Short Changed by Dealer On Spare Tire?

No, you do not get an aluminum spare if you get aluminum wheels. Aluminum wheels are standard on the XLE, so I don't know what you mean about the dealer installing them since they come that way from the factory.

In case you had the dealer install some optional aluminum wheels (to replace the standard aluminum wheels) then the spare would not be aluminum.

You can buy a extra aluminum wheel if you really want one, but the spare is for emergency use. Tire shops will mount the tires on the existing 4 aluminum wheels even if you want to use the spare in your rotation.

I think Mark A pretty much covered it. My '93 XLE came with alum rims and a steel spare - that's how most makers do it, I think, except probably the high end autos. There's no real reason to have a spare tire on an aluminum wheel, since it's for emergency use.

The 2005 Avalon Limited comes with a spare that matches the wheels on the car.

Thanks, guys. The manual says I should rotate all 5 tires if I have a full size spare tire. That's when I found out the spare tire is not aluminum, 5K miles too late. I would guess rotating 5 tires will get few thousand miles more out of a set of tires.

I've always wondered whether the hassle associated with tire rotation is worth it. The last couple of cars I've owned wouldn't permit it because the front and rear sizes are different, and I haven't noticed that my tire mileage has suffered.

Don't pay any attention to the manual. Do not rotate the spare. When you need new tires, put the spare on one of the wheels and put the best used tire on the spare. So if you are replacing 2 tires at once, then you only need to purchase 2 new one. If you are replacing all 4 at once, you only need to purchase 3 tires. Tire shops that I go to do not charge extra for this.

Mark - What an intelligent recommendation. Of course, it only works for cars with full size spares, and you don't get the benefit of evening out wear caused by caster/camber alignment problems or front/rear wear caused by power from the drive train, but still.....I like it!

Whoops, should have said.

So if you are replacing 2 tires at once, then you only need to purchase 1 new one.