you will be fine just air down out of your other tires so they match

 

makes sense, who wants to drive leaning over anyway,keep it simple.

i did hear the indy 500 was going to require a bigger tire on the left side,,,or was it right,,oh well i guess they will keep running those silly 500 mile circles.. maybe they use one wheel drive.

an awd hummer in 4 hi has 3 open diffs and they work just fine driving in circles, same as my old pinto.

 

So using a spare that's a different size than the other 3 tires is bad. Is it bad to have a new tire as a spare (like most folks have) and get a flat when the other tires are 85% worn? My 285's have nearly 30,000 miles on them and I can see about a half inch of tread worn off now vs when new. Does this mean I need to have a 265 for a spare once my tires are more than 1/2 worn out? What if I put the spare on the right side and only take left turns in the Walmart parking lot to get to the automotive garage around back? Or should I put the smaller tire on the front because there's a 40/60 traction split and the front will slip more than the rear anyway? I tend to agree that the open are diffs taking care of the issue and the driver keeping things to 50mi/50mph or less.

Heck, I think I'm just gonna go get a beer and watch the fireworks instead of thinking about this more.

 

The answer is yes it is bad. That's why a 5-tire rotation should be used.
"Five tire rotation results in equally distributed use that will help maintain equivalent tread depths on all five tires throughout their life. When applied to many four-wheel drive and all-wheel drive vehicles, this is required to prevent driveline damage if a flat tire forces a new spare to be put into service with partially worn tires on the other three wheel positions."

 

Well, If you wheel you will want a matching tire size spare. It would ruin your day to be out OffRoad and have to limp off the trail (and your wheeling partners day). Spend the extra $ and get the spare. Besides it makes your rig look "complete". I see a rig (Jeep, HUMMER, Toyota, Etc.) with a stock spare and upgraded larger size tires all I can think is "POSER".

Just my $0.02, but you did ask the question.

 

the instruction book for my hummer shows a 4 tire rotation,no spare,,,oh whats a mother to do,,,

the manufacturer must know something.
oh,one more thing;those little gears that go around with the ring gear and never turn on the dragstrip or turn pike
they only rotate when going in circles,AND have no bearings!! could be why they say go 50/50 or less on dinky spares. they could get warm in time,,like when i go to pittsburgh

 

Page 382 from my '07 Owner Manual:
"When rotating your vehicle’s tires, always use one
of the correct rotation patterns shown here."

 

perfect timing!!i just double checked my book for accuracy,it specifically says "do not include the spare",2010 adv.

i really do wonder just what the xxxx they are doing with the instructions from year to year.

this is not the first "mystery",,,i give up. 5 tire rotation obviously makes sense,,,the book does not. they sound like the gang in dc.!!

 

Could the reasons for the difference be in '07 the spare had a TPM and the '10 does not?

 

I was going to ask about that. It's the only reason that makes sense. But why they would cheap out on a $50 sensor...