Use of factory spare tire wheel as full-service/full-time wheel...

I cannot seem to get anyone to commit to an answer without a bunch of legal mumbo-jumbo. I have a 2015 2WD Tacoma. I want to know if anyone knows, for a fact, that I can use the #42601A spare tire wheel as a full-time/full-service wheel as a set of four on the truck. I want to use a stock Toyota black steel wheel on the truck. I have attached a photo of the wheel and stock tire. The wheel had a sticker saying "for temporary use only," but this rim looks to be the same grade as the basic steel rim that Toyota puts on all the cars that simply have wheel covers. Toyota says "we cannot condone modification of the vehicle." Can anyone provide a technically savvy response? I don't want to subject a wheel to daily use if it will not hold up to it. Thanks for the help!

 

If you have 4 with all the same size tires I don`t see a problem!!

If you were running 3 other wheels of a different size then I could see the temporary use only rule

If you bought these wheels at a yard sale How would you know ??

Are the wheels themselves marked Temporary Use Only ??

How would one build a wheel any different ??

 

Of course you can.

The temp use only label is there to cover a couple of issues............

1) there is no TPMS in the spare, so you'll set off the dash light.

2) if the tire were a different size/grade than the ones on the ground, like in most cars, then that would also be a limiting factor.

Using the wheel itself with properly matched tires is not a mechanical issue at all.

If you want your TPMS to work, you'll need 4 sensors made for steel wheels.

 

Thanks, Guys! The truck came with the attached factory steel wheel (see attached photo). The factory wheel is 15" x 6", the same size as the black steel wheel supplied as the spare. Toyota says the spare tire wheel is for temporary use only. The spare tire wheel had a white sticker thus stating the same. The wheel is not a "donut," it appears to be a standard grade full size steel wheel. The wheel looks just like the same grade of steel wheel that is on many Toyota cars that come from the factory with wheel covers, only differing in the number and style of holes. My plan would be to buy four factory new black wheels from Toyota and use them with the stock Dunlop tires (pictured) which only have 10,000 miles on them. Since the truck already has steel wheels, the stock TPMS should work on the new wheels with, perhaps, new valve stems installed. I may be weird, but I want to go for the old school look of a black factory-supplied Toyota wheel which matches the spare tire and wheel. FYI, the guy at Discount Tire called this black steel wheel a "full-size donut" that is not meant for full-service use. This whole ordeal started because the Toyota dealer ground circular socket marks down to bare metal on the stock wheels when they rotated my tires.

 

Hey guys,

Thanks for your input. Here are two photos of my 2015 2WD Tacoma with the upgrade to a full (5) set of Toyota OEM 15 x 6 black steel rims and Yokohama Geolandar A/T-S tires. I just got them installed this morning. I wanted a stock look with a little beefier truck tire. I am very pleased with the look and the improved ride.

Peace,

Chris Nagy

 

I certainly don't have a problem using spare steel wheels.

 

Your '22 isn't a 5 lug truck. Not quite sure what a 3rd gen steel spare looks like, but if it's a full size wheel/tire combo it should be just fine.

I've been running my set on my 5 lug for a number of years now.