I am looking for info on this mod, i checked the faq and do not see any pics or details, other than referencing bolts and nuts
any info would be greatly appreciated.
any info would be greatly appreciated.
spare tire mod
- Thread starter sseaman
- Start date
This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, Skimlinks, and others.
Slomo
It's Complicated
The basic idea is to raise the cross bar that houses the spare tire winch and thereby raise the spare tire for better departure angle and clearance. It has been done many different ways. I used longer bolts for the 6 that hold this crossmember to the frame and stacked nuts over it between the crossmember and the frame. IIRC you can get an additional 1 1/2" or so more clearance. Cheap and easy. Sorry don't have any pics to offer. If you remove the spare tire and look around up there it will immediately become clear. Good luck.
Will the rod to crank the tire down still line up to drop the tire?
Seems like it would not.
I like the idea I'll go check mine in the morning and try it
Thanks
Raise the cross member, drop the winch, just use longer bolts and some washers or nuts as spacers.
NaterGator
On Gilligan's Island
Just did it today, easy as it seems and the departure angle looks at least better, and even if it is not you are still less likely to damage your spare...
The spare carrier mod is not great.
I worked for AAA for several years. I did it as a semi-retirement to escape real employment. Most spares under the back of the truck were worthless to us. I see it as a temp help. It moves the spare up at the front near the rear axle, but not much at the rear where it matters most. The sidewall of a tire is the weakest part, and having the tire hanging under the bottom is the best way to hole the sidewall of your spare on a rock. Having the spare under the truck makes maintenance of tire pressure most difficult. You need to lower the tire to check pressure. Having the spare under the truck subjects the rim to sandblasting from road grit and destroys the rim. Your expensive rim can be ruined. If it is still in usable condition when you need it, you are lucky, but it will be cosmetically destroyed.
A flat spare is worse than useless. Removing the spare from under the truck on uneven ground may be impossible, and using the jack with the spare in the way is difficult at best. On less than flat ground the spare may not be accessable.
I found that most spare tires mounted under the back of the truck were useless when needed. They were usually not maintained. Mostly they were either flat from low maintenance or were sidewall damaged from off-road use.
My spare is still under my truck. This has to change. It is not acceptable in the long term. The spare belongs on the tailgate on a carrier.
I worked for AAA for several years. I did it as a semi-retirement to escape real employment. Most spares under the back of the truck were worthless to us. I see it as a temp help. It moves the spare up at the front near the rear axle, but not much at the rear where it matters most. The sidewall of a tire is the weakest part, and having the tire hanging under the bottom is the best way to hole the sidewall of your spare on a rock. Having the spare under the truck makes maintenance of tire pressure most difficult. You need to lower the tire to check pressure. Having the spare under the truck subjects the rim to sandblasting from road grit and destroys the rim. Your expensive rim can be ruined. If it is still in usable condition when you need it, you are lucky, but it will be cosmetically destroyed.
A flat spare is worse than useless. Removing the spare from under the truck on uneven ground may be impossible, and using the jack with the spare in the way is difficult at best. On less than flat ground the spare may not be accessable.
I found that most spare tires mounted under the back of the truck were useless when needed. They were usually not maintained. Mostly they were either flat from low maintenance or were sidewall damaged from off-road use.
My spare is still under my truck. This has to change. It is not acceptable in the long term. The spare belongs on the tailgate on a carrier.
I strongly disagree, the spare tire mod is great, even for some of the reasons you say it is bad for. It will keep the tire further out of harms way than stock. From what I remember, it does not just raise the front of the tire up, it actually raises the entire tire up. The mod will not have any effect on how you maintain (or don't maintain, as the case may be) the spare in the stock location. I am trying to figure out what you are talking about using a jack with the spare in the way, as it is not in the way of using the jack. I have not heard of a tire carrier for a 80 series tailgate, only bumper mounted options.
It costs bout $5 in bolts and nuts/washers. Of course a $2k swing out carrier is better
, but a $5 mod is better than the stock set up for us mere mortals that can't curently afford a new bumper combo.
NaterGator
On Gilligan's Island
It does raise the total height significantly.
Before the mod my 33" was definitely the most exposed and hang-up prone part of my undercarriage. It is now well above the lowest point (my rear diff or front control arms) and has moved up at least 1.5" and sits nearly level, almost tucked up under my rear hitch.
Putting a spare there works. It just does. It has worked and continues to work for hundreds of models of SUVs. Maybe it is not the best solution, but then again it certainly isnt the worst.
