spare tire: valve stem down or up?

[John G]

This might seem like a dumb question, but I'm not that familiar with spare tires on trucks.



After the Firestone recall years ago, the Ford dealer mounted my replacement spare tire with the valve stem up, which is very inconvenient for checking the pressure. I took the tire out for the first time to replace the rear shocks. Is there a good reason for me to reinstall it the way it was (protect the valve stem from road debris, maybe?) or is it okay to mount it with the valve stem down so that I can check the pressure?

 

[Travis Munday]

Mounting the valve stem facing down is fine. The valve stem up under the vehicle isn't in any more danger then the ones spinning at high-speed on the rest of the wheels and tires.

 

[Mike Wilson]

Just keep the valve stem cap on, and you should be fine!

 

[Todd Z]

I flipped my spare, it was up from the factory, Now down so I can check the air pressure every now and then...



Todd Z

 

[Kevin Palmer]

Down is how I had mine as well. It also is a bit easier to mount in the spare tire well as the offset of the rim is greater on the valve stem side. So there is less cable when it comes time to raise and lower the spare.

 

[Hal S]

The spare is mounted with the valve stem up, not to protect the valve stem, but to prevent debris from building up on the "mating" part of the wheel that contacts the hub.

If you put on the spare on with a layer of dirt between the wheel and the hub, it will loosen up as the dirt gets dispersed.

Mine is flipped over to make it easy to check pressure, but if I need it, I know to clean the mating surface before installing it.

 

[Johnny O]

Hal may have a point. The Trac and both Rangers I had before came with the spare's valve stem mounted up but I flipped them around so I can check the air once in a while.

 

[Richard L]

I agree with Hal and Todd. The factory mounts the spare with the valve stem up, but my tire dealer told me he flipped it over to make air pressure checks more convenient. He also mentioned about dirt build up, but since Texas is pretty dry and I don't drive off-road, that would not be an issue for me, but you off-roaders should keep that tip in mind.



...Rich