A Wheel and Tire for a Five Tire Rotation

[AzRoute66]

I'm new to hunting wheels/tires. I've always put new tires on the wheels I was given and pretty much ignored regular rotations. I have a new Bighorn Backcountry (18" rims) on order and I am thinking about changing my indolent ways and doing a five tire rotation on this brand new truck. What is the best way to go about this? I assume the most expensive option is to go to the parts desk at my dealer and order up a wheel, and perhaps a tire as well. Although the factory tire is not mainstream it can be found at Tirerack and a couple others so let's concentrate on the wheels. I am mostly wondering where goes to get one. I assumed with all of the people immediately slapping on fancier wheels that they would be easy to come by on Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace, and/or junkyards. I'm not seeing this, although I do see sets of four once in a while. Is it worth cold calling tire shops? Is there some kind of 'wheel trader' website? What is the best way for a person near Tucson, AZ to go out and find one wheel that matches his factory wheels? Is a five tire rotation even worth the effort/expense? Thanks in advance for advice.

 

[Vilas15]

I did 5 tires on my jeep but thats because i had a matching spare on the back. I dont think itd be worth it if you have to buy the matching wheel. I dont see how you could get it anywhere other than the dealer. Everyone will sell 4 when they get new wheels, don't see why anyone would be willing to sell a single and break up the set.

 

[56 Pontiac]

My 2022 Bighorn has a full-size wheel/tire as the spare underneath the bed. I haven't pulled it out to see, but it sure looks the same as the other 4 on my truck (although I upgraded to 20" wheels from the standard 18"). If you insist on rotating 5, pull your spare and compare to the other 4. If the same (most likely) then you've got what you want without buying more.

But why not just rotate the 4 on the truck? That's all I've ever rotated in over 50 years of owning vehicles - If the spare never hit the ground, so what? The little bit more tire wear isn't worth it, and will probably be outweighed by the cost of the 5th tire when time to replace those worn out tires.

Here's what I've always done:


Dave

 

[BostonBLS]

I have always been a big fan of five tire rotation. Bought a single extra rebel wheel on eBay. Got a good deal. They have all the trims. I would check there. To me the 5 tire is nice because you have a matching and equally worn spare if you get a flat and the total set lasts longer. Just my 2 cents.

 

[AzRoute66]

My 2022 Bighorn has a full-size wheel/tire as the spare underneath the bed. I haven't pulled it out to see, but it sure looks the same as the other 4 on my truck (although I upgraded to 20" wheels from the standard 18"). If you insist on rotating 5, pull your spare and compare to the other 4. If the same (most likely) then you've got what you want without buying more.

But why not just rotate the 4 on the truck? That's all I've ever rotated in over 50 years of owning vehicles - If the spare never hit the ground, so what? The little bit more tire wear isn't worth it, and will probably be outweighed by the cost of the 5th tire when time to replace those worn out tires.

Here's what I've always done:
View attachment 126131

Dave

Thanks Dave,

Yes, that is the standard four tire rotation for radial tires and what I intend to use if I go that way. My Bighorn has the Backcountry package which means it has the six lug, five spoke, black painted aluminum alloy wheels. It would be extremely unlikely that wheel is the spare wheel although it is sure that I get a 'full sized spare'. I'll most likely get a plain steel rim, and it will be a bonus if the tire brand/size is the same as the others. Also, especially for the 20" rimmed trucks, the full size spare might not even be the same sized rims, they might be smaller rims with bigger sidewalls to make them equal diameters (fulll sized).

 

[HemiDude]

My night edition has a "full sized spare". As you can see from the pic the wheel is not black, haven't dropped it down yet so I'm note sure which series it even is, and the tire appears to be a short-use spare. Like you, I'll probably start looking for a tire/wheel combo that matches, as long as the price makes sense.

 

[HSKR R/T]

My 2022 Bighorn has a full-size wheel/tire as the spare underneath the bed. I haven't pulled it out to see, but it sure looks the same as the other 4 on my truck (although I upgraded to 20" wheels from the standard 18"). If you insist on rotating 5, pull your spare and compare to the other 4. If the same (most likely) then you've got what you want without buying more.

