Hey Guys, I am new to this forum. Just bought a 97 ZJ limited. This is now my second jeep. I had a 94 XJ before this one. I love my new ZJ !

My question is how to mount the spare on the roof. I just put some 245/75/16 on and the spare is taking too much space in the back. So how can I securely mount it on the roof ! any help appreciated

Thanks !

here is a pic
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Without a rack I'd place the tire on the roof centered above the rear seats and move the cross rails snug ap to it, then ratchet strap it all nice and tight.

 

I would not mount it up there without an aftermarket roof rack, the roofs are pretty flimsy and will cave in quite a bit with a 90lbs tire up there.

 

Not to mention it will absolutely kill your gas mileage. I'm not too familiar with where the spare is stored on the ZJ, but I do know that a 245/75/16 will fit in the OE spare area on a WJ.

 

i would really hurt mileage in a noticeable way ?

 

Maybe a mile or two per gallon.

 

I can see how a tire that large could possibly damage the roof, but how would centering it on the roof as opposed to keeping it in the back affect gas mileage?

I could see it affecting MPG's if we were talking tire vs no spare, but location?

 

Aerodynamics, you're already pushing a brick through the air, add more surface area to go through the air and it will hurt the gas mileage.

 

My *****. I had a 32" tire on top of my rack and my mpg's dropped by 6-8 mpg.

 

I stand corrected, but did you compensate for the larger tire size when you calculated your fuel mileage?

 

As long as it looks cool; who cares about gas mileage

 

I added a Yakima LoadWarrior and secured it in that. A 245/75/17 takes up most of the basket though. Works good, I know there are several threads around here that have different basket ideas.

 

I have mine up there and my mpg is no different from before , 33s and stock 3.55 gears lifted 4.5 getting about 16.5 mpg I found a custom bar on craigslist for 25$

Only pics I have close to it. I'll get more in the morning

Bar mounts to gutters and has a huge bolt type thing that goes through one lug to secure it and keep it in place but I added the ratchet straps too