lucky93

ok so im sure this is the wrong place but bear with me.
i wanna move my spare out of the back but im torn either on a roof rack.
or on the bumper swinging out, which do you guys like more.
or some ideas and pictures as always thanks in advance

Lead Foot

A spare mounted on a roof rack tends to make the rig pretty top heavy. Hanging it off the back can lead to a bad departure angle if not up high enough as well as bad visibility. Choose the lesser evil for your situation.

lucky93

well im not sure really departure angle probably wont be a big deal.
im new to offroading in anything other than atvs so idk much about it yet
thanks though

sneakyjap96

I have my heavy a@# 33 in spare on the roof with a 6 in lift an cant tell its up there as of top heavy i dont tell a difference but it is a pain in the butt to take off and put back up if needed. Wat size tires are you running

lucky93

right now stock in the long run i have no idea it depends on money when i buy a lift and such probably 31s but possiblty 33s

redxj97

Not a swing out but swing down I like it a lot even tho it makes it a pain to get in the back

sneakyjap96

Well build for the bigger tires but as of right now put it on the roof 235s are light

EagleXJ

I like the roof mounted spare tire. When my roof rack and is done, my spare is going up there. One tire isn't going to make much difference at all as far as top heaviness. I don't like the majority of rear tire carriers I've seen on cherokees. It makes you look like a wrangler-wanna-be. Just my .02.

bhennessee1

An xj is one of few small sporty SUVs that didn't come with a hatch mounted spare. That's there it should have been from the factory, but I have mine in a door rack, cause it was cheap.

Lead Foot

I could feel a difference with 75-100 pound tire on the roof. forgot to mention added wind resistance. Guys on here have reported up to 2mpg lost after putting a tire on the roof. Factor that in as well.

bhennessee1

I haven't noticed an mpg change, but I do feel line I'm blown around more in high winds.

EagleXJ

Thats probable because they weren't originaly intended for what we do with them. They didn't recon on the factory 28" tire - which fits nicely in the back - being replaced with 37" boggers

Lowrange2

I had my spare on the roof for one trip. It immediately came down. To me, if made a huge difference in tippyness.

I'm not a fan of a spare on the roof.

Mine rides laying flat in the cargo area or stays on the trailer.

Bluebyu

I just recently took my spare off my roof...and my Yakima roof rack off. I couldn't stand getting blown all over the highway when it was windy and if you have a head wind forget about it.. might as well be driving a suburban pulling a boat. The gas mileage drops like a rock. I took my 31 off and shoved it in the back and took the roof rack off.. I was averaging 13mpgs now I'm averaging 17mpgs and I do a lot of highway. Plus the truck looks cleaner without it.

rzldzl

the bumper tire carrier from detours is the only one ive seen that has the tire on the correct side so you can still see out the back window