Re:tyre rotation conundrum

Greetings,

Well, this is my first posting having just aquired a late gen 3 (33k indicated miles) last week. My question is this;

I have 4 bridgestone Dueller H/T tyres on the road wheels with around 5mm on each. The spare is the same make / model of tyre but with 8mm on it. I thus assume it to have been on the back since the vehicles birth. I do not want to end up with a full tread spare when the others need replacing as I would like to change to an A/T tyre. Is is OK to commence the 5 tyre rotation scheme with the spare having 3mm more tread? I am not sure if I am just being a bit paranoid about unmatched tyre size from having a Freelander as my other vehicle when I am in the Falkland islands.

Any thoughts much appreciated.

 

Personally I wouldn't have thought that the extra 3mm will make much of a difference and if it was me I would rotate all five.

However, tyres age, especially in sunlight and most manufacturers/suppliers suggest 10 years maximum and recommend changing after 5-6 years.

Does your spare have a cover that goes over the tread? If it does the spare will last longer as it is not in direct sunlight.

I junked the H/T off mine before they were completely worn in favour of some A/T, just for the [offroad] grip.

Thanks for the response. Unfortunatly there is no cover on the tyre itself and I guess it will be over 10 years old now. On balanace I think I shall leave it as is until later in the year then junk all 5 for an A/T.

When tyres age the rubber tends to go hard, it's not always obvious, but if you run on hard tyres and then swap to newer softer ones you really feel the difference in the ride quality.

The other thing that happens is you get cracks in the tread and also side walls. Small cracks in the tread are okay, especially if they are on the block part, but as soon as small cracks appear in the side walls or the small cracks get bigger, it's time for a new tyre.

Personally, for a spare, if it looks okay and holds pressure, then I wouldn't be too worried, even if it was a H/T and your others are A/T, it's only there to get you home or the tyre fitters.

I currently have two sets of wheels, one fitted with 205/70 and the other with 215/75 (I swap over twice a year) and use one from the set I am not using as the spare. If I get a puncture I will have slightly different size tyres on the same axle, but will drive carefully and only to get to a garage. It is no real different to a space saver on some cars.

Robin

Interesting point regarding the keeping the "new" H/T as spare even with A/T fitted - thanks. I guess I am just paranoid about knackering transmission on 4 wheel drive vehicles due to differing circumference tyres but that's what comes from exisiting with a Freelander. I presume that the Jimny being in effect a part time 4 wheel drive won't be as sensitive.

The Jimny doesn't have any slip between front and rear wheels, so can only be used in 4WD on a slippy surface, otherwise the transmission 'winds' itself up and damages something, the transfer box I think. So if you are in 2WD, I don't see any problems with 3mm.

That said, if I get a puncture I will have two different sizes on the same axle, I am assuming the diff will be okay with this for a short distance. I can't see there will be a problem at the front in 2WD, they aren't been driven.

Perhaps if I get a rear wheel puncture, I should swap the rear with a front wheel so the driving wheels have the same size tyre, it won't take too much longer to do that once the spare is off the car and the jack is out.

Robin