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5 tire rotation questions

dtech

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Discount Tire also recommends replacing any tires that are 6 years old. This nixes leaving the spare up under there forever.
I think most tire shops won't replace anything over 10 yrs old - it might even be a state or federal law, I had the valve stem on my donut spare fail a few yrs back, it was only 14 yrs old and discount wouldn't touch it so I put a long stout board on the sidewall as a ramp, drove the car up, broke the bead and replaced the stem.
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dtech

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yeah Discount Tire is great and their employees work hard, can't recall last time I didn't buy my tires from Discount and they have always matched lowest prices found.
just wanted to add that if Discount doesn't carry a particular brand/type of tire in normal stocked inventory - they have ordered it for me at a competitive price.
 

OrangeStreak

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Absolutely! He can slash holes in his tires every 1000 miles if he wants to. What do I care?! I say to each their own. Kinda why I don't bother giving my opinion on how often to rotate tires or change fluids. Everyone has their own opinion and their own money, spend it how you choose.
From a financial standpoint your example from yesteryear makes the most sense to me. But it didn't involve the initial purchase of a matching spare so there's that. In all honesty I thought I was missing something and wanted to put my thoughts into words.
I will be purchasing a set of aftermarket wheels and tires soon for better street performance so my stock stuff will be for the winter snow and salt.
Great response and enjoy the upgrade! :like:
 

Chris M

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Here is another question, about how many miles should one go before rotating?
I rotate and balance at every oil change...5K miles.
 

OrangeStreak

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Discount Tire does 'rotations' for free, and they will do a 5 tire for you. If you want them balanced too (RBA - rotation, balance, air) then it will cost you. Your best bet would be to buy the certificates (tire warranty) as it comes with all the maintenance.

I wrestle with 5 tire rotations. You get a bit more life out of the tires, but you'll have to buy 5 when the time comes. The spare is rarely used, so you could always just do a 4 tire and let the spare last a few round of tire purchases.

Just remember, Discoutn Tire does free rotations and flat repairs as a way to earn your business. Buy tires from them when the time comes. I don't work for them anymore, but I did work for them for 5 years. I stand behind their service.
I've had great experience at Discount with the exception of a balance job that the Tech did on my 2011 Ranger that scratched the rim. Slid the weight on the wheel instead of removing and replacing it onto the new balance point. Had them balanced from the back side from then on.

In the late 70's bought a set of new tires for my Van and made the mistake of not getting the lifetime warranty. Maybe six months afterwards, blew a tire to shreds. Took it it back to Discount and was very surprised when the rep. said, "If you will buy the lifetime warranty today for the whole set, we will replace the tire for you." Very reasonable price. This created a positive customer relations image. Recently upgraded to some nice BFG K02's bought from a private party with about 2800 on them. Discount was willing to put the Lifetime on them but close to the cost of replacing one tire. Figured this time I would wing it and hope they will hold! :)

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Hank the Tank

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My truck is coming up on 7k miles and I'm thinking its about time to do a tire rotation. I have an FX4 with a spare that I'm thinking of rotating in. I know I'm going to need to buy a matching wheel since the spare has a steel wheel. I found them for sale at this site below for $150, unless someone can suggest a better source. Also I'll need a TPMS which the site sells for $45.

https://www.autorimshop.com/ford-ranger-2019-17-oem-wheel-rim-192185.html

Will most dealers or discount tire do 5 tire rotations? Do they charge more to do them? Anyone have any thoughts or experiences they want to share?
I purchased my matching spare OEM wheel from that site. It arrived in excellent condition. I ordered the TPMS from here: https://www.levittownfordparts.com/part-ymm/2020-ford-ranger-tpms-sensor.html . I wanted a genuine OEM sensor so I wouldn't have to worry about calibrating it. No issues once I had it installed and rotated the spare in at the 10k mile oil change (done every 5k). Opinions have been posted, but I do the full set rotation. I had to use the stock Hankook spare not long after buying the truck when I was out on a trail. I like knowing the condition of all my gear before heading out.
 
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Does anyone know what the weight difference is (if any) between the black steel spare and the 17in silver painted aluminum wheels?
 

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Does anyone know what the weight difference is (if any) between the black steel spare and the 17in silver painted aluminum wheels?
John,
I just removed mine several weeks ago and didn't think to weigh them. Hope someone else has the answer for you :)
 

JohnnyO

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First make sure the hook on the spare tire hoist will fit through the center hole on your other wheels.
 
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JohnDLG

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First make sure the hook on the spare tire hoist will fit through the center hole on your other wheels.
Shouldn't any manufacturer wheel fit there? I always thought if you had to change out a spare that one should store the flat tire there. I assumed it wouldn't be great for the chain to just be bouncing around empty while driving.
 

Bludrok

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I've had great experience at Discount with the exception of a balance job that the Tech did on my 2011 Ranger that scratched the rim. Slid the weight on the wheel instead of removing and replacing it onto the new balance point. Had them balanced from the back side from then on.

In the late 70's bought a set of new tires for my Van and made the mistake of not getting the lifetime warranty. Maybe six months afterwards, blew a tire to shreds. Took it it back to Discount and was very surprised when the rep. said, "If you will buy the lifetime warranty today for the whole set, we will replace the tire for you." Very reasonable price. This created a positive customer relations image. Recently upgraded to some nice BFG K02's bought from a private party with about 2800 on them. Discount was willing to put the Lifetime on them but close to the cost of replacing one tire. Figured this time I would wing it and hope they will hold! :)

Side.jpg
I have also had great experience with Discount Tire (America's Tire here). I only had 1 bad experience with them to date, but since I have used them for years and been very happy with their service, I let it go.

What happened was my wife took her car in because she had a slow leak, and for a rotate and balance. They found 2 tires had screws in them in areas that were not repairable. The tires had valid certs on them, but they claimed the screws were similar and both looked fairly new and decided they were not going to honor the certs, so I had to buy 2 tires. They would not budge. I wasn't happy, but I have taken all of my personal and business vehicles there for years and never had an issue like that, so I let it go.
 

Rene Michaels

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Here is another question, about how many miles should one go before rotating?
I have mine rotated every oil change which amounts to every 7K miles or so (I use Mobile 1 synthetic)
 

Bludrok

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Shouldn't any manufacturer wheel fit there? I always thought if you had to change out a spare that one should store the flat tire there. I assumed it wouldn't be great for the chain to just be bouncing around empty while driving.

It should, as long as the tire fits. You straighten the flat bar and push it through the center hub and then tighten the chain, which pulls the wheel up. If you get hubcentric wheels that fit the Ranger, you;ll be fine. If they are lug centric wheels, the hub opening is likely to be larger than the ranger's stock size, not smaller. I wouldn't think you'd have any issue though, but doesn't hurt to be 100% certain.
 

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Shouldn't any manufacturer wheel fit there? I always thought if you had to change out a spare that one should store the flat tire there. I assumed it wouldn't be great for the chain to just be bouncing around empty while driving.
Nope. Wouldn’t work on the aluminum wheels my old Sport Trac had.
 

DT444T

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I rotate street tires at 5,000 km. Fronts go to the rear on the same side, rear go to the front on the opposite side. Spare comes down every spring for a cleaning, inspection and oil spray.
Jeez, do you get your tires rotated between trips getting them rotated? This seems like WAY too often.
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