But why not just rotate the 4 on the truck? That's all I've ever rotated in over 50 years of owning vehicles - If the spare never hit the ground, so what? The little bit more tire wear isn't worth it, and will probably be outweighed by the cost of the 5th tire when time to replace those worn out tires.

Here's what I've always done:
View attachment 126131

Dave

Your spare wheel is only an 18" wheel with a tire that matches the OD of the 20" tires on the regular wheels. The off road package trucks get a regular falken Wildpeaks tire the same as in the regular wheels. Some non-off road trucks get a "temp use" tire, but it's not a space saving donut style.

 

[HSKR R/T]

A lot of tire shops, that's aren't national chains, will sell take off wheels when customers upgrade to aftermarket wheels. I'd start by checking with some local places. Then marketplace or craigslist. And finally Ebay

 

[nc_beagle]

Our 96 F150 still has the original spare. It's never been taken out!

 

[ferraiolo1]

Pretty good chance you won’t be able to get it out ether.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Darksteel165]

My night edition has a "full sized spare". As you can see from the pic the wheel is not black, haven't dropped it down yet so I'm note sure which series it even is, and the tire appears to be a short-use spare. Like you, I'll probably start looking for a tire/wheel combo that matches, as long as the price makes sense.
View attachment 126882

This is the same "Full size spare" that came on my Limited with 22 inch OEM rims. Complete joke, just wait until you see the thread, it would fail state inspection as a tire if it was mounted in my state. There's basically 0 tread almost completely useless. Would of rather a steel rim and not aluminum either, the rim itself looks like someone painted a rim with silver paint and forgot to put clear coat on it. My previous cars\trucks never had a full size spare that was this terrible. It's scammy how they call it a full size spare, but its 4 inches smaller on the rim and the tire isn't good to be driven 100 miles.

 

[HSKR R/T]

This is the same "Full size spare" that came on my Limited with 22 inch OEM rims. Complete joke, just wait until you see the thread, it would fail state inspection as a tire if it was mounted in my state. There's basically 0 tread almost completely useless. Would of rather a steel rim and not aluminum either, the rim itself looks like someone painted a rim with silver paint and forgot to put clear coat on it. My previous cars\trucks never had a full size spare that was this terrible. It's scammy how they call it a full size spare, but its 4 inches smaller on the rim and the tire isn't good to be driven 100 miles.

Wheel size doesn't really matter as long as the tire is comparable in outside diameter as the tires on regular wheels. And the aluminum wheel is actually better option, lighter and won't rust out like the steel wheel will

 

[Darksteel165]

Wheel size doesn't really matter as long as the tire is comparable in outside diameter as the tires on regular wheels. And the aluminum wheel is actually better option, lighter and won't rust out like the steel wheel will

That is correct but tread does matter.
No one WANTS to drive on a spare but sometimes you need to. Maybe you're 150 miles from home and want to get home to get the tire replaced, god bless you doing it on the spares that come with these trucks

Ill get back under my truck and measure the tread on my spare. I only put 12 miles on it. When I hear full size spare it means it's a tire I can drive on normally. My 2004 Infinity came with an exact spare same rim and tire. My father's 2006 Jaguar is the same way. My 18 Silverado had a different rim (steel), but was the same rim as the other 4 and had the same exact tire on the rim.
I care for Aluminum rims as they always get banged up.

 

[HSKR R/T]

That is correct but tread does matter.
No one WANTS to drive on a spare but sometimes you need to. Maybe you're 150 miles from home and want to get home to get the tire replaced, god bless you doing it on the spares that come with these trucks

Ill get back under my truck and measure the tread on my spare. I only put 12 miles on it. When I hear full size spare it means it's a tire I can drive on normally. My 2004 Infinity came with an exact spare same rim and tire. My father's 2006 Jaguar is the same way. My 18 Silverado had a different rim (steel), but was the same rim as the other 4 and had the same exact tire on the rim.
I care for Aluminum rims as they always get banged up.

