To cover or not to cover your spare wheel(s) if they are mounted on 'exterior' wheel carriers not underneath (1 Viewer)

[sunrk]

Always gets mixed opinions...

If you have one or more spare wheels/tyres mounted on exterior/external wheel carriers like this



do you cover them or leave them uncovered? As you can mine are uncovered. I got rid of the underside spare wheel mounting setup a few years ago.

I know plenty of 4wd's and SUV's have plastic/fibreglass covers that go over the spare wheel, but most people's spares would be similar to the pic on external mounts (or maybe on the roofrack for a vehicle that is used off-road a lot).

I'm going to presume that almost everyone does a semi-regular wheel rotation that includes the spare(s) at some sort of interval. I usually do it around every 10 k km's but I'm not saying that's correct or 'industry standard'.

I can see the benefit of covers in terms of keeping uv light away from the spares that sit fully otherwise out in the open, but wonder if there are disadvantages too like the covers trapping heat that might affect the rubber in other ways.

 

[aztoyman]

I have seen articles discussing this on RV sites. They say it does prolong tire life and they recommended white colored covers. UV protection for tires. Still important, and the facts haven't changed in 7 years - https://www.rvtiresafety.net/2021/06/uv-protection-for-tires-still-important.html

 

[bigredmachine]

if i had the hatch mounted spare carrier i would cover it to keep it out of the direct sun, the uv will degrade the tire faster than the heat. the cover will hold some heat in but it will be open on the backside close to the hatch so you can get some airflow to help with the temps

 

[80t0ylc]

Always gets mixed opinions...

If you have one or more spare wheels/tyres mounted on exterior/external wheel carriers like this



do you cover them or leave them uncovered? As you can mine are uncovered. I got rid of the underside spare wheel mounting setup a few years ago.

I know plenty of 4wd's and SUV's have plastic/fibreglass covers that go over the spare wheel, but most people's spares would be similar to the pic on external mounts (or maybe on the roofrack for a vehicle that is used off-road a lot).

I'm going to presume that almost everyone does a semi-regular wheel rotation that includes the spare(s) at some sort of interval. I usually do it around every 10 k km's but I'm not saying that's correct or 'industry standard'.

I can see the benefit of covers in terms of keeping uv light away from the spares that sit fully otherwise out in the open, but wonder if there are disadvantages too like the covers trapping heat that might affect the rubber in other ways.

I include the spare in rotation mainly because the 80 series I run is full time 4WD. Plus I have 2 sets of tires that I run (MT & AT), so my swing arm mounted spare doesn't spend much more time exposed to UV and the elements than the other 4 on the rig. Even so I cover my spare, but it's a black vinyl type. I've always covered exposed spares on my rigs, but it's more habit than anything else. The only exception is on my F350 pickup when I mount the spare on the front bumper. Then I leave the cover off so as not to block air flow as much through to the radiator. IMHO it's a matter of personal taste for wheelers that regularly use their rigs. RV owners have different use patterns where their rigs could spend months or even years parked, so UV considerations have different priorities. I don't believe that heat, even with a black cover, would cause more damage than UV exposure - at least on wheeler's rigs.

 

[thatcabledude]

I do a 5 tire rotation and I like to think that helps. I log a lot of miles too though

 

[MountaineerLC]

Back in my Rover days I kept my spare covered until I lifted it and went to bigger tires. The dealer actually provided them with the vehicle back then. I think keeping the spare out of the sun definitely help to extend its life.