Spare tire carrier options?

Dunno if I want to go with a rear carrier, or roof rack or shove the darn thing in the back and hope I don't wear it for a neck tie..any ideas?

Well, it depends on what compromise you're willing to make. It also depends on the size tire you're running. You know the issue with putting it in the back, hazardous if not bolted down, plus it kills your cargo capacity. A rear swing out tire carrier is convenient, but depending on the model can block you rear vision. But if it's low enough to let you see out the back, it could mess with your approach angle and you have to swing it open every time you want in the back hatch. A roof rack mount gets it out of the way, but you need to be fairly coordinated to get it down and put it back up. And it gets more difficult as tire size increases. I have a factory roof rack tire carrier, but am running 235's as well so it's manageable. I wouldn't want to fetch a 35 off my roof, I'm not that motivated. Hope this gives you some idea of what to consider. Wherever you put it, just be sure to check the pressure regularly. Nothing like a flat spare to put the icing on the cake.

Good point..running 33 swampers on it now, cuz that's what the kid before me had on 'em, but will convert to AT's when these are worn out..or I am. Have a 4 inch lift, and not planning on radical trails, but who does, starting out...

I have my spare shoved in the back, but it's also a trail-only vehicle, and I don't have rear seats. When it was still my DD, I carried it on my roof rack, but I don't think I'd do that again for a couple of reasons. The first being the accessibility factor: my 33x12.5 MTR spare weighed in at around 86 lbs, and although it wasn't unmanageable, it wasn't exactly easy to get down when I needed it. Secondly, I work downtown, and had a difficult time fitting in parking garages. Lastly, I have to think that the extra weight of the roof rack and spare up top might have helped contribute to my two rolls....but then again, could have been my crappy driving on those days.

Roof mount.

My 32" spare is mounted on my Safari rack on the roof. Looks good, out of the way, but am a little worried that it might raise the center of gravity. Haven't had any problems with it yet. I'm also considering a tow hitch spare tire mount for off road only - they're only $69 and fit a 2" tow hitch receiver.

Planetcat, where did you find that tire carrier for 69 bucks????

Quadratec.com.

SPARE TIRE ADAPTER FOR 2 INCH RECEIVER 5441
Product # 92011 10
Price: $ 56.95

This is the non-swing out kind. Not a bad price for temporary storage. The swing out ones are a couple hundred bucks or more.

I used to carry my 32 on the roof... How often do you have flats and need to pull it down? Once in a great while, so it's really not a big deal. Not any tougher than unbolting a spare that goes under the bed on a truck, etc. Anyhow, I took mine off the roof for gas mileage because I was commuting. Guess what.. didn't even change it! Probably will put mine back on the roof and free up cargo space again.
JP

I have been wodering the same things too. I just upgraded to 33's. I had been running my 31" spare laying down in the back, this is also where my 33 is sitting right now. I ruled out the roof mount due to the fact I don't want to lift the tire that high. I am still debating about a bumper/tire carrier combo, but I can't afford it right now. One option I was thinking of was a Fabtech spare tire mount for the bed of a pick-up and adapting it to my cargo area. Not sure if it would work or even look ok, but it was a thought.

http://www.4wheelparts.com/product2.asp?imseqn=1831

Seems kinda pricey now that I look at it, but I was thinking about the angled black mount.


Bryan

A big tire in the back of an XJ kills cargo space, trust me. A big tire on a bumper mount tire carrier kills the unibody. Roof rack is a decent option IMHO. I am going back to that I think and then will toss the tire inside if I am doing some crazy off camber trail. Chances are I will not have all of my camp gear with me as well on a crazy trail, so this should work fine. XJ's are tough for spare tires, everything is a compromise of sorts.
JP