Not all trucks come with the temp spare that yours has. My Built to Serve with the Off Road Group has an 18" wheel with the same Falken Wildpeak that was on the regular 20" wheels.

 

[Darksteel165]

Not all trucks come with the temp spare that yours has. My Built to Serve with the Off Road Group has an 18" wheel with the same Falken Wildpeak that was on the regular 20" wheels.

Maybe not, but it's on my build sheet part list
Full Size Temporary Use Spare Tire
18" Aluminum Spare Wheel

My truck is a 2022 Limited with an MSRP of 80k. You would think they could spare the expense.
I wanted to get the off road group so I would have skid plates in case I hit crap and it isn't, or wasn't offered at the time for any Limited. I also don't want AT tires, as I drive on actual roads.

 

[jimk hunt]

From recent experience my full size spare is as others noted. An 18 inch steel wheel with the same OD as my stock 20's. Worked great to get me the last 400 miles of a 600 mile trip. It is not worth the 5 tire rotation IMO. Your 5th will not have a tpms and any tire shop will likely charge to get the 'spare' out from under the truck for a rotation. I would also suggest lowering the spare and checking pressure once or twice a year. Tires can lose 1-2 pounds per month. After 3 years, mine was in need of air, luckily I keep a ryobi 18v compressor in the truck! Changing a tire on the Ram for the first time on the side of I85 is not for the faint of heart and the manual is lacking in pictures on this procedure.

 

[HSKR R/T]

From recent experience my full size spare is as others noted. An 18 inch steel wheel with the same OD as my stock 20's. Worked great to get me the last 400 miles of a 600 mile trip. It is not worth the 5 tire rotation IMO. Your 5th will not have a tpms and any tire shop will likely charge to get the 'spare' out from under the truck for a rotation. I would also suggest lowering the spare and checking pressure once or twice a year. Tires can lose 1-2 pounds per month. After 3 years, mine was in need of air, luckily I keep a ryobi 18v compressor in the truck! Changing a tire on the Ram for the first time on the side of I85 is not for the faint of heart and the manual is lacking in pictures on this procedure.

Most people wanting a matching spare for 5-tire rotation are doing the tire rotations themselves.

 

[Darksteel165]

From recent experience my full size spare is as others noted. An 18 inch steel wheel with the same OD as my stock 20's. Worked great to get me the last 400 miles of a 600 mile trip. It is not worth the 5 tire rotation IMO. Your 5th will not have a tpms and any tire shop will likely charge to get the 'spare' out from under the truck for a rotation. I would also suggest lowering the spare and checking pressure once or twice a year. Tires can lose 1-2 pounds per month. After 3 years, mine was in need of air, luckily I keep a ryobi 18v compressor in the truck! Changing a tire on the Ram for the first time on the side of I85 is not for the faint of heart and the manual is lacking in pictures on this procedure.

You can have a TPS installed in your 5th, not sure how it would be calibrated though, do our trucks pick up tps automatically like other makes?
When I swapped the spare on my fathers 06 Jag it picked up the spares TPM automatically on the screen.

As far as lowering it, takes less then 30 seconds, the first time might take 2 minutes and you can lower it when you go in for service.

Also as far as changing the tire I recommend getting an electric impact wrench and keeping it in the truck. Could also use a different jack if you wanted (I haven't used the OEM jack yet but it looks okay). I personally have a Milwaukee 3/8 M18 impact. First time you use it for lugnuts it will be worth the money.

 

[56 Pontiac]

My wife's Uncle Sam died (heart attack) trying to change a tire, not for me, I'm too old to try to change tires anymore, I pay a wee bit more car insurance for road service, no need to carry impact gun in my truck (or car).

So that's my stand on spares used as a spare.

And for rotation, I choose to have it done with oil changes, a few extra dollars, no struggling in the driveway for me anymore, I'm an old guy approaching 80, don't do those things like when I was young.

Dave

 

[jimk hunt]

I don't think our trucks can handle a 5th tpms. The screen only show 4 and mine picked up the flat in the bed of the truck.