I bought a Rugged Ridge relocation bracket and had a BFG 315/70/17 (roughly 35" tire) mounted on the stock wheel as my spare. No problems. Then I had it mounted on a M/T Classic II wheel. Again, no problem.

 

the mount is not plasic, it is metal, on my 07 it is. You can see the tailgate buckle when you close it holding on to the handle with a 35. Although the mount is weak aswell.

 

I have the 305/70/17 G.Y. MTR on mine and its just started to rattle. albeit ever so slightly, but none the less it rattles. JimmyJoe+ just put a 35" TOYO MT on his. he's yet to tell me his is rattling, but it may just be a matter of time. Obviously a new tire mount is the right/safe thing to do, but as many have stated above, stock will do for now, until funds are raised.

 

i have a 35" on my rear for 2 years with no problems. And its a Dick Cepek MC which are 80+ pounds just for the tire.

 

it seems like people seem to be split but most say a tire carrier? how long do you think a 34 would last before you started to encounter problems with the tailgate?

 

DISCOVERY !-I discovered that on the inside edge of the tailgate-you have the latch mechanism, and a black alignment bracket just below it. remove this. 2 little screws and disposal of this bracket and the clunk sound is gone.

 

i have toyo 295/70r17 put on friday and my tailgate feels like its struggling with it, enought that it worries me some, so i guess that means ill have to buy a bumper tire carrier next time i come into some dough

 

i have 35" Procomp Xterrain ATs on 17" aluminum wheels (when inflated to 28psi, these tires are 34.25 inches). i've had the spare on the stock tire holder for 2 weeks now. My 09 XS had a steel extension plate bolted to the tire carrier to fit the original spare. once i removed this extension, it seemed more capable of carrying a larger tire. So far I have had no problems.

 

So this bracket isn't needed?? I just stuck a piece of felt on the piece that was rubbing. Now it is is as quiet as a mouse.