Checking Spare Tire Pressure?

I heard some good advice on here to lower and raise the spare twice a year and hit the tire winch with some lube/rust inhibitor. If you just leave it there untouched you might find it rusted in place 180k miles down the road, especially if they salt the roads you drive on in the winter.

I was checking the manual a couple weeks ago to see which way to rotate my tires and I'm pretty sure it said not to use antisieze or anything like it on the studs because the lugs might come loose. The torque spec on them is 83 foot-pounds which really isn't that much.

 

That's why I'm going with a basket rack in the bed. A tire shouldn't take any more than a few minutes to change. I've spent 30 trying to get the damn tire to lower.

 

Very good advise!
The stock system is not fun.
When you do it once it will make it much nicer when you have to do it on the side of the road sometime.

 

I vote for leaving the valve step pointing up. I flipped my spare on the steel wheel so the valve stem pointed down and one winter of road salt made it so brittle it leaked air when I touched it. I got a used TRD off-road wheel and put my spare tire on that because it's easy to check the pressure even with the valve stem pointed up.

 

I set my tires to 34 psi and my spare to 40 psi. That way when cold weather hits the air pressure in the tire doesnt drop below threshold to set off the tire light. Also my sensor has been mounted facing down for idk how long and I've had no problems. In colder state, clean the rust off the spare tire carrier and apply NOXUDOL(I believe thats how you spell it) to the cable. its a form of under body coating to prevent rust.

 

i just stick the old style of air pressure guage up through the holes in the rim and check it that way. it's not super easy but it's possible.

 

I found out I don't even have to drop mine.

Even with the stem facing up instead of down.

Using my air hose I can go right through the rim and access the downward facing side.

http://www.amazon.com/Hiltex-20700-Inflator-120PSI-Gauge/dp/B000IV8Z3A

Easy as pie!

 

I drop my spare once a year to check and clean it.

 

I tried one of these on one of my Camry's. Leaked from day one.