/ 4 wheel drive vehicles).

The spare has a tpms but you have to program them following the rotation. The unit is <$20 from Amazon and is easy to do.

 

[Beach_Bum]

I'm in the 5 tire camp for many reasons stated above. But I'd use this diagram (G) for the sequence (Rear/ 4 wheel drive vehicles).

The spare has a tpms but you have to program them following the rotation. The unit is <$20 from Amazon and is easy to do.

Re: TPMS Programming

I've read that the programming tool isn't necessary as the sensors will be recognized after driving the first time. I've also seen the tool that you described linked in another discussion. I have no experience with Ford's TPMS sensors so I can only go by what I read by others. I guess I'll find out soon enough as my first rotation is coming up.

 

[bytheway]

I put my spare in rotation and didn't have to do anything for the TPMS to work.

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