5-tire rotation

[Gerardo]

Thanks everyone!

I purchased a Daytona 3 Ton floor jack ($100 off during Spring Black Friday sale) + a pair of Daytona 6 Ton jack stands (pay attention to which ones you buy) and did my first ever 5-tire rotation myself!

I followed the Rearward Cross tire rotation pattern (second photo in @spelingbeachampeun's post). And as a reference, I laminated the rotation pattern + torque spec to include in the small tool bag where I carry the wheel lock key + lug nut sockets (I need both 21 mm and 22 mm because the wheel lock key is 21 mm and the black lug nuts are 22 mm).

Anyways, thanks for helping me gain the confidence to make it a DIY project!

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[Desert_6Gen]

never understood why people rotate all 5. In the event you need to use your spare. You want it to be in the best possible condition (not use). If all of your tires are shot and are basically at the ends of their life, and you end up needing to use a spare. Your just putting the same old worn out tire on as the one that went flat. Makes no sense. Instead of rotating the same 4 tires with the same relatively equal wear, your added your spare into rotation that has just the slightest more tread than the other 3 tires causes excess wear on your gears. I don't see any logic behind any of this?

 

[Gerardo]

@Desert_6Gen Appreciate the perspective! Here's my thought process…

I'm not planning to run all 5 tires down to the end of their life at the same time. For me, my goal is to spread the wear across all 5 tires, each tire wears a little more slowly and I get more life out of the set overall.

I also liked the point from Tire Rack that on an AWD/4WD vehicle, if I ever got a flat and had to throw on a brand-new spare alongside three partially-worn tires, that tread depth mismatch can actually stress the drivetrain. By keeping all 5 rotating regularly, they stay at roughly equal depth and that's a non-issue.

And honestly, spare tires age out whether you use them or not. I'd rather have mine actually see some road time than have it sit under the truck for years and need to replace it without ever using it.

But, everyone is free to do as they see best. No worries, cheers!

 

[Joestac]

I was typing something but @Gerardo said it great. Especially folks that off-road or have full-time 4WD models. 5-tire rotation can be very helpful. Doing a 5-tire rotation on my Outback Wilderness saved me from buying 4 new tires when I got an unrepairable flat.

 

[BadTrainDriver]

never understood why people rotate all 5. In the event you need to use your spare. You want it to be in the best possible condition (not use). If all of your tires are shot and are basically at the ends of their life, and you end up needing to use a spare. Your just putting the same old worn out tire on as the one that went flat. Makes no sense. Instead of rotating the same 4 tires with the same relatively equal wear, your added your spare into rotation that has just the slightest more tread than the other 3 tires causes excess wear on your gears. I don't see any logic behind any of this?

Sorry, Desert_6Gen, but I highly disagree. Doing a five tire rotation on a vehicle with a full sized spare and matching wheel is the best practice. There is no additional wear on any gears, and tires have a usable life. Why waste it by just letting it sit underneath your vehicle? Use it and prolong needing to buy new tires by 20%.

 

[spelingbeachampeun]

never understood why people rotate all 5. In the event you need to use your spare. You want it to be in the best possible condition (not use). If all of your tires are shot and are basically at the ends of their life, and you end up needing to use a spare. Your just putting the same old worn out tire on as the one that went flat. Makes no sense. Instead of rotating the same 4 tires with the same relatively equal wear, your added your spare into rotation that has just the slightest more tread than the other 3 tires causes excess wear on your gears. I don't see any logic behind any of this?

just like badtraindriver said. Also, the main reason I do this is I the tires should be within a certain tread depth of one another, especially on the same axle or in AWD/4WD use otherwise you risk addition stress on drivetrain components. If I’m 75% through the usable life of my tires and get a flat or pop a bead, I’d rather put another tire on with the same tread wear and not have to worry about that, rather than having one at 100% and the other three at 25%. Regardless, it causes no issues to do this and consequently extends the life of the set of the tires.

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