Who carry’s a spare tire on the trail? For the last year or so I’ve kept my spare inside the Jeep. I’m getting tired of the space it takes up. I don’t really want to mount it on the bumper or anywhere behind the tail gate since i have been close to ripping it off in the past, not to mention that I don’t really want 120lbs sitting that far behind the rear axle.

So, am I silly for thinking about leaving my spare at home or should it always come with me? In all the years I’ve been wheeling, I’ve never needed a spare. In fact, in the years of driving period, I’ve never needed a spare tire. Another down side of having a spare behind the Jeep is that it’s a huge expensive target for crack beads to take it (locks are almost useless for a thief).

 

Spare or NO Spare .. good POLL Question .. I have read on forums of not carrying when DD but when they go off road they put it back n play. The rental Rubi I got in Moab had the 37 on the back so I conclude that they send them out with the spare and a factory jack. Go Figure. I'll be watching your thread .. will be interesting info.

 

Onl;y time you need 'em is when you get a flat - like insurance is when you either have an accident or a cop stops you. If you are a long ways off the trail then it is good insurance. Or carry tire levers, a patch kit, butane (to set the beads) and a compressor. But usually an offroad flat is where the sidewall got ripped out so patching is no good. Up in northern BC it would cost about a $1000 to get a tow truck out in the far away sticks (it is easy to get over a 100 miles from anywhere here) to come and even bring a tire and set it up in the bush so for us the choice is easy - carry a spare or two. I think it is up to the individual to make the choice and live with it.

 

So I am no spare for any pavement driving at all. I am also no spare for basic wheeling trips within a couple hours of home. My thought here is always worst-case scenario, and although she would not be happy, I know my worst case is calling the spousal unit and pleading for her to bring me my spare. Longer trips 4, 5, or more hours away I'm typically taking my camping trailer that has the spare mounted on it....though once at the location that is where the spare stays. Again, a worst-case scenario thought process here if I had to get to it. I also take into consideration if I'm going to be with buddies or solo. I have done things that were complete days in the middle of nowhere by myself where likely won't see a single soul all day long....and some rugged wheeling. I realize that is a big no-no, but sometimes that is what it is. In those cases I make sure I am completely self-sufficient as far as any possible trail repair. Back in the day my buddies ran the same size tire/wheel combo so there was also some safety in that. Nowadays I have a unique combination so I'm really on my own with my decision. I carry a good plug kit but I've never run into a situation I've had to use it on one of my tires.

My first trip to Moab was pretty much a solo trip after everyone bailed on me and I said F it. Back then I built a mount to stretch my cargo area that allowed me to stand a 37 up at ~45* angle behind the back seat. It also had cubbies for me to carry 2 gallons of water, gear oil, brake fluid, motor oil, gallon of coolant, and tranny fluid as well as tool kits. It made good use of the space behind the seat and in front of the tire. Only downside is it was not hard top compatible. It also obstructed view out of the back but it really allowed me to take everything I needed with easy access to get to things.

I would say if most of your wheeling is with good buddies it's less important than if you are in the middle of nowhere by your lonesome. I would also say that you are fully capable of just bout any trail repair which factors in as well.

 

I rarely go wheeling alone and when I do it’s on easy trails that I’m just exploring. I do feel that I’m capable of taking care of most trail repairs but the only parts I take with me are tie rod ends and caps for the hydro steer lines. My Jeep is built decent and I would like to think it’s over built for how I wheel so I’m not too concerned about trail breaks.

Having the spare tire is an annoyance but also insurance. With that said, I’ve never had to swap a spare (knock on wood). I don’t daily my Jeep these days so it’s pretty much always packed and ready to go so anytime I drive in the city I carry everything just because I don’t wanna unpack it when it just sits in the garage. With how I have it set up I can carry my spare tire, 20lb co2 tank, 3 rigid heavy duty boxes, and a small cooler in the back without having to lay down the back seats. Really the only annoyance is that my rear view is basically gone. I’ve thought about installing a lcd rear view mirror with a rear view camera, the down side is they’re either cheap with bad reviews or extremely expensive with good reviews.

 

Got a picture of your current set up in back?

If I didn't have a "trunk" in my cargo area that I use all the time for trail tools or whatnot, AND I could have left the tire mounted in the cargo area in a manner that was hardtop-compatible and did not obstruct use of the rear seat, I might have been ok with leaving the tire back there. My jeep is not a DD but I do still drive it a lot for errands in the evening or on weekends. It's still on the pavement more than off so the function my non-spare setup just wins out due to practicality. I could have lived with the lack of visibility and weight aspects had it not been for the major inconvenience in general for how I use the jeep.

 

Here’s how it sits as of now. I don’t have my cooler in there but you can see there’s room to the left for a small one.




The larger box has fluids and tie rod ends, one of the smaller boxes is for my tools, and the other small box has air hoses and air chucks. I have a molle panel that I ordered from northridge with my gift certificate. I’ll reduce my air stuff to the molle pouches and get rid of one of the smaller boxes.

 

Seeing it like that, I'd just go without. Free up the space. You obviously know the risk though.

 

Depends on the trail and how far from somewhere to fix it. I rarely carry a spare but do carry a plug kit and OBA. I have had to use the pug kits a couple times. Its always good to wheel with someone with the same tire size and bolt pattern that does carry a spare. Same with the damn high lift jack.

 

I do carry the hilift for two reasons:
1) it stores nicely under the rear seat and is out of the way.



2) I’ve actually needed to use it a few times. A friend got a stick stuck between his wheel and tire so I used it between my slider and his wheel to pop the bead and remove the stick. I’ve also popped my own bead before getting beadlocks and had to lift the wheel off the ground. Granted, I do use a strap between my axle and frame so I’m not flexing the Jeep just to lift a tire.