Off road worthy spare

Hi guys

As my name implies, although I've taken 1 cross country trip with my Tundra and I've had it almost 3 years, I still am a noob.

I'm prepping for another trip this summer. Going out west. No crazy technical stuff but roads that have sharp rocks where you need all-terrain tires. I just bought 4 Toyo ATIII's to replace the worn out and not up to the job Michelins (fine for what I did last time pulling a camper and driving Forest Service roads, etc.)

My question is would you get a 5th for "just in case" (the 4wd place I got the new tires at asked about it), will it fit under the truck (posts I searched up seem to suggest it will) and do I buy an OEM wheel to stick this 5th tire on (a cheaper one online considering it's "just in case" and going to live under the truck) OR do I use the steelie the spare is mounted on.

Thanks this is a great place even though I mostly just lurk.

 

Food for thought; 2 spares let’s you keep wheeling, one just gets you home

 

I would look for a used wheel on the face, list, or bay you might get lucky and find one with a decent tire for a just in case spare
If you get a new tire I would still find a used wheel and plan on putting it in your rotation schedule

 

The tires and rating matter. I haven’t looked in a while but are those toyos 3 ply sidewalls? In the past very few tires (even e rated tires) had a 3 ply sidewall.

e rated doesn’t mean what it did in the past. Old school e rated meant 10 ply thick on the tread. Most today are not more than 3 ply’s on the tread surface, much less on the sidewall.

 

I always carry a plug or tire repair kit and a compressor plus a spare tire.
My approach is usually look for an inexpensive used tire same size as my ither tires. If you run oversized tires and also need wheel to offset, just look for inexpensive one the correct size & offset you need. I found a wheel on clearance for 125 last year and reused an old spare Nitto i had laying around.

 

Will also add that i have been on a trail where guy ripped sidewall on 2 tires in same hole. He had to borrow someone elses spare plus his own. No repairing a sidewall.

So if you are riding solo on trails to remote areas, 2 spare might be good idea. Can be worn tires. Just enough for you to baby it back to civilization for replacements is all you usually need.

 

Not sure what size Toyo's you purchased, but my 35" tire fits between the leafs without issue. Although a tight fit..

Depending on your budget, it's nice to have an actual spare replacement in case an original wheel is damaged beyond repair or is hard to replace due to availability.

Like others have said, have a tire repair kit handy and access to air. Enjoy the trip!

 

I bought a couple used TSS wheels (chrome, ew) and slapped a used 37" tire I got for $75 from a Mexican tire shop. It doubles as weight in my empty bed as I cannot fit it underneath.