Any harm leaving the spare upside down?

To be able to check on the pressure on a regular basis?

 

I flipped mine day one.

 

I can see one major harm: The rim may get scraped up, scratched or hit by debris from the roads you drive down. If you take it off roading then it'll get really damaged.

 

I forget who makes it but there is a kit that can be attached to the air valve that goes out to the rear bumper for easy access.

 

I flipped mine once I had a matching all terrain tire mounted on it. But it's just the steel rim so it off gets scratched up I don't really care. There is always a small chance that the valve stem could get ripped off during off roading.

 

It may pick up more road salt etc. in the winter.

 

Flip it, you won't regret it.

 

Here is one of the extenders I mentioned, there are others. I had one similar on my 4th Gen.

https://www.etrailer.com/Tire-Inflator/Wheel-Masters/WM82286-S.html

 

This^

Also, if you do hit some debris, or go off-road, you increase the possibility or damaging the valve stem, rendering it useless.

And, it's not a bad idea to raise and lower it periodically, to help keep the mechanism moving freely.

It only takes a minute to lower it, check the pressure, and raise it back up.

I wouldn't do it.

Just my $.02

 

Depending on the year, you can use an Autel and add the 5th sensor to the display.

 

I went to check my spare pressure just the other day and was surprised to see they are flipped upwards. Good to know I can simple flip it as to be able to access the valve stem. Many years ago I had a flat, only to find my spare was also flat as it was unable to be filled without being removed lol.

 

right on, even when I had the extender, I periodically lowered the spare 3-4 inches and back up just for that reason

 

I like this over crawling under. Thanks for posting.

 

I check its pressure at every oil change . Easy enough to do .

 

Damn ! 51 bucks . I’ll spend 5 minutes to crank it half way down to check the pressure.

 

I wouldn't flip it ether.

 

Why I don’t have one on my 5th gen and spend the 5 min LOL.

Another reason is that when I went to trade my 4th Gen, I tried to take the extender off to use on my 5th Gen but it was way tighter than install at hand tight. Using pliers I just broke the stem. It had corroded to the stem over time. So you would need to lower the spare periodically to check. Thus no real help. In the long run. To me the better solution is to add TPMS to the spare if your vehicle has the capability.

 

How did you know I was just wondering this?? I couldn't really care which way the wheel is facing, but when I noticed my spare was about 5 psi lower than my other 4, I went to fill it up and noticed the valve stem is pointing up and beyond reach.

Thanks!
TimG

 

On a related note... I see you have an SR5 rim as a spare. I checked our 4runner and it doesn't have a standard offroad premium wheel and appears to be a standard spare "steelie". I was hoping to include this tire into my rotation schedule. Any cons with purchasing an extra TRD ORP wheel and mounting it under there? Not sure if there is any unusual wear that happens to the spare doing nothing (road debris, corrosion/rust, etc...), but I thought it would be a good idea to rotate 5 tires for extra life.

 

You’ll just want to make sure it has TPMS in it. Since the steelie is already doing fine, I wouldn’t worry about that at all. Plenty of folks out there with 5 tire rotations.

 

I do 5 wheel rotation replacing the steel spare. It's dirty and needs to be washed when I rotate is all I experience. I don't flip mine because of damage concern to wheel.

 

Just to confirm, did your Venture come with a steelie that you replaced with a regular wheel? Or did you buy a 5th wheel to replace the steelie.

I'm not sure if they are all like this or some come with 5th wheel to match and not the steelie.

It seems that most people sell the set of 4... I'll have to track down someone who is selling a single.

 

I think only the limiteds come with a matching wheel and tpms. I replaced the steel spare with a matching wheel. Every other vehicle I have had the spare dry rots out sometimes never being used. I like the idea of a real wheel to use if far from home on a trip. I also always have my spare match my other tire sizes.

So if changing tire sizes I am buying 5 tires and want to get some use out of the spare.

 

I agree... On my QX4, my spare is probably over 20 years old.

I will start hunting down a TRD ORP rim and get this swapped... Did you need to buy an extra TPMS as well? (not sure if the steelie has one). If so, I'm assuming OEM is best since this will become a regularly driven wheel.

For a moment, I considered getting an extra set of wheels for Winter Tires, but I'm not sure I want to store them anywhere... I think a good all weather tire will be good enough.

 

I do mine. Sometimes TPMS doesn't read as well but I don't use them anymore. It also doesn't collect as much material, i.e. mud if you have to bounce and drag to go. I thought about a skid plate of some kind to make it a better sled and protect wheel. I don't actually care about the wheel being scratched.

 

Steelie does not have tpms.

For the 4r I bought TPMS OEM. Also have used Discount tire tpms and worked fine other Toyotas in my small fleet I maintain.

You will need to go thru the tpms calibration procedure to recognize the spare after rotating. My 2021 does not show the 5 tpms on dash like the limited does. This can be programmed if interested.

 

I replaced my 20s and installed Tundra rubber stem TPMS in my 17s. Tire shop said they couldn't program them, but they could install and program for $79 each. No thanks. To be fair they didn't have the vehicle at the time and I don't think you can program without vehicle present. I check and adjust my air pressure religiously anyway. I haven't went to dealer to try programming. I would like to buy a really good scan tool that does that and everything else, so I'm not dependent on an idiot that thinks I'm an idiot too.

 

Spares have TPMS sensors too. I have 4 rubber stems from Tundra in mine and factory in spare. I always put 60psi in the spare and forget it for a few years. No worries or wondering then. Aftermarket Toyota steel, TRD style, regular Toyota replacement rims at CARid.

 

I purchased a matching OR wheel with an oem sized tire + TPMS from a member, just waiting to find transportation from Phoenix. Since my year 4R only has the idiot light for a low tire, do you or anyone know if I can add the fifth TPMS to the mix? I believe it came from a 2021.

 

I think your model year ECU has to support it and then dealer can program it. I had dealer look at mine and said could not do it. I believe it's possible on my 2021 because other users have done it. Has not been a priority for me hassling with a different dealer visit.