33'' spare on stock spare tire mount: Suggestions

Yellowhammer · 10-13-2009, 01:24 PM

How can I economically carry my 33'' spare without damaging Jeep?

I used the "Search" feature and found several older threads addressing this exact topic so I have some info but I would appreciate your thoughts/suggestions.

I have a 15x8 stock Gambler rim that is about to have a 33x10.50 spare.

Some folks said this is too much, will not clear your bumper, will bend your tailgate, etc...

Others said they are carrying a 33'' on the stock carrier with no problems.

I don't want to tear up my Jeep but I can't buy a new bumper with a tire mount either.

Do ya'll have any experience with spacers like those made by Warrior or Olympic? What about keeping the factory mount and using washers on the studs to get it out away from the bumper a little bit as someone has suggested to me?

Should I just say, "Its a Jeep, not a Mercedes!" and slap that bad boy on there?

**TheBoogieman** · 10-13-2009, 01:28 PM

Mine set on my bumper perfectly with no BL.Took all the weight off.

My brother has been running a 33x12.50 for several years with no problems.

little_Jeep · 10-13-2009, 01:41 PM

Carrying that much weight on the tailgate probably isn't good for the hinges or the tailgate, but I know guys that have done so for years. I use to carry my 33X12:50 on my stock spare tire carrier without issue... well without issue except that my spare would not clear the rear bumper, but 10 minutes work and $5.00 at Home Depot fixed that.

Here is a simple fix:

Remove all three studs from factory spare tire carrier. Replace the bottom two studs with .50 bolts that are approximately 2.5 inches long. Put center hole (large hole in wheel) over the two bolts sticking thru the spare tire carrier, at one steel plate (purchased at Home Depot over two bolts, add lockwashers and nuts. I even have the design of the steel plate.

gseale · 10-13-2009, 01:42 PM

Mine sat perfectly too, but I bought an LoD anyway.

Greg

Xlr8n · 10-13-2009, 01:55 PM

If you used the search, you would have seen all the options that have been presented in multiple threads.

To recap:

A 33 is as big as you'd want to run on the gate for mild offroad use.

If you are going to be pounding the rig on rocky terrain with any regularity, moving the spare to the tub or bumper is a much safer choice, regardless of tire size.

A 33 is too heavy for the stock carrier if you go offroad at all as the stock carrier will flex and crack. Having it rest on the bumper is fine for street use, but offroad the stock carrier will still flex up and down off the bumper and will wear on the hinges and latch. Whether or not it will actually sit square on the bumper is entirely dependent on the brand of tire and size of wheel including width and backspacing.

An aftermarket carrier that is made of heavier material is a viable option.

The key is to avoiding gate or hinge failure is to have all three isolation snubbers extended to make good and proper contact with the spare. Examples can be seen in some of those threads you searched.

Yellowhammer · 10-13-2009, 02:01 PM

Boogieman and gseale - That should work for me because I don't have a body lift either. Maybe I can do the LoD later but if my tire will sit there on the factory bumper like ya'lls did then that will work for now.

little Jeep - Thanks bro! That's a great plan. I'm printing it out right now...

element54 · 10-13-2009, 02:03 PM

Mine didn't fit when I tried to install it either, I needed about an extra 3/4" to clear the bumper. What I did was removed the rear bumper and moved it down one bolt and put a spacer in place where the bottom bolt comes up through. I then had to shave off the stoppers to adjust for the extra width of the tire. Works fine now.

Xlr8n · 10-13-2009, 02:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FishFox

Boogieman and gseale - That should work for me because I don't have a body lift either. Maybe I can do the LoD later but if my tire will sit there on the factory bumper like ya'lls did then that will work for now.

little Jeep - Thanks bro! That's a great plan. I'm printing it out right now...

