Running Two Spares? Yes/No

lol no way

 

I've run just about all the top tier AT tires out there. I'm now sold on the Cooper Discoverer AT3 LT (Load Range C). I don't need the extra sidewall stiffness of an E on the Tacoma. Ran Load Range E when I had full size trucks. Load range matters little anyway as the punctures are generally in the tread. I've plugged many tires and some have had slices where I wasn't able to plug. That's when the 2nd spare becomes important. Never had a bed storage issue with it stored upright up against my cab. I've been with people who have had punctures in all 4 tires on a weeklong trip. These aren't day trips, I'm usually up there for a minimum of 5 days and services are very limited.

 

When I was a kid my family drove around Australia for something like 3 months. We used both spare tires in one day on the Gunbarrel Highway, and didn't change another for the whole trip.

 

To match the 500lb winch + blocks > 8000lb winch thread, he'd be arguing for a spare in 150/95R15 instead of a fullsize one, because you just need to keep the hub off the ground

 

I have 5 full size matching spares. They just happen to be in the garage and for sale.

Seriously though, I have 1 full size matching spare (wheel and tire) that I keep with the truck at all times.

 

I understand. It is about the dumbest thing I do... and now that I have brought this up I am gonna slash my tire next weekend so bad I can't fix it. I am almost done with my rear bumper with a tire swing. Ill have my spare then.

I am also planning on 38's in January. So I don't want to spend the money on another 35 when I plan on changing so soon...

On top of that, I wheel with a load of 6x5.5 rigs and never really get after it by my self. So I think I am okay... For now...

 

Alright I know this is sarcasm but there was a thread in here within the past couple of years where op was serious. I wish I could find it. He didn’t carry a spare, thought it was stupid, but was ok with spending a couple of hours sewing a sidewall back together. I’ll have to dig harder.

 

My point on the Baja or Australia comment in the posting thread. I understand there is a time and place for 2 spares. It just does not happen for 99.9% of the 3rd gen Tacoma wheeling scene.

 

Found it.

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/4”-sidewall-gash-trail-repair.631583/

 

Dude is just lucky... Also, carry more than a plug kit for extreme scenarios. It's four small items outside of what most normally carry.

 

if you running the baja 1000 sure

 

I actually have two spares, so I'm entitled to an opinion on this. I have one on the bumper and one in the factory location. I carry a winch, a hilift jack, a patch kit, and OBA too. It's all good to have.

That said, it's completely ridiculous. I pay $3 a month on my insurance for roadside assistance in the US. I am never more than a gas tank away from a highway. I'd really be fine with one, but I keep the 2nd on there because none of my trailers have spare tires onboard and they take the same wheel as my Taco. Otherwise the one underneath would be gone. It's just convenient to have if I'm driving the family a few states away and happen to run over something gnarly that takes out a truck and trailer tire.


I've gotten a puncture offroad and I sure as hell didn't swap the tire, that's a hassle. I plugged that bitch and used the OBA to fill up the now-patched tire.

 

That’s a good point. The more people, the less each person needs to carry individually

 

This works if you run a tire that sits in the factory location. I don't so maybe there is a little bias from me. I envision having two tires in the bed of the truck or having to put on on top.

Why not just throw a spare on the trailers? You can CL trailer tires stupid cheap.

I am all for being prepared, but I am not sold on two spares. Especially for folks running a 35 or larger. Even a 33 seems like a stretch. That's a lot of weight and better suited for other things.

 

I will be taking 2 with me to Baja XL
Normally cary just 1

 

Call me wrong but I don't remember seeing or hearing about onboard air much before the millennium. The first I ever heard of it came in the form of the Hummer's integrated (and ridiculously expensive) system in the 90's, and I don't ever remember when the simple little leap of a handheld 12V compressor got popular. It feels like that innovation happened much more recently than logic would dictate though. Like it should have been around since cigarette lighters were in cars, but I dont ever remember seeing one in the stores until maybe a decade or two ago.

Before those days a single mesquite thorn had the potential of knocking you out of business. It made sense to run two spares. Plus it looked cool. Like you were ready to solo across the Gobi or some shit.

For the last 20 years though? nah. A single spare, a plug kit, and a 30 dollar inflator is more redundancy than 99.9% of us will ever need.

 

I can buy one less spare by having it on the truck instead of swapping between two trailers. Plus, a craigslist spare tire isn't something I want to rely on hundreds of miles from home. I actually run truck tires on the trailers because they hold up better and last longer. You'll have real bad issues running truck tires on a tandem trailer (the truck tires don't flex enough) but they're a great swap on a single axle trailer.

I'm on 33s and my trailers are on 31s for what it's worth... If I had 35s, I'd keep the trailer spare underneath at the factory size. Two 35s would be nuts. That's a lot of bulk.

Easy to fit two 33s or smaller!

 

Yeah I guess my point was we only got two punctures in the whole trip and it was just bad luck they both happened on the same day. I feel like we stopped at a cattle station the next day and got them fixed anyway but at the same time we probably only saw one other vehicle that whole week so would have been SOL without the second spare.

This was Western Australia in the late 80's/early 90's and there were a lot of guys who had onboard air even then. My dad used to laugh at them because we had fat tires so he didn't really feel the need to air down for sand which was where we did most of our wheeling. Guess he wouldn't have been laughing if we'd have gotten a third puncture that day

I carry the factory spare, a plug kit and a 12v compressor.

 

My gf carries 2 spares in her Mazda 5. The second one is so she “won’t have to use the donut”

I carry 1 spare and a plug kit