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

I still have the original "new" Duceller as my spare. I have fitted it once in an emergency, it worked fine with my current AT, did about 100miles  on tarmac, and it's now back on as a spare. So I wouldn't be too concerned about keeping it in step with the main tyres, it's only an emergency item for me.
MY spare is in perfect condition as I have a cover that keeps the sun off it, so I personally don't see a need to involve it with tyre rotation. To be honest I don't even rotate my AT tyres, they are much the same when I check them so don't see the need with my driving style. 

When i had my Jimny I did 5 tyre rotations to avoid any diameter difference problems and also in expectation of replacing all 5 with ATs at some point. Now I have a subaru, they seem to be sensitive to tyre diameter changes too (Subaru suggest maximum of 2/32" diameter difference across the same axle) and it seems common in the USA that they'll get a tire dealer to "shave" a new tyre down in diameter to match the other 3 or 4 tires if a new one needs to be fitted to replace an unrepairable tire. Not sure if shaving tyres is a thing over here?

Is the Subaru a permenant 4 wheel drive? In which case I susect it is the same reasoning as the Freelander in that any difference in circufrerance means a difference in rotational speed of opposing tyres and hence potential to screw up the transmission through wind up - or something along those ines!

I often think "Am I the only Jimny person who is doing all this tyre rotation every 6k miles"?

The dealers don't ask or appear to do it and as others point out the spare on most Jimny's often has the unused look to it after many years of service.

Now I've done the 5 tyre rotation every 6k miles for over 30k miles and friends and family think I'm totally bonkers! How many Jimny owners do you think bother either doing it themselves or pay the garage to do it as an 'extra' to their standard service? Still it gives me peace of mind and a chance to make sure that my wheel nuts are all correctly torqued.

I did! Back when I was expecting to keep the Jimny for a longer time, I did the 5 tyre rotatation every 5k miles up until just over 3 years and 30-something K miles.
I follow an American forum and they're obsessed with changing oil and filter every 3-5k miles or so and at the same time getting all the tires rotated. Main dealer cost seems about $75. I've been quoted £166 just for the oil & filter!
No spare in the subaru so rotating the tyres is a bit of a challenge with only 1 jack.

I am doing it, bit for me that is only once a year diluent to the milage I am now doing.