I have hit the limit of my spare tire holder

[rang-a-stang]

When I bought my rims (16x7) and tires (285/75-16) I got 5 rims and 4 tires. I just threw an extra rim/tire I had in my spare holder but it's a 31x10.50-15 and close to 20 years old. I have been storing the 5th matching rim in my garage for close to 3 years. In my quest to clear out my garage I went out and bought another 285/75-16 tire and had it mounted and balanced today so I could stick it in my holder.

I went out to hang it under my Jeep and it doesn't fit. BARELY. I am going to make it fit but if anyone ever wonders what the biggest tire you can fit in the stock holder without modifying it.... mine is a 31x10.50-15.

To get the 285/75-16 in there I am going to slightly bend the arm and get a bolt that is about 2" longer than the stock one. This also means my tire hangs about 1.5" below the bottom of my tow hitch and it will bottom out when offroading. Good thing I rarely offroad...

[fsj454]

modify

Up forward on tire rack there are 2 bolts with extensions just put longer extensions . Very easy

[ZackN920]

Aww man, I sure you don't want to scratch up the new rim if ya do ever take it offroad. If it was an old beat up junky rim, then-who cares? But a new one? You can fab something a bit down there but if it sits lower than your liking (because of the wider tire) ther are a few other routes you can take.

One is that you can move it to the interior.
The guy I bought my used front springs from (I believe it's the same guy) makes pretty good looking "interior tire mount's" if you'd like to go that way. Mount's the tire on either side (you choose) between the wheel well and the tailgate. Think they can fit up to a 35" tire.

I believe his name on here and on the other FSJ forum is Rstep.


Could also go with roof mount or even tailgate mount but I don't have much to offer for idea's on them way's.

[asphaltrockdweller]

Yes!
RSTEP / Bob makes great stuff.
His interior tire mount is really really nice. He also makes alot of other really cool things for our FSJ's.

http://www.fsjnetwork.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=34&t=5620

[rang-a-stang]

Up forward on tire rack there are 2 bolts with extensions just put longer extensions . Very easy

Copy that. My tire sits in there flat like it should, and the arm wraps around like it should, it's just the tread width is about an inch wider so the bolt thing that should hold the arm in place on the bumper side is now about an inch short. My thought is to put a slight bend in the arm so it cradles the tire a little better and get a belt that is 1" longer and I should be good.

Aww man, I sure you don't want to scratch up the new rim if ya do ever take it offroad. If it was an old beat up junky rim, then-who cares? But a new one? You can fab something a bit down there but if it sits lower than your liking (because of the wider tire) ther are a few other routes you can take.
...
Could also go with roof mount or even tailgate mount but I don't have much to offer for idea's on them way's.

Meh, got these rims on Craigslist for $125 total. If I do go offroading anytime soon, i'll move it up inside. For now it'll work down there once I get a longer bolt. Heavey_Metal_Thunder_81 also recommended one time a while ago, there is a spare tire cable winch from (I think) like a late 90's early 2000s Expidition that can be bolted down there that works really well. Maybe I'll look for that next time I go to the wrecking yard.

...
One is that you can move it to the interior.
The guy I bought my used front springs from (I believe it's the same guy) makes pretty good looking "interior tire mount's" if you'd like to go that way. Mount's the tire on either side (you choose) between the wheel well and the tailgate. Think they can fit up to a 35" tire.

I believe his name on here and on the other FSJ forum is Rstep....

Yes!
RSTEP / Bob makes great stuff.
His interior tire mount is really really nice. He also makes alot of other really cool things for our FSJ's.


http://www.fsjnetwork.com/forum/view...hp?f=34&t=5620

Ah yes! I have seen that mount and do like it. I also really like the one bkilby and iapexl8r both have. I like having my spare down in the stock spot for now though. Right now I have bigger fish to fry and the cheaper/easier way to get this tire mounted is underneath so I will figure that out and go from there. Eventually I want to build a rack to put in on the back, but that is quite a ways down the road.

[levelhead]

Hey Rang...I got an original inside tire mount in a 79 Wag if your interested..

[rang-a-stang]

OK, it's mounted. It's perfect for me since I use my truck 99.5% street. When I go offroad, I'll just pull the tire out of the rack and stick it in the trunk.

Here is what I am talking about. Here is my 31x10.50R15 mounted in the rack.

and here is my 285/75R16 mounted in the same rack. You can see it hangs about 2 inches lower, which makes 100 percent sense since it's 2" wider than the 31x10.50. I THINK I could fit a 33x12.50 down there but honestly, I don't expect to go bigger on my tires.


Here's what I ended up buying. the bolt is a 1/2"x7.5", 2 fender washers, and the wing nut. It fit perfect.

[threepiece]

You might consider replacing the wing nut with something more secure. There should be enough friction in the thread interface to prevent loosening. I used a Crown Lock Nut on mine and never had an issue.

[rang-a-stang]

Hm. I used that wingnut because it was wide enough that I didn't need a wrench up there to hold it while I tightened the bolt with my star wrench but you make a great point. I really don't feel like dropping my spare in the middle of the freeway some day....

hmmmm....

[Curly5759]

Something else to think about----When you have a flat, will you have enough clearance to remove the spare? My77 had a 33 inch tire under there, I couldn't get it out with out jacking up the Jeep. That was with no flat. My spare now hangs on a swing away carrier.

[threepiece]

If you are inclined to do so you can make your own nut by welding " ears" on a Crown Lock Nut. Be sure the nut is not higher than a Grade 5. The carbon content of Grade 8 fasteners makes creating a secure weld to them questionable at best.

You can also make a nut by tapping a hole in a piece of steel bar. Be sure the bar is at least as thick as the diameter of the screw that is going through it. The trick here is to not completely thread the hole. The intention is to leave the last thread or two not cut to full depth so as to create an interference fit. This will provide the friction you want.