Wearing a spare as a tophat?

[Speed-J]

I figured this was more a matter of opinion, so it didnt seem like I should post it in the tech forum.

My question is: how many of you guys run trails with your spare on your roof, and how do you feel about it?

Ive heard plenty of debating on this within my local club, and wanted to get some other opinions.

there have never really been any pro arguments that ive heard for carrying a spare, minus the obvious necessity of having one for if you get a flat (hell of a pro. beats all the cons hands down) but there are a number of cons ive noticed.

some say that having it mounted on your roof causes your rig to be more top heavy, and have more drag on the highway. other guys hate the idea of a rear mounted tire carrier, as they cant see around it, and worry about backing into things.

I have a TJ on 38s and dont like the idea (or look for that matter) of having a swingout tire carrier. I like having the visibility behind me when i wheel. The other option is that i could mount my spare under my cargo rack over the back deck above the duster top. but once again, visibility becomes an issue when the rack is loaded with coolers and whatnot. It cant go in the bed because all my tools and camping gear lives there.

Only other option i can see that i like is to mount it above the driver and passanger seats. If I do this it would not only stay out of the way, but if i make a wind shield to wrap the front of it, it shouldnt add too much drag on the highway, and the mount would give me a place to mount my new foglights.

The only concern with this other than parking garage clearance is making the vehicle more top heavy, something i wish very much to avoid. Granted, even with roughly 200 pounds of tire and rim up top, I should still have a pretty low COG.

When she's back on the road she'll be on 38"s on one-tons with 3.5 inches of lift, 1 inch body lift, and 200 pounds of tire and rim on each corner with a 97" wheelbase and great shocks.

I cant forsee this rig feeling anything but stable even with the added weight of the tire up top.

does anyone have some wise words to share on this matter?

thanks. and sorry for the long post.

 

[Johnny4X4]

just 1 thought, if you roll it over, you may break the bead on the spare if it is up there.

 

[Spork]

just 1 thought, if you roll it over, you may break the bead on the spare if it is up there.

If that's all you break in a rollover I think I would be alright with that. :greg:


You ought to do like the old land rover guys and mount it to your hood.

 

[Grim]

i watched a guy on moab rim take his spare off the top of his jeep , then drive the off- camber obstacal ,then strap it back to the top

 

[Bart]

I'd hate to have a top mounted spare doing Rocker Knocker on Pritchet. Would much rather it be lower, even on the rear. Once I started running over a 37" tire I never really carried a spare. Now that I have 35s again, it's on the back.

 

[RockMonkey]

I haven't carried a spare tire on a trail in quite some time. I carry a plug kit and a lot of plugs, and a source of air. There is a spare with my tow rig/trailer at the trail head if I need it. Spare tires are big and heavy, especially when you get above 35". If I were to carry a spare, I would find the narrowest tire of the same (or close) diameter as my normal tires, and mount it on the back.

 

[ID Bronco]

I have went without spares and on top of my roll cage. It is all the things you stated above, but it's nice to have if you need it. I did not notice the extra weight that much. Make a permenant mount to bolt it to if you decide long term. I have had it shift on me when it was strapped.

 

[notajeep]

I also gave up on the spare. But I am also not venturing hundreds of miles away from the trailer and tow rig.

 

[1995zj]

I wouldn't ever run a spare on the roof. Mostly because it adds quite a bit of weight especially a 38" tire, not to mention it's a PITA when you need it.

 

[Johnny4X4]

i carry mine (37 inch) on the back, i carry plugs, patches, on board air and still i would never go out without my spare on my jeep-

 

[Cody]

In Moab I always kept my spare on the trailer and carried a plug kit with me.

On the long distance stuff I do, I always carry a spare in the rear cargo area (35"). I would NEVER put it on the roof for the following reasons (especially for hard trails--I can at least see an argument for an overland type expedition rig)

1: increase in COG
2: looks stupid
3: increase in COG
4: hard to get up/down
5: looks dumb
6: increase in COG
7: mileage (but for a trailer queen it probably doesn't matter)
7: increase in COG
8: in full bodied/cageless rigs it becomes dangerous in a roll over.

and it also looks retarded. I would probably put a chrome stinger on my rig before I would put a tire on the roof.

some rear mounted carriers interfere with departure angle and do restrict visability (although, not quite as bad as being upside down. I always had a hard time seeing what was behind me while hanging from my harnesses). If you're running 38's then I would probaly carry a good plug kit and air for day trips. If you're using your rig to get 100 miles away from civilization, then definately look into a way to carry a spare.

 

[RockMonkey]

Realistically...

I wonder how much a spare tire on the roof would really affect center of gravity? I'd like to see someone do the calculation and tell us what the real world COG change would be.

I'm not advocating a roof-mounted spare tire as a good idea (I'm pretty sure I'd hurt myself trying to get a 38" spare onto my roof by myself), but I think the COG raise is blown out of proportion.

 

[I Lean]

Realistically...

