if that were true they all would fail from uv and sun damage, it will in the long run and i mean long run ...........

 

I didn't and do not have problems with my tire, but my steelie at the 6 o'clock position faded to nothing and started to rust. I just hit all 5 with some Rustoleum two weeks ago. Which turned out great by the way. But I have had my spare tire on the back in the same position since February of '08 with no problems.

 

I have surface rust on all my steelies from the spare being on there between rotations. I've learned to just deal with it. I tried the ol'Pledge trick and no dice. I figure they shouldn't rust all the way through, and it's just one less thing for me to have to worry about scratching or keeping clean.

 

I think it would take 10+ years for the sun to get to your tires. Maybe longer.

 

They will dry rot... eventually. I'm not going to guess on the time it takes. However, you have a full functioning spare tire. Rotate that b!tch with your regular tires. That solves that problem.

:cheers:

 

Just do a five tire rotation and you will be fine.

 

use "black magic" or some other tire shine product. That is what my parents use for their RV to keep the tires from rotting.

 

I think you'll be ok if you work the spare into your rotation. I live in Las Vegas and my vehicle sits in the sun all day when I'm at work so that's about the worst case scenario for sun damage. I've had tires get sun rot but usually that takes at least 4-5 years. Living here, I still don't think I'd leave a spare in the sun for 3 years and then just use it with 3 new tires though. That might just tempt the blowout gods too much.

 

Rotating the spare into the rotation will give you more mileage on your current tires as well. Right now I have my crappiest (balance wise) tire as my spare. Actually, the belts in it started to separate a little giving me that thump- thump- thump sound going down the road and pulled my steering to the right when it was placed up front... even after an alignment. I had to eat crow after telling the alignment guy he did a bad job. When I put the spare on in it's place the FJ went down the road straight as pee

 

I agree... really should do a 5 tire rotation when you have the opportunity. You can get up to 10k more miles out of the rubber.

BTW, ridn dirty... you should check with the tire manufacturer. Broken belts are usually covered under warranty as a manufacturer defect. Unless the tire has signs of rubber damage from the outside.

 

Sun IS very hard on tires, especially those that are always in the same position (spares - and especially spares which get the same sun angle everyday or are always parked outside). The excessive heat dries out the compounds and makes them crack easier/sooner. Ever wonder why RVs are stored with covers over the tires . . . or why the tires on my cargo trailer are shot after seven years of sitting outside ?

The five tire rotation will help them all age at the same speed and frankly, to those that don't do a five tire rotation, I cannot fathom why you would not want to get an extra 25% + mileage out of your expensive set of tires.

I know most on this forum think showing off their "big ol' tire" on the back is really cool or they have a backup camera mounted there but I took the practical step and spent all of $20 + shipping on a vinyl tire cover from Covers By BG - Home

 

when you wash your rig and after it is dry. spray some tire foam on it every couple washes or so. Should keep the rubber nice and protected. The foam spray is nice cause it gets into every crack and coat everything.