[tavic]

I'm looking to add a lift in the near future, allowing me to run 32" to 33" tires. Why would I need a tire carrier? The hinges on the tailgate appear to be pretty beefy and I have seen replacement door mounted carriers to allow larger tires.

[Clear Lake Jeep]

You just nailed it there partner... The weight of the larger tires WILL end up messing your stock door up. Why risk it? Spend the extra scratch, get a heavy duty bumper w/ tire carrier, and enjoy the Mod!

[quattrogato]

If done correctly, by modifying the rubber bumpers on the tailgate so they continue to contact/support the spare tire and keep it from moving around you can easily carry a 32" tire - I have been doing so with no problems what so ever - in fact, since my 32 sits just on my rear bumper, it is supported better than stock. If you add a 1" body lift and/or have a less backspaced wheel, it is possible to carry a 33" tire. Bigger than that I personally would not go, but others have.

[Imped]

Personally, I got the carrier for a couple reasons. I knew that I was going to run 35s in the future (am now) so the stock carrier was out of the question. Secondly, I dislike the look of the dinky stock bumper and much prefer a nicer aftermarket unit. Third, an aftermarket tire carrier mounts the spare up higher, meaning I don't have to worry about the tire scraping on a steep incline/decline, and I much prefer the look of a high-mounted spare. I believe that anything over a 31" tire should be mounted on a bumper-mounted tire carrier.

[TheBoogieman]

No reason.A 33" tire on stock carrier for over 3 years with no problems.

No BL or BS here.

[Hesher420]

With anything over a 31" spare, you run the risk of deforming your tailgate/hinges. Yes, some do it with no problems, so the choice is up to you. Do YOU want to risk it?

[xxxflhrci]

You can get by with a larger tire on your stock carrier if you never hit rough trails. Off-road, the bigger tire will likely wreck your tailgate sooner or later.

[lumpster]

ive run 33's on the factory spare tire mount for a long time on my old jeeps, never had a problem, never had to adjust anything due to sagging or deforming. as long as they rest against the rubber bumpers, it will last a long time.

[lumpster]

Originally Posted by xxxflhrci

You can get by with a larger tire on your stock carrier if you never hit rough trails. Off-road, the bigger tire will likely wreck your tailgate sooner or later.

Wait to see if Blaine responds, his wifes rig runs a spare on the tailgate, NP. you cant get much rougher than JV, unless its high speed.

[03rubiconMG]

you do not need a tire carrier with a 32 or 33, i ran a 33x12.5.15 TSL radial on my tail gate for a year and a half. all i did was put spacers in so that all those little rubber pieces that keep the tire from bouncing around are touching the tire,

if you dont extend those spacers you will have tailgate damage.

[BloodThirsty]

I run a 32 on the stock carrier. It's not on the rubber bumpers. How do I change that?

[03rubiconMG]

still use the rubber bumpers just find something to space them out, hockey pucks work, but you can probably find multiple things you could use.

[quattrogato]

Originally Posted by xxxflhrci

You can get by with a larger tire on your stock carrier if you never hit rough trails. Off-road, the bigger tire will likely wreck your tailgate sooner or later.

Again, if properly modded for your spare - up to a 33" tire IMHO, unless you tail-stand your Jeep on the spare, or back it into an obstacle, your tailgate will be fine, regardless of the terrain.

[LJ_Cool]

Generally, a 33" tire is about 15 lbs or so heavier than a 30" of the same tread pattern.

So if it's mounted properly, and tight against the rubber pucks, the extra 15 or 18 lbs, shouldn't be too detrimental.

I think little kids hanging off of it when it's open, or standing on the tire to wash the roof, might be more stressful.

have a good one

[BYuen]

I ran my 33" spare on the stock carrier for a while. It did warp the gate hinges a little and it doesn't completely seal at the bottom of the gate. My 33" spare was even pretty light. It was an AT tire on the stock aluminum wheels. I wouldn't recommend running a 33" tire with the stock carrier permanently and definitely nothing larger than a 33" tire.