A little background, my wife purchased the rear bumper and tire carrier for me from Ace engineering for my bday. Now please keep in mind, that for an item that big it requires 6-8 weeks for it to be built, powder coated, and delivered.

Packaging:
the packaging was solid for the tire carrier, but because of the weight of the bumper, you can tell UPS enjoyed carrying it and destroying the box all at the same time. the bumper arrived with a few scratches, which i really don't care about. Flat black touch-up paint will take care of it.

Before you start i suggest you get a 27mm socket for the tire carrier and some primer and paint for the frame and some touch-up paint for the rear bumper and tire carrier.

Now on the installation tips
First of all after removing the stock bumper, tape off anything you don't want to get paint on, lightly sand areas of ruse buildup, clean it with brake cleaner and spray it with a light coat of primer and then flat black spray paint.
the rear bumper can be installed by one person if they are mechanically smart and strong, otherwise 2 people makes it a ton easier. the rear bumper is an easy straight forward install. The rear carrier on the other hand is a huge huge HUGE pain in the ass and i strongly suggest grabbing another person. I am a 192 lb guy and i had to stand on the carrier and jump up and down, while the other person wiggled the tire carrier for it to slide in. once it begins to slide in you are done.

Final review
the bumper and tire carrier are solid. Very well built with very nice welds. I love the ace design on the tire carrier and i which they would have incorporated it into the bumper.
the rear tire carrier and tailgate are super heavy which is both nice and a pain. Nice in that it holds the tailgate open, pain that you have to really pull it. (Ace Eng states that after a while that would go away and it will be as normal as it was before)

Cons
it is a solid heavy bumper and you should either have a lift with heavy duty springs (OME style) or a large lift; because the rear bumper, tire carrier, large tire, and hardtop dropped my jeep a good 3/4". For me i didn't care because it leveled out my jeep. But for a stock jeep i can only imagine what would happen.

if anyone has any question drop a line.

 

Update:
after using the tailgate a few times, today i noticed that the heim joint was rubbing on the tire carrier and has ground off a portion of the bracket. So i stopped by the hardware store and purchased nylon washers and installed them between the heim joint and the bracket and it fixed the problem.

I am going to email ace engineering and notify them of that so that they could upgrade the design and maintain the high quality of work they have lived up to

 

Ok guys newest update, 600 miles marker
I tightened all the screws just to make sure if they came a little loose from vibration; after tightening the screw for the tire carrier i proceeded to open it to put some stuff in the jeep and a loud POP and the nut, and washer fell out. The screw has popped right out.....SO NOT COOL

Also i noticed that the rear tire carrier develops a swamp area and was planning on drilling out some drainage holes. but since the bolt broke...there is a change of plans

I am contacting ace and took some pics for them. I am also going to suggest for them to install drainage holes in the tire carrier to prevent swamp development. I have had great success with this company in regards to customer service and will keep everyone posted on the outcome

 

New Update
I contacted Ace Engineering last night, and as predicted I received a call as soon as they opened. Amazing and timely service. The listened carefully and treated me with respect....not like other companies that place you on hold and let you rot on the phone. I spoke to Adam and AJ and both were very polite and respectful. After speaking to Adam, he assured me that the new tire carriers will have the drainage problem fixed and even strengthened further; and he told me he would ship a replacement soon. By the time I got home, i had already received an email that they have shipped the new carrier out!

Ace engineering has increased my confidence in customer service and that it is not dead

KEEP UP THE GREAT WORK GUYS!

 

I called today with a million questions about some of their products and Adam took the time to answer everything. Even talked about some general JK build ideas. They offer a level of customer service unheard of with most companies. Great people to do business with!

 

I agree, I am definitely very impressed by their service, and they don't joke around when they say they are shipping it right now. After speaking to them yesterday, and receiving the email. I didn't pay attention to the info thinking it will be at least a week before I get the replacement, but no, i am taking delivery of it tomorrow.

The only other company that i have noticed has almost as good customer service is Vortex Optics (for all you hunters out there, as well as bird watchers)


Pharm... what did you end up getting from them??

 

OK, received the new tire carrier from ACE and they had changed a few things.....well the most noticeable is the new laser cut logo looks awesome. but they also filled in the bottom of the carrier part with weld to prevent water from gathering in that area. The major major difference between the first carrier and this one is the fact that it slipped into the rear bumper perfectly without any difficulty.

Overall thumbs up to the ACE ENGINEERING GUYS!

if anyone wants pics i can post some pics.

 

Please post pics!!

I'm ordering 35s tomorrow and already plan on ACE rails, and stubby stinger.

I might do the rear bumper/carriers also. Can't beat the price

 

it was too late for me to do it but they have a sponsorship program you might want to consider, you get 10% off. I suggest you call up and speak to Adam about it. I will take some pics today and post them up for ya

 

I would like to see a photo of what you are talking about