Here's a thread that covers most of the issues with running a bigger tire on the stock carrier. Note posts #5, 6, and 7.
http://www.jeepforum.com/forum/f9/st...g-tire-819273/

Yellowhammer · 10-13-2009, 02:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Xlr8n

Here's a thread that covers most of the issues with running a bigger tire on the stock carrier. Note posts #5, 6, and 7.
http://www.jeepforum.com/forum/f9/st...g-tire-819273/

Thanks bud. I hadn't seen this thread when I was searching.

little_Jeep · 10-13-2009, 02:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Xlr8n

Here's a thread that covers most of the issues with running a bigger tire on the stock carrier. Note posts #5, 6, and 7.
http://www.jeepforum.com/forum/f9/st...g-tire-819273/

Several of those guys damaged their spare tire carrier wheel-n...... Heck, I tore up my tire swing while wheel-n.

33 inch tire may not be the smartest thing to hang on a stock spare tire carrier, but it seems to work most of the time (excluding wheel-n abuse).

**TheBoogieman** · 10-13-2009, 02:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FishFox

Boogieman and gseale - That should work for me because I don't have a body lift either. Maybe I can do the LoD later but if my tire will sit there on the factory bumper like ya'lls did then that will work for now.

little Jeep - Thanks bro! That's a great plan. I'm printing it out right now...

Just so you know,the brake expert MrBlaine said his wife runs a 35 on the stock carrier because it sits on the bumper.It's all about getting the weight off the tailgate and on the bumper.

Xlr8n · 10-13-2009, 02:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by little_Jeep

Several of those guys damaged their spare tire carrier wheel-n...... Heck, I tore up my tire swing while wheel-n.

33 inch tire may not be the smartest thing to hang on a stock spare tire carrier, but it seems to work most of the time (excluding wheel-n abuse).

Most all advice given on Jeep Forum is intended for the purpose of building a rig to be used off-road.
In the case of carrying a spare, the severity of use needs to be carefully considered before making a choice.

For HD wheeling, you need to take the tire off the gate unless you want to ruin the hinges and latch.

For more recreational wheeling, a 33" tire can be carried on the gate provided you mount and brace it correctly.
For 80 bucks you can replace the flimsy, stamped factory carrier with a HD unit like the Olympic and then run the 33 out back without fears of carrier flex and subsequent hinge and/or latch failure.
I've run mine out back on the gate with a HD carrier properly supported by the snubbers for around 35k miles with no ill effects offroad. Hinges and latch still function like new with not a squeak or rattle to be found.

That being said, I have the '03+ newer designed hinges that have been rumored to be designed to handle the heavier 31" tire equipped on the Rubicons. Whether these are indeed actually any beefier than the older exposed style hinges is still unknown.

As I said earlier, if I was running Johnson Valley with Blaine and Jerry I'd surely have a different setup. Well, my whole rig would be set-up differently, but you get my point.

Yellowhammer · 10-13-2009, 02:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheBoogieman

Just so you know,the brake expert MrBlaine said his wife runs a 35 on the stock carrier because it sits on the bumper.It's all about getting the weight off the tailgate and on the bumper.

Mentioning MrBlaine's wife just gave me an idea: I'll just get my wife to ride in the back and hold on to that 33'' real tight!

Yellowhammer · 10-13-2009, 02:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Xlr8n

Most all advice given on Jeep Forum is intended for the purpose of building a rig to be used off-road.
In the case of carrying a spare, the severity of use needs to be carefully considered before making a choice.

For HD wheeling, you need to take the tire off the gate unless you want to ruin the hinges and latch.

For more recreational wheeling, a 33" tire can be carried on the gate provided you mount and brace it correctly.
For 80 bucks you can replace the flimsy, stamped factory carrier with a HD unit like the Olympic and then run the 33 out back without fears of carrier flex and subsequent hinge and/or latch failure.
I've run mine out back on the gate with a HD carrier properly supported by the snubbers for around 35k miles with no ill effects offroad. Hinges and latch still function like new with not a squeak or rattle to be found.

As I said earlier, if I was running Johnson Valley with Blaine and Jerry I'd surely have a different setup. Well, my whole rig would be set-up differently, but you get my point.

Thanks again XL. Got a link for your $80 HD carrier?

**TheBoogieman** · 10-13-2009, 02:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FishFox

Mentioning MrBlaine's wife just gave me an idea: I'll just get my wife to ride in the back and hold on to that 33'' real tight!

Let her ride up front,duck down when your girlfriends ride by,take out the back seat and throw the tiny 33 back there.