Hi there,

I am considering buying the Thule 963/Spare Me rack for my 08 Rubicon. I have searched the forums here and found some posts that say this rack works for them, others who say that it does not work, you can't raise the arms that hold the bike all the way because the Rubicon tire is too big. The posts I have seen from folks who say it does work have an 07, the one or two I have seen that say it does not work have an 08. I'm having a hard time believing there is any difference in the spare mount between the model years. Can anyone please confirm or deny this rack works on an 08 Rubicon?

 

I have an 08 X and it works fine for me. I have the optional 17" wheels and the tires are the same size as the Rubicon's. They are correct that the arms don't go all the way up but they could only go up about another couple of millimeters so nothing to worry about. If you plan on getting bigger tires thats where you will have some problems. I think I want to get 33" tires later down the road and I'll probably try and modify my rack or sell it and get a hitch receiver rack. Sorry I don't have time to get pictures up right now but if you would like I'd be happy to take some later.

 

FWIW, I have an '07 Sahara with 18" wheels and stock tires. The spare me would not fold out because the tire's diameter was a bit too large. I reamed out one hole on the mounting plateto change the mounting position of the tube that sticks into the center of the spare, raising the rack by 3/4 or 1 inch. works great now.

 

If you get a chance I'd love to see a picture of that. I'm just looking for ideas once I get bigger tires.

 

Thanks for the help on this.

 

I have one on my '07 Rubi. I don't like the way that it fits, for me the tire is just a little bit too big for it to work properly. If I were getting a new rack I would defiantly go with one that mounts in the hitch.

 

there is a small bracket that mounts on the back, originally where the three green circles are. bolts through top and bottom holes; locking knob through center. I reamed the bottom green hole to allow passage of the locking knob, and now remember that I drilled the two outboard red circles for the bolts. I rotated the bracket 90° to get it lower.



rack now sits higher by about an inch, so the rack clears the top of the spare.

Joel

 

I have the Sahara with the same rims and I had no problem fitting this rack. Yes when open the rack comes close to the tire, but it in no way is unable to open up. I'm not sure why you had this problem.

 

Great thanks. That gives me ideas on how I'll modify it in the future. I use the ski rack as well so I need the holes on the bottom but I think I can make a modifyed plate and set it up a little differently.

 

dth, I was in the same predicament a few months ago looking for a bike rack for my 08 Rubicon. I can assure you that the Thule 963 spare me rack will fit on the 08 Rubi with stock tires. The bar that folds out to hold the bikes does make contact with the top of the spare and it isn't a perfect fit but the retainers you screw in to lock it in place just need to be tightened up and the bar slides into place just fine. The bar fits into a half circle depression in the frame that serves to "lock" it in place. Tighten it up and it fits fine. I found this rack to be the best option for the Rubi. I don't require the rack to be on all the time and in fact I don't quite like the look of having it on all the time either. There is a retainer you put on after you take the spare tire off that pops through the center of the rim where the jeep logo is and that is the only thing on mine permanently. I just screw the rack into place when I need it. Hope this helps.