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Roof mouting the spare

98XJSport said:
I would, but the goal is to free up space. That would give me a double floor, but leave me with more to take out if I need to sleep in there, for example.
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That is why they make these things called tents and why XJ's are called 2 door or 4 doors and not sleeper cabs. You can't turn it into something it just is not.
 
I've had a spare for quite some time on my roof rack. I don't prefer it to be there, but sometimes you don't have much choice.

With my recent problem (tire carrier coming off.......) right now I have a 31" spare on the roof, and a 33" spare inside. I am giving the 31" spare to my brother, but I think I will leave the 33" inside, I think it's just too much weight to put on the top for my comfort level.
 
why not look into getting a rear bumper w/ a tire carrier. there are some decent priced ones out there.
Its a lot easier to get it off the back than the roof if you got to change it.
 
Getting the tire up and off isn't bad at all. I would rather do that instead of having to unpack the back to get at it.

If I had $300+ lying around I would look into getting a bumper, but thats not happening anytime soon. Maybe Ill get lucky and find one at the JY one day, but roof mounting will suffice until then.
 
Maybe another idea. My plan is to build a low (10") drawer system in the back for storage, then mount the spare (33") on top of that. That way, it won't become a projectile in the event of a roll-over, and is out of the way when I need to get at tools, etc.

I know it won't allow the XJ to become a rolling hotel...but, then, it isn't large enough for that (and I'm only 5'6").

Nuff Said
 
I had my tire on the roof for a while with the straps and then a mopar tire carrier. Out of the way but a pain in the rump when I had to move it. Best advice I can offer is if you have it up there, make or invest in a deflector. My buddy gave me a Yakima bike deflector after I got the mopar rack (which uses more gas than the strap method) and I notice a huge (2mpg difference) with the deflector installed and angled properly. It was a big deal for me at the time as I was driving 1k+ miles a week. I can dig up a pic of the deflector tomorrow if you want one.
 
Flyfisher said:
Maybe another idea. My plan is to build a low (10") drawer system in the back for storage, then mount the spare (33") on top of that. That way, it won't become a projectile in the event of a roll-over, and is out of the way when I need to get at tools, etc.

I know it won't allow the XJ to become a rolling hotel...but, then, it isn't large enough for that (and I'm only 5'6").

Nuff Said
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I just want to emphasize that a projectile is a projectile whether it's outside or inside the vehicle. The most important factor is properly securing the spare tire. While outside, the tire can become a projectile and cause collateral damage; on the inside, it can cause friendly fire. If you know what I mean.

E
 
Yeah,my son hit a stump(couldnt see it),and the entire roof rack tore off.It was quite a sight(I think we have it on video)!Just to much weight(inertia)!
 
If you're worried about the sun, get on ebay and buy a tire cover. You can get them in 31,32,35 whatever you want. There's some nice ones and some low dollar stretch vinyl ones. Either would be a LOT better than nothing.
 
RCP Phx said:
Yeah,my son hit a stump(couldnt see it),and the entire roof rack tore off.It was quite a sight(I think we have it on video)!Just to much weight(inertia)!
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If you have the video & it's decent YOU-TUBE it, then we could all enjoy it.:cheers:
 
Just one more heads up about yur tire on your stock roof rack. All I had on mine was a Yakima Load Warrior and a shovel when i was broadsided at about 35 mph. This was still hard enough to rip the crossmembers off the roof and put the basket just about through the other guys windshield (not that he didn't deserve it). Now just imagine it at any speed with 40 to 60 pounds of wheel and tire, weight of the basket and any other gear you will have up there like a nice heavy hi'lift. Think of just a hi'lift or tire alone at 50 mph.

If you are going to put anything on your roof don't use the factory crossmembers. They don't take much weight too well and you could very well cause somone else some pretty severe injury......and it sucks when your stuff breaks.
 
CJ's98XJ said:
Just one more heads up about yur tire on your stock roof rack. All I had on mine was a Yakima Load Warrior and a shovel when i was broadsided at about 35 mph. This was still hard enough to rip the crossmembers off the roof and put the basket just about through the other guys windshield (not that he didn't deserve it). Now just imagine it at any speed with 40 to 60 pounds of wheel and tire, weight of the basket and any other gear you will have up there like a nice heavy hi'lift. Think of just a hi'lift or tire alone at 50 mph.

If you are going to put anything on your roof don't use the factory crossmembers. They don't take much weight too well and you could very well cause somone else some pretty severe injury......and it sucks when your stuff breaks.
Click to expand...

listen to the man!
 
What I ended up doing, in case anyone is wondering. If I was to take it on the highway, I would throw it back in the back. But this works for now. :cheers:

P1020294.jpg

P1020296.jpg

P1020301.jpg
 
Having the tire on the top is far from ideal!! I've seen the stock roof racks rip right outa the roof from not being happy about holding the tire up there!! Then there is the mileage deal.

If you have to keep it up there, leave it at a trail head...definitley don't keep it up there for any nasty obstacles since a) it may rip the roof racks off and b) for nasty obstacles you want the highest center of gravity possible!!


You can find a way to setup a rack in the back cargo area and strap the 33" tire down on top of it. 32" tires can fit in the stock location with a little creativity. Anything bigger, fold down seats...or you can put them on top of a rear cargo rack (the type that goes inside so that the rear cargo area is open with a rack on top...strap the tire onto that, bigger than a 33 will inhibit rear passengers a bit. Or, get a rear tire carrier.
 
mjma said:
Having the tire on the top is far from ideal!! I've seen the stock roof racks rip right outa the roof from not being happy about holding the tire up there!! Then there is the mileage deal.

If you have to keep it up there, leave it at a trail head...definitley don't keep it up there for any nasty obstacles since a) it may rip the roof racks off and b) for nasty obstacles you want the highest center of gravity possible!!


You can find a way to setup a rack in the back cargo area and strap the 33" tire down on top of it. 32" tires can fit in the stock location with a little creativity. Anything bigger, fold down seats...or you can put them on top of a rear cargo rack (the type that goes inside so that the rear cargo area is open with a rack on top...strap the tire onto that, bigger than a 33 will inhibit rear passengers a bit. Or, get a rear tire carrier.
Click to expand...

Read the thread ;) It's been beaten to death. You can't carry anything on an XJ roof rack, it will tip, the gas mileage will go to hell, etc. etc. etc
 
98XJSport said:
Read the thread ;) It's been beaten to death. You can't carry anything on an XJ roof rack, it will tip, the gas mileage will go to hell, etc. etc. etc
Click to expand...


!!!1 I like beating!! I didn't read the whole thing...just the last page. Thought I'd let you know. If you wanna get away with it on the roof for around town, great....just take it off for anything fun!!
 
Would that make you a master beater? :D

That ain't right...

Anything fun for me is unmaintained roads and old logging trails for the most part. Nothing having the tire up there will affect. It's all about freeing up interior space for fishing/camping stuff. The tire will go back in there for when I have the boat up top (want to talkb about gas mileage going to hell).
 
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