Odd traction/rotation question

[ephantmon]

I'm nearing the point of needing new tires. I'm going to try to make it through this winter before getting them. I noticed that my spare has never been worked into the rotation pattern, so it has full tread. I am thinking of rotating my tires myself, and thought maybe I could work in my spare. No matter where I put it, it would mean one side of the car had better traction than the other. My question is: Is it a better/safer idea to include my spare in the rotation (any wheel with better traction is safer than worse traction) or to keep it out (better to have equal traction between the two sides than one side with good, one side with bad)?

Please save the "Just get new tires!" advice, I don't have the money just yet.

 

[Lancer]

I think if your other tyres are that worn down, it's probably a bad idea to rotate the spare in at this point. Whichever axle it goes on will be "out of balance".

 

[ridenby]

Personally I wouldn't ,on other hand if you have open diff.it won't be a big deal,would run it on rear and switch from side to side.

 

[sleeve]

You could find the one tire with the most tread left on it and use that plus your spare on the rear end as long as you have an open differential. That ought to get you through winter.... Be aware that having one tire spinng faster than the other will cause accelerated wear on components.