I've known for a while I would need to replace my tires, I'd estimated I would need to do it this spring or early summer. The tires were installed by the previous owner and are from Pep Boys and are Definity, basically made by Cooper for Pep Boys. I'm pretty neutral about them, not the the most aggressive off road tread but fine for paved roads and light off road driving which is mostly what I do and they are pretty quiet on asphalt. And I got my money's worth out of them as they were new on the car when I got it at the end of 2007! It helps that I didn't drive much for almost 2 years when travel took me away but 7 years in Texas heat is pretty good. The spare is an old Michelin and is starting to dry rot and I don't feel it is reliable.

Back in September one tire had a ply separate and I got it replaced with my tire warranty for only $100. Next month I tore a hole in the side wall while off roading and got it swapped for $130. Now I have one more with a side wall hole and will get it changed for around the same amount. New ones are about $185 so they are just prorating them out. At this point I will just replace the 4th and will do the spare as well as it is so bad.

So here is my question... Do you guys rotate the spare into the mix? The pros are you get slightly more time and miles on all 5 tires and you feel better that your perfect spare doesn't just dry rot over time. The cons are that when you do have to replace all tires you now have to buy 5. Some folks say radials don't wear right if you cross rotate but as non radials become a thing of the past I wonder if that is still true especially if you rotate every 4-5K miles.

 

I always throw the spare in the mix. I might want a different style/size tire, next time, so the spare may be of no value too me. I'd rather get all the use/mileage possible.
dunno on rotating. I have never had wear issues on the disco and I sometimes use the lotto rotation. (swap over to another set of wheels and tires. put them back on in ? order)

 

I didn't rotate the spare into the mix, but I wish I had.

 

I didn't last time, but I will this time... I've ended up with a tire that has seen absolutely no use and I'm changing brands and sizes with a lift being added, so basically, that tire was a wasted insurance policy...