Tire rotation - include 5th wheel / spare tire?

[Jazer]

5 tire, every 5k.

If you leave the 5th as a spare and never rotate it in, it will end up being notably different tread depth if it ever needs to be put in service. Sure, it doesn't make much difference as with some vehicles but I find it to be good practice to keep them wearing fairly equally. Eventually that spare will need to be discarded due to age anyways, so I would rather utilize it and potentially use the tires longer as a whole.

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[timhood]

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.

But then I'd have to spend more money making the Bronco not look weird/ugly without a spare. Plus, that's a non-starter for what this Bronco does on weekends and vacations.

 

[Wilbur's son]

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

Ditto. All 5, every 5.

 

[Bugkillah]

Jeep dealer service has been rotating 5 tires forever. Ford hasn’t had a full size 5th tire (spare) since ‘96, so they aren’t used to doing a 5 tire rotation, until recently. We (bronco owners) have been asking for it, and I think dealers are getting used to it now.

 

[BroncoB]

Reasons for doing a 5 tire rotation:

That spare is just sitting there rotting, you might as well get some use out of it by throwing it in the rotation. You'll get 20% more miles out of the set, as opposed to rotating only 4.

There's a good chance your next set of tires won't be the same tires you have now so most likely you'll be buying 5 new tires anyway, unless you don't care about having a mis-matched spare.

Also, the spare wears evenly with the rest of your tires, so if you ruin a tire, you'll still have 4 equal tires to rotate. You can throw anything on the spare and just do a 4 tire rotation after that. Otherwise, you will need to find a matching worn tire or replace at least 2 so that they match tread depth.


Reasons for not doing a 5 tire rotation:

Your dealer is a bunch of lazy a-holes is the only reason. It can be like pulling teeth trying to get them to do 5, no matter how many times you ask them and insist they do it. Mark your spare so you know they actually put it in rotation.
Really want to piss them off? Insist on the tech using hand tools so they don't ruin the stupid 2 piece lug nuts.

 

[Brian_B]

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.

There are definitely ways to make it work off road, but you need to be comfortable with installing plugs, setting beads and having a patch kit for side walls.

But yeah, you are right in that it isn’t taking off your spare tire and go YOLO down the trail - most people are better off with the spare tire, but there are options to go without that do work.

Even though I know those things all exist, I don’t trust myself well enough with them 37 miles from the nearest road outside of cell range to not carry my spare myself.

 

[Paughco]

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.

Same here. When I took my OBX in for the first 5,000 mile service they did a 4-tire rotation. I assumed that it would be a 5-tire rotation, because that is what is recommended in the owner's manual. Oh well. I got out the Bronco jack and changed out the spare with the right rear. I have since discussed this with the service manager, who is a good friend, and my Bronco will be getting the 5-tire rotation from now on.

Seeya
ATB

 

[BH_TX]

I do the 5 tire rotation every 5K miles and use discount tire. They have no problem with it. Local store to me said since tires were not purchased there they will rotate them for free, but charge for the balancing. A 1 time fee of $110 total ($22/tire) covers lifetime balances.

 

[7sKnuckledragger]

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.



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.

I have run no spare on the back of my jeeps for years. Just a good repair kit and compressor. With a 35 or 37 out back you crawl enough rocks that weight will destroy the back of your Bronco unless you BUILD a proper carrier for it or find a bumper with good frame tie in that you can mount the carrier to.

 

[1st 75th ranger]

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

i work all my tires in including spare
the fast money making way is just front to back each side
the shops ripping you off
google 5 tire rotation ,,yes its better

 

[TxCatalystMan]

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

5 tire rotation every 5k miles but make sure you remind the guys how you expect the rotation to be made with the 5th tire. Each time I go in I do this and am amazed that the same store always seems like it's their first ever 5 tire rotation.

 

[RagnarKon]

Others already posted all of the pros and cons of each. In my mind... boils down to two things in my opinion:

Do you want your tires to last 20% longer, but need to replace FIVE tires when it comes to buy a new set??​

-OR-​

Do you want to only have to buy FOUR tires when it comes to buy a new set, but have to replace your spare tire every 8-10 years??​

Pick your poison.

For certain drivers who drive a ton of miles, it's actually cheaper in the long-run to do 4-tire rotation. It's also far easier to take advantage of sales when you only need to buy 4 tires. But for most people it probably makes sense to do 5 tire.

(Personally I do 5-tire.)

 

[jrollo7]

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

My dealership in LI, NY said the same to me. They didn’t include the 5th tire in the first year rotation.

 

[Mtea]

@Scott R Nelson I am in Hailey and you can get a LONG ways from a town. My go bag also includes an aerosol spare repair and plug kit in addition to all the other things (battery saw, water filters, air compressors, jump start battery, etc.). Drove Ketchum-Smokey Bar-Featherville-Rocky Bar-Atlanta-Boise last week. Very remote in parts but a very fun drive. Nice fishing the Middle Fork on the last leg from Atlanta.

 

[CPL_Rabbit]

Jeep dealer service has been rotating 5 tires forever. Ford hasn’t had a full size 5th tire (spare) since ‘96, so they aren’t used to doing a 5 tire rotation, until recently. We (bronco owners) have been asking for it, and I think dealers are getting used to it now.

I numbered my tires with chalk before my last appointment. I noted the appointment with 5-tire rotation, and double-checked at drop-off that it'd be all 5. When my Bronco was ready after a 2hr oil change and rotation, #5 was still hanging on the tailgate. Got it done in the end, but I'd suggest marking your tires to make sure they're doing what they say, and what you expect.

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