NECESSARY Rant

When low air pressure in my spare kicked off the dash tire pressure warning light the first time I'm the dummy that didn't flip the spare over so I would have to drop it in order to put air in it. That was my fault.

I like my truck - a lot. What I don't like is the piece of crap extension tool with the "hook" on the end that the Toyota engineers give you to lower the spare. Slipping the ~3' extension tool into the little cutout and trying to align the hook into the slot of the lowering mechanism has to take the prize for the most Mickey Mouse POS I've seen on an otherwise well engineered truck.

God help the person that needs the spare on the side of a dark road one night. I was in a well lite garage and the only way I could get the hook coupled with the slot was to crawl under the truck, reach my arm over the spare tire (that has 15K miles of road dirt on it) and blindly align the two pieces by feel.

WHAT A CRAP DESIGN. TOYOTA, GET YOUR HEAD OUT OF YOUR --- AND PASS THE COUPLE OF DOLLARS ON TO THE CONSUMER AND PROVIDE A DECENT DESIGN TO SAFELY AND EASILY ACCESS THE SPARE!

Rant over...

 

I practice putting that tool into that hole at night with my girlfriend. I tell her that it's for our safety, we may need to get the spare tire out sometime. She looks confused for a moment, but eventually gives in.

 

put a little white paint on the adapter under the truck so its easier to see. My dodge was like that too. Its common.

 

This sort of mechanism is pretty standard on other trucks, too. One thing you can do is get the McGard spare tire lock. It comes with a little cylinder you gently tap in place over the part that turns in the lowering mecnahism. It also has a "key" part that snaps onto your existing spare tire crank rod. I think it is a little easier to get the key into the socket blindly than the OEM rod end in the slot. Plus it gives you a little security.

 

I get it.

 

Get a flashlight and put it in your glove box.

 

And I've used that spare lower contraption a few times between this truck and the one on my last truck too....and didn't take all that much work for me. For the amount of times that I have used the spare- I'd rather not spend more money for an automatic electronic spare lowering and install device....

 

I painted that socket part black and then took a yellow paint marker and painted just the edge bright yellow with several coats of a paint pen. Posted it on another thread already. Should be in the cheap MODS section.
I think I figured out why the tire seeming hangs with the valve up instead of down. It has to do with the shape of the rim and the amount of mud that will fit up there if it's valve stem down. A lot more mud. I think it hangs the way it does for drainage to tell you the truth.

Everybody should take the spare off and put it back on at least once before you have to do it on the side of the road. It's a little bit tricky the first time you do it for sure. Second time is a charm.

 

x2. I've got one of those you have to shake to get a charge. They're not overly bright but you don't have to worry about batteries if you're really in a bind.

 

x3. It makes it soooo much easier even in bright daylight.

 

I bought a spare tire inflation hose at camping world.It screws on your spare tire and then I drilled a hole in the bracket for my trailer plug and mounted the other end there.Works great.If you mount your spare valve down it makes the tire hang lower under the truck.

 

so you can practice jerking it while getting sub optimal light all at the same time!

those shake lights are about as usefull as these

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BoJ9XDH-eO8&feature=related

get a real flashlight! Maglight

 

haha the shake weight! unreal.... the person who made it is prob rich too... wtf

 

Sorry -- my GMC 1500 Z71 was a bigger PIA especially since the instructions list a procedure that is not anything like what you actually need to do to change the tire. As a result I wast 30 min on the side of a mountain on a rock infested climb trying to make something work that was not needed.

 

I don't think the soccer mom's could figure out how to lower the spare...I smell a recall

 

Whats so difficult about putting air in the spare tire?

 

i dont get it either. i have never dropped my spare and have pput air in there and checked the air pressure