HAs anyone made the spare tire wheel well bigger? I went from 16-17 inch rims and tires from a JK and the spare is just a little too big , but maybe a 1/2 all round.it seems like a few bangs aroudn the well with a hammer or something better could make it so I could carry the spare in there, or mayeb it would need to be cut/widened/rewelded. Thinking I might do a false floor with tools in the back if it sticks up a bit..
maybe my searching is off, but I haven't seen anyone do this before. has anyone tried this yet, and what did you do to make it work. Would cost a lot less, adn be less intrusive than a tire carrier.
Never seen it done most either get a rack for the roof or fab out some type of tire carrier for the back both not great options but not sure unless you had some mad welding skills of making it bigger.
I have seen some cool rear tire carriers but all custom made nothing you can buy I know off.
You can measure the outside of the tank skid, then compare to the inside of the well. You cannot go any deeper without lowering the tank, and the "frame" limits the width..
I have never measured it since I made a carrier and the well is packed with all my tools and recovery gear.
You can measure the outside of the tank skid, then compare to the inside of the well. You cannot go any deeper without lowering the tank, and the "frame" limits the width.. I have never measured it since I made a carrier and the well is packed with all my tools and recovery gear.
I've considered trying to make a square box there to fit more gear or possibly a larger or secondary fuel tank. You can get at least a couple inches to the sides before you hit the frame rails, and you can go a bit further forward, but as you say, you cannot go any deeper without lowering the gas tank, which is already quite low.
I'm still not sure what I want to do long-term. For now, I'm leaving the spare in the basement for normal daily driver stuff. For trips 'n wheeling, I just strap it in the back ZJ style. These are 31's and just fit.
I'm thinking I might take out the panel there and see what's underneath. Maybe work up a bracket of some sort to better secure the thing.
Seems like a good idea over the difficulties of making a spare tire carrier which interferes with the hatch and reduces visibility. You can air down the tire for a bit more space and carry a cheap little 12 v compressor
.
I carry air, so I did try this myself. Wanted to stuff a 31" spare into the well, so I took the air out, didnt fit. I tried wrapping a crank-down strap around it, but the crank itself got in the way. I gave up, and left the OEM spare in there. I figure the OEM spare will still get me out of a jam, I am only running 31's.
I know I remember seeing a thread on this site a couple years ago where the OP took a BFH and beat the sides out a bit and then cut the well from the rear floor. He then welded in roughly a 2" strip of metal sheet in a circle where the well used to be connected to the floor to gain 2 extra inches in depth, and re-welded in the widened out well. I don't remember what he did about the gas tank and tank skid though. I can't seem to find the thread.
the difference in tire width (in this case it would be height on its side.. is only 1.1 inchs, and there is room for that under the cover if I can get the tire to the bottom of the well.. and the height difference ( width turned sideways) difference is 2.8 inch but that is 1.4 inch around on all sides more or less.. i'm going to talk to the guy doing my lift about it, he also does some awesome fabrication work. I like the look of the tire carriers but at $1300 on average they are quite an expensive way to carry a tire. I like to think of my jeep as a "sleeper creeper" good enough for the beach, snow days, and lighter trailer mudding, but still runs and looks like it it should the rest of the year.
Thanks and I'll pot if I think of something else.. I thought about keeping the current spare which is a standard donut wheel with a full size wrangeler tire on it (illegal I know, but i didn't do it) but I'm afraid of the death wobble, that it might cause if I do kill a tire on the road and then run witha smaller tire for a few miles..
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