I wonder how much a spare tire on the roof would really affect center of gravity? I'd like to see someone do the calculation and tell us what the real world COG change would be.

I'm not advocating a roof-mounted spare tire as a good idea (I'm pretty sure I'd hurt myself trying to get a 38" spare onto my roof by myself), but I think the COG raise is blown out of proportion.

I'll bet it's noticeable. I can tell a huge difference in my 4runner when it has the top on compared to when it's off. That's heavier than a tire, but it's also lower and more evenly distributed.

Take that for what it's worth.....

 

[Jeremy]

and it also looks retarded. I would probably put a chrome stinger on my rig before I would put a tire on the roof.

then you could mount the spare on the stinger.

i caried one on my roof for a while. only because i had no other place to mount one. i never noticed it up there. it did catch a tree branch or two and dragged across an everhanging ledge one time.

 

[turbohaulic]

IMO on a TJ the only reasonable place for a 38 is on the back. The roof just seems like a pain in the a$$ and its more convinient on the back anyway

 

[Crankylove]

When she's back on the road she'll be on 38"s on one-tons with 3.5 inches of lift, 1 inch body lift, and 200 pounds of tire and rim on each corner with a 97" wheelbase and great shocks.

The biggest drawback for me would be getting the 200 lbs of tire and wheel up to the roof, and back down. I will admit I am a wussy, and its not like you would be needing to get it up/down everyday (I hope), but, personally, I would find a place a little more accessable, or leave off all together.




And, as Cody stated............I don't really care for the looks of the tire up top.

 

[blueovalyj]

I've never carried or even owned a spare. At the present time i run hummer wheels with the run flat still in them, but i'm running 42's so that makes a difference when it comes to airing down.
before the hummer wheels were your standard run of the mill 36 bolt beadlocks. with those i carried plugs, bailing wire, a tube, duct tape, starting fluid and a lighter.
some of that may sound obscure, but a 6 inch gash in the sidewall can be fixed by stitching it up with the bailing wire, taping the inside of the tire at the stitch, put the tube in, air it up and drive home. well, maybe not all the way home...

 

[choptopbII]

I don't carry a spare, as a matter of fact i don't even own a spare...

Although i would probably find somewhere to mount it if my toyota still had all its sheet metal, but i just have no room.

 

[mbryson]

In Moab I always kept my spare on the trailer and carried a plug kit with me.

On the long distance stuff I do, I always carry a spare in the rear cargo area (35"). I would NEVER put it on the roof for the following reasons (especially for hard trails--I can at least see an argument for an overland type expedition rig)

1: increase in COG
2: looks stupid
3: increase in COG
4: hard to get up/down
5: looks dumb
6: increase in COG
7: mileage (but for a trailer queen it probably doesn't matter)
7: increase in COG
8: in full bodied/cageless rigs it becomes dangerous in a roll over.

and it also looks retarded. I would probably put a chrome stinger on my rig before I would put a tire on the roof.

some rear mounted carriers interfere with departure angle and do restrict visability (although, not quite as bad as being upside down. I always had a hard time seeing what was behind me while hanging from my harnesses). If you're running 38's then I would probaly carry a good plug kit and air for day trips. If you're using your rig to get 100 miles away from civilization, then definately look into a way to carry a spare.

Most awesomest post EVAR!!! I'm just short of tears from the chrome stinger

 

[Speed-J]

Thanks for all the replys guys. I like that this thread is actually going somewhere. It may prove useful to me.

Most interesting post to me so far is this:

Realistically...

I wonder how much a spare tire on the roof would really affect center of gravity? I'd like to see someone do the calculation and tell us what the real world COG change would be.

I'm not advocating a roof-mounted spare tire as a good idea (I'm pretty sure I'd hurt myself trying to get a 38" spare onto my roof by myself), but I think the COG raise is blown out of proportion.

This is my big concern.

My rig used to be taller and a lot more tippy till i lowered it a few inches and added a few hundred pounds of drivetrain. So the COG is still going to be much lower than what ive been used to wheeling.

As for all the rest of the points brought up in this thread, let me explain.

Im looking to take my rig across the country on a wheeling trip, and having a spare for that is a very good thing, seeing as i will not be towing it, but driving it. So leaving my spare with my tow rig wouldnt be a very good idea.

I will be doing more on road driving then offroad, so visibility is a plus.

I am a pretty strong guy, and throwing the tire up on the roof at the beginning of the summer with the hope of not needing to take it down till winter rolls in and i have to to put the hard top on is not that big a deal.

The spare will be mounted on an H1 double beadlock. in the event of a roll, even one where i bend the rim, i can always salvage the spare tire and swap it on to one of the other rims on the trail. I also carry plugs, will have OBA and am running run flats. Im pretty sure i can make something work with all that.

If i do mount the tire on the roof, it will be secured to the cage via a solid mount.

And as for what Cody pointed out, as to how roof mounting a tire is ugly as sin... well i disagree.