Five tire rotation?
I hit 10k miles a few weeks ago on my ‘25 Gladiator and realized I haven’t yet rotated my tires.
My ‘87 YJ had the original spare — sitting out in the sun, only used twice for a couple of miles at a time — until I upgraded from the original 215s to 235s around 2012. That’s when I figured all the cracks in the spare made it less trustworthy, and having had a spare go flat (in a different vehicle) on me in the past, I figured I should replace it. I bought 5 new tires and started doing a 5-tire rotation.
So, when it came time to rotate the tires in my new Gladiator, why wouldn’t I incorporate the spare into the rotation?
Well, I did. That’s when I realized there are a few issues. One, the spare is on a different wheel, so now I’ve got an odd-man-out wheel. Also, it doesn’t have a tire-pressure sensor. Neither of these is really a big deal, except for the fact that every time I start my truck, it tells me I need to service that tire. And, when I was tightening that spare tire on, it stretched out the middle of the lug nut that requires the special key.
So, I figure I have 2 options:
- put the spare back under the bed, and keep it there forever (except when I need it), and only do 4-tire rotations.
- buy a $250-300 wheel to match the others, put a tire pressure sensor inside, and continue with 5-tire rotations.
What do you all think is the better solution? I know which way I’m leaning, but I’m looking for input as to what you would do, and why — as well as other options I may not have considered.