Before the mod my 33" was definitely the most exposed and hang-up prone part of my undercarriage. It is now well above the lowest point (my rear diff or front control arms) and has moved up at least 1.5" and sits nearly level, almost tucked up under my rear hitch.
Putting a spare there works. It just does. It has worked and continues to work for hundreds of models of SUVs. Maybe it is not the best solution, but then again it certainly isnt the worst.
Slomo
It's Complicated
It isn't the mod that is the problem it is the spares location that is the problem. Sounds like this complaint should be directed to the OEMs as they are the ones who put it there on millions of suv's and pickups as firetruck41 mentioned. The huge majority if not all of us here on this board are very likely to maintain and do their best not to damage their spares. Simply being a member of this board generally means we are into making our vehicles the best they can be and maintaining them better than most.
IMHO it comes down to a cost issue in that the winch and crossmember under the back are much less costly to the OEMs than a proper carrier on the bumper or body. Note the second generation 4Runners, in the first two years Mr T started to put the spares on a rear swingout instead of under like the first generation 4 Runners. Those were gone by 92 and have remained under the back ever since. For the majority of thier buyers the spare is perfectly fine when access is needed to replace it in a mall parking lot.
For those of us that actually use our Cruisers for what they were intended the extra clearance of even an inch is welcomed, especially when it costs so little to get it. That inch is the equivalent of going from 33's to 35's, even if only under the back of the truck. Originally posted by firetruck41
It costs bout $5 in bolts and nuts/washers. Of course a $2k swing out carrier is better
I think this sums it up. We are simply making a less than ideal situation better.
great mod, I will do it very soon..
The mod to raise the spare tyre is an excellent mod. Credit goes to Landpimp for being one of the first to try this and to document it. It is highly recommended to everyone that carries the spare tyre underneath the vehicle.
-B-
-B-
- Thread starter
- #15
thanks guys how long of bolts did you use?
I have yet to see pics on here using nuts instead of washers so here is how mine turned out.
Oh and I ended up going with 3 nuts for the chain mechanism but it made no difference in from the 2 shown.
Oh and I ended up going with 3 nuts for the chain mechanism but it made no difference in from the 2 shown.
I just did this mod over the weekend. First of all, my 35" tire just barely fits up there to begin with. I had to remove my drop hitch for the tire to even fit.
I started by spacing all the bolts evenly as everyone else has done. I wasn't that happy with how far it still hung down at the front. I ended up playing with different amounts of washers until I had it as high in the rear as it would go as this is the limiting factor. The tire hits on the underside of the rear bumper. In the end I think I ended up spacing the rear up 1/2", the center up 7/8" and the front up 1 1/8". Doing this coincidently kept me from having to space the chain winch as well.
One more thing that I did that nobody has mentioned is that I supported the front of the tire as well. If you grab the rear of your tire while it's up there an pull down, it doesn't feel very solid. I had the same problem with my 4Runner. I could actually feel the tire rock when I went through dips fast and thump back there. I bolted a piece of angle iron to the frame just forward of the spare (putting pressure on the top front of the spare). There are actually holes tapped into the frame so bolting it is easy. Now when I crank the spare up tight it is solid as a rock.
This is only a temporary situation for me and I don't even keep my spare under there. I only mount it up there when I go wheeling which is actually the time I would least likely have it there but after wheeling with it inside on one trip, I just don't have the room. I'll find out this weekend how much I'm going to rub it on the trail
I started by spacing all the bolts evenly as everyone else has done. I wasn't that happy with how far it still hung down at the front. I ended up playing with different amounts of washers until I had it as high in the rear as it would go as this is the limiting factor. The tire hits on the underside of the rear bumper. In the end I think I ended up spacing the rear up 1/2", the center up 7/8" and the front up 1 1/8". Doing this coincidently kept me from having to space the chain winch as well.
One more thing that I did that nobody has mentioned is that I supported the front of the tire as well. If you grab the rear of your tire while it's up there an pull down, it doesn't feel very solid. I had the same problem with my 4Runner. I could actually feel the tire rock when I went through dips fast and thump back there. I bolted a piece of angle iron to the frame just forward of the spare (putting pressure on the top front of the spare). There are actually holes tapped into the frame so bolting it is easy. Now when I crank the spare up tight it is solid as a rock.
This is only a temporary situation for me and I don't even keep my spare under there. I only mount it up there when I go wheeling which is actually the time I would least likely have it there but after wheeling with it inside on one trip, I just don't have the room. I'll find out this weekend how much I'm going to rub it on the trail
