Using the original spare?

[Wade Lippman]

I have 99 with one good tire and 3 well worn.
The spare looks like it has never been used.
I asked my mechanic about swapping one of the worn tires with the spare.

He said that was a bad idea. A 7 year old tire would be of questionable reliablity; possibly okay to get mE home after a flat, but not to put serious mileage on.

Any thoughts on this?

 

[jimbo74]

its probably a good idea to not use it if its that old, rubber does dry out after awhile, tires usually only have a shelf life of 3 years

 

[ExplorerDMB]

depends in exactly what kind of condition the tire is in. My Explorer spare was never used once (its a '00) and I just recently put it on my dads Jeep. No big deal! But like I said, find out the condition of the tire (dry rotting, cracks, anything out of the oridinary), and then you'll know your options. If your vehicle is 4wd, it's not a good idea to run differently worn tires (ex. 3- 35% tires and 1-100% tire) because it'll cause the transfer case to either bind or have to allow it to slip more, giving it more wear and tear on the t-case.

-Drew

 

[Hartman]

I have my original Firestone spare.