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Should I buy five new tires? Who does a 5 tire rotation?

U

UltimateG

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Tahoe
I'm no tire expert, but I think I like the idea of having a fifth tire to throw into the rotation. At least, it seems to make sense to me to always have a spare that is a perfect match to the rest of the vehicle. Since I can afford it this month, it feel like I'd get my money's worth out of it by driving another 25% farther before buying new tires. (unlike a cheapo spare, which I would buy, but probably never get any use out of). And if one tire somehow gets shredded, then I won't have to go through the trouble of looking around to buy a similar tire to replace it with.

I just installed four new tires, would it be worthwhile to buy a fifth to put on the back?

Aside from the cost, are there any drawbacks to rotating five tires, or any problem with switching a radial from one side to another?




94 XJ, daily driver, all stock
Tire: Firestone destination AT
 
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just find a cheapo that is the same size. i find a full size spare to be of the most importance over the tire being the same exact tire. its one of those things i never plan to use, kind of a "better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it" metality.

hell... my first cherokee still has the brand new goodyear that came with it from the factory. still holds air, and has never seen the road. do i trust it, idk. its 12 years old. haha.
 
I always buy 5 and rotate.It gives you the best overall lifespan.Ive never(on my Jeeps) worn out a tire,they always get pulled due to sidewall cuts and shreading lugs.As tires fail you always have a new one to rotate into the group till the next failure!
 
ive never known anyone to rotate 5, its usually just for looks on a tire carrier. RCP Phx got a good idea. myself i buy four and just have a matching size spare
 
This topic has come up many times but my opinion is still heck yeah, get a matching tire and rotate the 5th in. I can't believe someone would have a 5th and not include it in the rotation. The one exception would be if you still carry your spare in the stock location and therefore can't fit a matching tire.

4WD systems, ABS systems, and especially lockers like having an identical tire when you need to use the spare. Rotating it in keeps it the exact same diameter as the rest of the tires and you get the added bonus of extending the overall tread life of your new set of tires. I rotated my last set of 5 BFG KM's every 5000 miles and got 50,000 out of them with tread left to spare. I just got a brand new set of KM2's and plan on doing the exact same thing. If you can afford the 5th tire, get it!

Edit: Oh, and as for ease of rotation, having a 5th is way easier (unless you have a hoist). You only need to jack one wheel off the ground at any given time.
 
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I say buy it if you have the cash. If you have a matching wheel it's an even better idea. I don't think you should buy a cheapie spare, or an "old" one. There's going to be a time when you really need your spare, and the cheapie option isn't going to cut it. Having your tires last a little bit longer along with the assurance that your tire isn't 12 years old and ready to blow it, should make you feel a little bit better everytime you take your jeep out.

Oh and if your tire is on a carrier, it's also going to make your vehicle alot more appealing.
 
I rotate all 5. Not only does it keep all 5 close to the same tread pattern, it prevents one tire from getting all the sun rot from sitting on the rear carrier all the time.

I also rotate the spare from time to time so a different patch of tread is getting sun. Maybe I'm overkilling the rotation thing, but if I'm going to pay upwards of $150 per tire, I'm going to maximize my investment.
 
You can't rotate your 5th in if it's on a regular rim and you have beadlocks.

Just sayin' :D

I suppose you could, but you'd look dumb and we all know that what it looks like is always more important than how it works.
 
definitely do a fifth wheel. the life of your tread will be much better. If you ever do lose a wheel you won't be stuck with a donut. You don't have to have a matching tire just the same size. If you have a matching rim and tire you're more likely to use it.
 
I don't get it. Obviously, if you are rotating 5 tires and using 4, the life of your tires would probably being extended, since every 5,000 miles one of those tires is taking a break.

But when you do get to the end of the service life of those tires, you're buying 5 of them.

Why not buy 5 tires once, run 4 and buy 4 tires when they need replaced? Is the extra 5,000 miles you're going to get out of those tires worth the $150 you're going to spend on a 5th tire you have to replace because it's not worth anything as a spare?

Obviously, if we're talking about 225/75's, you're going to see more than 25,000 miles on a set of tires. Maybe, maybe that's worth it. But if you're buying 31s, 33s, all terrains, MTs, etc. you're not putting 80K highway miles on a set of tires.

You're just buying 5 tires when you could only buy 4 and keep a new spare (or a used spare) on the back of the heep.

