How to Protect Your Tacoma Spare Tire from Exhaust Heat
If you upgrade your 2024+ Toyota Tacoma with aggressive all-terrain or mud-terrain tires, you naturally have to also upgrade the spare tire underneath the bed to match. But doing so introduces a hidden danger that many Tacoma owners don't realize until it's too late: exhaust heat damage.
The Tacoma Spare Tire Problem
The 4th Gen Tacoma's exhaust system runs surprisingly close to the spare tire well. Upgrading to a performance exhaust from Thermal R&D means you're also increasing your pipe size. Add upgrading your tires to the mix and you can see why some Tacoma owners worry.
Because an exhaust pipe radiating heat is sitting mere inches away from your rubber spare, there's a concern that the continuous thermal exposure may degrade, harden, or even melt the tire compound. The last thing an overlander needs is a flat tire on the trail, only to drop the spare and realize it's been compromised by exhaust heat.
Better-Built Tacoma Exhausts
At Thermal R&D, we engineered a specific solution for this common concern in our new 2024+ Tacoma 3-inch catback systems. To protect your spare tire, the rear section of our exhaust features a specialized ceramic black coating.
Ceramic coating is not only good-looking, it's also a powerful thermal barrier:
- Applied as a high-temperature ceramic-metallic composite, the coating bonds directly to the T304 stainless steel at a molecular level.
- This specialized layer greatly reduces the thermal emissivity of the metal, trapping heat energy inside the tubing rather than allowing it to radiate outward.
- By retaining this thermal energy internally, exhaust gases maintain a higher velocity for optimal scavenging, while the exterior surface temperature of the pipe is reduced exponentially.
- Capable of withstanding extreme thermal cycling in excess of 1,800°F, this robust finish will not flake or degrade even under rigorous trail use.
This precise thermal management drastically improves heat control in the critical area where the exhaust pipe routes nearest to the spare tire. By keeping the radiant surface temperatures down in the spare tire cavity, your oversized spare tire remains safe, structurally sound, and ready for deployment when you need it most.
Tacoma Exhausts from Thermal R&D
Deep Tone. Zero Drone.â„¢
Combined with our True Helmholtz Technology for drone-free cruising and premium T304 stainless steel construction, this system proves that you don't have to sacrifice utility for performance. Available for both i-FORCE and i-FORCE MAX engines in Standard and Savage editions, it's the smartest exhaust upgrade you can make for a modified Tacoma.
Don't let your exhaust ruin your spare tire. Our systems are backed by a comprehensive Lifetime Warranty, guaranteeing you get premium quality, smart engineering, and Deep Tone. Zero Drone.â„¢