What did you do to your TJ today?

[bmcgc]

While I have 33s on the Jeep, the spare tire is still stock size. I know it is worthless essentially. I am going to get new tires this year and I will put on a full size spare. In order to get ready for the full size spare, what should I do? I've heard good things about MORryde tailgate reinforcement kit JP54-022. Is there anything else I should know about for reinforcing the tailgate and getting everything set up for a full size 33" spare tire?

5-6 Benjamins for a bumper + tire mount.

If it were me, I would look at a hitch mount carrier and only mount the 33 when I was going offroad. If 99% of your driving is in town, not much need to haul that big heavy tire around.

 

[97JadeTJ]

While I have 33s on the Jeep, the spare tire is still stock size. I know it is worthless essentially. I am going to get new tires this year and I will put on a full size spare. In order to get ready for the full size spare, what should I do? I've heard good things about MORryde tailgate reinforcement kit JP54-022. Is there anything else I should know about for reinforcing the tailgate and getting everything set up for a full size 33" spare tire?

Nothing… Stock spare tire mount will hold a 33x12.50 tire no problem… Some even put their 35s on it… my 33x12.50x15 is on the stock carrier…. You can put heavy duty hinges or a bumper mounted tire rack on there if you want to, but you don’t have to…

 

[mjonesjr84]

I’m sure others will chime in on do you need to with 33s @TheBoogieman will post his weld on bumper bracket. But if you do….

1) if you go MorRyde route, start soaking the hinge bolts now. Even with my rust free jeep, I needed a chisel to get two of them out
2) do one hinge at a time, otherwise realignment is a major PITA
3) rear brake contact sensor will get out of alignment since the new hinges change the angle. My stupid simple solution after way too much time wasted was to do a wrap of wire around the tub side pins to pop them out more.
4) extend the snubbers (lots of threads)
5) raise the 3rd brake light, lots of DIY options but I was lazy and got this for $25

100,000,000x you need to do something with a tire larger than a 31x10.50. My 33" spare vibrated like mad on the stock carrier/tailgate. Since swapping to the MorRyde kit, even with my snubbers not fully extended yet, doesn't move at all. I move the Jeep now when shaking the tire.

#2 is not possible with the MorRyde kit since both new hinges sit on top of the plate that goes around the taillight. IF you leave the tailgate closed while doing the MorRyde install, then realignment isn't an issue. I just did this install on my TJ and it took me longer to modify the heavy duty spare tire carrier to fit under the tailgate plates lip than it did to install the whole MorRyde kit.

IF you heat the bolts up on the tailgate side of the OEM hinges to the point the head is hot, they will break free fairly easy. Plan to drill out the lower hinges body side bolts though. No matter how clean or low mileage your TJ is, the bolts are constantly getting hit with road grime; even with the inner fender liners installed.

 

[NashvilleTJ]

Nothing… Stock spare tire mount will hold a 33x12.50 tire no problem… Some even put their 35s on it… my 33x12.50x15 is on the stock carrier…. You can put heavy duty hinges or a bumper mounted tire rack on there if you want to, but you don’t have to…

View attachment 500363

It will work - right up until the moment is doesn’t. How long have you been running it like this, and how hard do you wheel?

 

[97JadeTJ]

It will work - right up until the moment is doesn’t. How long have you been running it like this, and how hard do you wheel?

Everything will work until it doesn’t… … I’ve ran 33’s on stock carriers on three different T.J.‘s and never had a problem. My previous wrecked T.J. had one on there for two years before it was wrecked and my current T.J. had a 33 on it when I bought it and there’s no telling how long it was on there… I don’t hard-core wheel, Forest Service roads and the like…

 

[NashvilleTJ]

Everything will work until it doesn’t… … I’ve ran 33’s on stock carriers on three different T.J.‘s and never had a problem. My previous wrecked T.J. had one on there for two years before it was wrecked and my current T.J. had a 33 on it when I bought it and there’s no telling how long it was on there… I don’t hard-core wheel, Forest Service roads and the like…

That's exactly the point. Your advice was that anyone can run a 33 or a 35 on a stock carrier with no problem. That's absolutely bad advice. The stock carrier is not designed to carry that much weight, or to deal with the additional leverage. Many folks here wheel much harder than forest roads, and a stock tire carrier will very likely fail over time, or damage the tailgate, if you are wheelin' the rig with any intensity. It is important to understand context.

 

[Apparition]

Many folks here wheel much harder than forest roads

 

[NashvilleTJ]

View attachment 500419

Well, everybody but JJ...

 

[97JadeTJ]

That's exactly the point. Your advice was that anyone can run a 33 or a 35 on a stock carrier with no problem. That's absolutely bad advice. The stock carrier is not designed to carry that much weight, or to deal with the additional leverage. Many folks here wheel much harder than forest roads, and a stock tire carrier will very likely fail over time, or damage the tailgate, if you are wheelin' the rig with any intensity. It is important to understand context.

I still stand by what I said, The stock carrier will handle the weight of a 33 with no problems, but you can add heavy duty hinges or a bumper mounted carrier if you want to… I haven’t had any problems for the type of driving I do… YMMV

Weight has little to no bearing on the durability of the stock tire carrier and tail gate. A stock size tire will destroy both of them in short order if you remove the rubber bumpers and allow the tire to bounce around. I put a 35" tire on Kat's 01 in 01 and the carrier and tailgate worked exactly as new when I removed the carrier and replaced it with the Exogate a couple of years ago. I replaced it because I could, not because I had to.

The key is two fold. First as Jerry showed, the edge of the tire should just slightly jump up on the top of the bumper when you slam the gate and the rubber bumpers need to be slightly compressed into the sidewall when you tighten down the lug nuts when you bolt the tire to the carrier.

To further that, a friend brought me his Exogate to repair because he failed to space the bumpers out correctly and the mount flanges were broken and about to fail and it only took a few hundred miles of driving to do it. The tire simply can NOT bounce around back there so one must do whatever it takes to prevent that.

 

[Nopp]

I have a 35 on the stock spare tire carrier that needs to get reinforced - does anyone have some budget recommendations for such a kit?

Morryde hinge reinforcement seems decent?

On my other vehicle the spare tire was on an aftermarket swing carrier that failed... it wasnt a fun moment hearing a loud clack then seeing my tire + swingarm cartwheeling behind me... lucky it was on a backroad. The hinge was a trailer axle that snapped clean in half

 

[TheBoogieman]

 

[BelligerentFetus]

Installed the V8 XJ steering linkage and did my first alignment only to nail a Deer at 60mph, 5 mins after install

 

[JasterMereel42]

Installed the V8 XJ steering linkage and did my first alignment only to nail a Deer at 60mph, 5 mins after install

View attachment 500564

How's the Jeep?

 

[BelligerentFetus]

How's the Jeep?

Steering is much tighter, just have to fix the Toe again.

 

[TheBoogieman]

Installed the V8 ZJ steering linkage

 

[TheBoogieman]

Steering is much tighter, just have to fix the Toe again.

I think he was asking if the Jeep took any damage from hitting the deer.

 

[JasterMereel42]

I think he was asking if the Jeep took any damage from hitting the deer.

exactly this

 

[AndyA]

Installed a Pelican 1535 MOLLE panel. Andy

 

[RINC]

Installed the V8 XJ steering linkage and did my first alignment only to nail a Deer at 60mph, 5 mins after install

View attachment 500564

 

[BelligerentFetus]

exactly this

Doesn't look like it, just some hair on the tire