$.02
 
My tires are directional. I have a Mickey thompson MTZ as my spare. When the time comes I will be getting KM2's. Not sure if i will buy 5 since i won't be running the MTZ when i rotate.
 
We rotate all 5 on our Wrangler. Extends the overall lifespan of the tires.

I never did understand why I see so many wranglers running around with a brand new tire on the carrier on 4 worn ones on the vehicle. But then again, so many sorority girls around here drive wranglers so that could explain it lol
 
I rotate the 5th in too...I actually measure tread depth...pull the one that measures the lowest and replace it with the highest one.
 
UltimateG said:
I'm no tire expert, but I think I like the idea of having a fifth tire to throw into the rotation. At least, it seems to make sense to me to always have a spare that is a perfect match to the rest of the vehicle. Since I can afford it this month, it feel like I'd get my money's worth out of it by driving another 25% farther before buying new tires. (unlike a cheapo spare, which I would buy, but probably never get any use out of). And if one tire somehow gets shredded, then I won't have to go through the trouble of looking around to buy a similar tire to replace it with.

I just installed four new tires, would it be worthwhile to buy a fifth to put on the back?

Aside from the cost, are there any drawbacks to rotating five tires, or any problem with switching a radial from one side to another?




94 XJ, daily driver, all stock
Tire: Firestone destination AT
Click to expand...

I am giving myself 5k miles (or my first trip on the Rubicon in June) before I buy my spare. If I cannot find a used one, I will buy a new one and put it in rotation, just as you have described. Hmmm.....4,200 miles to go....

The larger question for me is where will I put the spare? I'm strong like bull, but I don't think I want that weight on the rack.
 
rocknxj said:
The larger question for me is where will I put the spare? I'm strong like bull, but I don't think I want that weight on the rack.
Click to expand...

JCR makes a solution just for you............and a bunch of other people! :D I will take IllianaXJ's advice and rotate the fifth tire so the sun doesn't hit the same part of the tire all the time OR get a cover for it.
 
FlexdXJ said:
JCR makes a solution just for you............and a bunch of other people! :D I will take IllianaXJ's advice and rotate the fifth tire so the sun doesn't hit the same part of the tire all the time OR get a cover for it.
Click to expand...

You should get covers for the tires that are under the jeep too. They only get hit with the sunlight on one side.
 
RedHeep said:
You should get covers for the tires that are under the jeep too. They only get hit with the sunlight on one side.
Click to expand...

That would be sweet. Now should i get the life is good ones or not? :D
 
The ZJ and the XJ all have the same size LT235's on them, both have limited slips so the spares are the same size on both. Both TJ's run 30's and they have 30's for spares. I don't use the spares in the rotation, the ones on one of the TJ are going to get used this time, I'm going down to LT235's on one of them so the spare will get replaced with one the same size.
 
RedHeep said:
I don't get it. Obviously, if you are rotating 5 tires and using 4, the life of your tires would probably being extended, since every 5,000 miles one of those tires is taking a break.

But when you do get to the end of the service life of those tires, you're buying 5 of them.

Why not buy 5 tires once, run 4 and buy 4 tires when they need replaced? Is the extra 5,000 miles you're going to get out of those tires worth the $150 you're going to spend on a 5th tire you have to replace because it's not worth anything as a spare?

Obviously, if we're talking about 225/75's, you're going to see more than 25,000 miles on a set of tires. Maybe, maybe that's worth it. But if you're buying 31s, 33s, all terrains, MTs, etc. you're not putting 80K highway miles on a set of tires.

You're just buying 5 tires when you could only buy 4 and keep a new spare (or a used spare) on the back of the heep.

$.02
Click to expand...

It is worth it. You're not wasting money on the spare if you rotate it in. It's still the same miles / dollars / tires. Let's use your example of $150 a tire and for the sake of round numbers say we only get 20,000 miles tread life out of each tire.

If you have 4 and rotate them every 5000 miles, $600 gets you 20,000 total miles which is $0.03 per mile.

If you have 5 and rotate them every 5000 miles, $750 gets you 25,000 total miles (each has taken a 5,000 mile break as your spare) which is again $0.03 per mile.

The only way you could possibly lose money on the deal is if you drive your Jeep so few miles that the tires dry rot before you have a chance to wear them out.
 
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