EEA4 application

My wife has a residence card as the spouse of an EEA citizen. In July she will have been in the UK for 5 years, and in November her residence card expires. I have a couple of questions:

1. When is the earliest that she can submit her EEA4 form? Does she have to wait until July or can she do it now, before the 5 years are up?

2. Can my wife travel in and out of the country after her residence card expires, if she has evidence that EEA4 form has been submitted and she has been exercising treaty rights for 5+ years?

Thanks.