Budget spare tire relocation to fit 37s?

[zeebo56]

I currently have the rough country relocation bracket which accomodates my 35s without issues. I am going to be going to 37s however and the rough country doesn't have enough space between the 35 and bumper so I know the 37" wont fit plus it is only made for up to 35s.

What are some budget options to get a 37" to fit. The rough country relocation bracket was great for my 35s and super budget friendly. No issues with the weight of the 35s and the 37s im getting are not much heavier at all. (milestar patagonia 37s)

thanks

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[Trill]

A stock rubicon tire carrier should work in conjunction with your rough country bracket. The rubi carrier sits 1.5" higher and pushes the wheel out 0.5" more than non-rubi. Can find a complete unit on ebay used for $150ish. You need the brake light frame too since it's different so make sure that's included.

 

[Yondu_JLU]

I currently have the rough country relocation bracket which accomodates my 35s without issues. I am going to be going to 37s however and the rough country doesn't have enough space between the 35 and bumper so I know the 37" wont fit plus it is only made for up to 35s.

What are some budget options to get a 37" to fit. The rough country relocation bracket was great for my 35s and super budget friendly. No issues with the weight of the 35s and the 37s im getting are not much heavier at all. (milestar patagonia 37s)

thanks

Teraflex makes a carrier called the Alpha HD....fully adjustable too. Goes for around $300.....not exactly a budget option but I'd imagine it'd hold a 37 more securely and tighter to your tailgate.

 

[Headbarcode]

+1 ^^^

The Teraflex Alpha HD carrier is, in my opinion, the nearest option to being both budget friendly and done properly. All those adapter plates shouldn't even exist. When one has to buy chair parts or plumbing supplies to make a Jeep part work, it's a clear indicator that one should've bought better Jeep parts.

 

[mnjeeper]

A stock rubicon tire carrier should work in conjunction with your rough country bracket. The rubi carrier sits 1.5" higher and pushes the wheel out 0.5" more than non-rubi. Can find a complete unit on ebay used for $150ish. You need the brake light frame too since it's different so make sure that's included.

Didn't know that. Explains why I was coming here say use stock temporarily. I'll give mine away when I get around to getting the evo mounted.

 

[zeebo56]

So I decided to try this one out. It is on sale right now compared to $89.99

https://www.northridge4x4.com/part/tire-carriers/gp-0300-iron-cross-spare-tire-relocation-plate

@JeepyD gave a review of it at the link below

https://www.jlwranglerforums.com/forum/threads/iron-cross-spare-relocation-bracket.66358/

 

[Trill]

Didn't know that. Explains why I was coming here say use stock temporarily. I'll give mine away when I get around to getting the evo mounted.

Yes, nobody has ever measured side by side at least when I was searching for information. But looking at a sport vs rubi in person there is a clear difference.

There is some information here but unfortunately one guy said there is no difference in distance from the bumper (not true), and another guy put a tape measure to his but only measured the distance delta from the tailgate. The distance from the bumper is the more important measurement when trying to fit larger tires.

So to officially put an end to this, here you guys go, these are my personal measurements with pictures:

Sport:
8.25" from tailgate to WMS
36.5" from top center of bumper to bottom stud
34.5" from arbitrary location to top of brake light

Rubicon:
8.75" from tailgate to WMS
38" from top center of bumper to bottom stud
36" from arbitrary location to top of brake light

The 3rd brake light bracket also has a different shape and is taller even when not considering the added height of the carrier itself.

So I decided to try this one out. It is on sale right now compared to $89.99

https://www.northridge4x4.com/part/tire-carriers/gp-0300-iron-cross-spare-tire-relocation-plate

@JeepyD gave a review of it at the link below

https://www.jlwranglerforums.com/forum/threads/iron-cross-spare-relocation-bracket.66358/

Zeebo I wish you would have read my post or PM'd me before buying that. The guy in that thread has a Rubicon. You are going to run into the exact same issue as you have with your current rough country bracket (they honestly look exactly the same) since you have a sport. You need a rubicon carrier.

 

[JeepyD]

I'm happy with it so far and it's very solid. I do recommend ordering a round "behind the tire" LED 3rd brake light ($30 on Amazon) if you have 37's. The stock 3rd brake light wire wouldn't extend far enough to raise it to the top position and even if it could, blocks visibility above the tire.

 

[zeebo56]

Yes, nobody has ever measured side by side at least when I was searching for information. But looking at a sport vs rubi in person there is a clear difference.

There is some information here but unfortunately one guy said there is no difference in distance from the bumper (not true), and another guy put a tape measure to his but only measured the distance delta from the tailgate. The distance from the bumper is the more important measurement when trying to fit larger tires.

So to officially put an end to this, here you guys go, these are my personal measurements with pictures:

Sport:
8.25" from tailgate to WMS
36.5" from top center of bumper to bottom stud
34" from top center of bumper to top of brake light

Rubicon:
8.75" from tailgate to WMS
38" from top center of bumper to bottom stud
36" from top center of bumper to top of brake light

The 3rd brake light bracket also has a different shape and is taller even when not considering the added height of the carrier itself.

Zeebo I wish you would have read my post or PM'd me before buying that. The guy in that thread has a Rubicon. You are going to run into the exact same issue as you have with your current rough country bracket (they honestly look exactly the same) since you have a sport. You need a rubicon carrier.

I did read it but the listing says up to 40" tire so I figured maybe it sits higher than the rough country one which says 35" tire. Hopefully it does sit a little higher.

I tried to call Iron Cross to see if it might sit higher than the rough country plate but they couldn't say one way or the other. They felt I shouldn't have issues with the 37s but worse case is I try it and it doesn't work and send it back.

 

[Trill]

I did read it but the listing says up to 40" tire so I figured maybe it sits higher than the rough country one which says 35" tire. Hopefully it does sit a little higher.

Sounds good, hopefully these distances differ enough to get you the height you're looking for.

 

[zeebo56]

Sounds good, hopefully these distances differ enough to get you the height you're looking for.

From the photos it seems like it might. So hopefully that is the case as well.

 

[zeebo56]

I'm happy with it so far and it's very solid. I do recommend ordering a round "behind the tire" LED 3rd brake light ($30 on Amazon) if you have 37's. The stock 3rd brake light wire wouldn't extend far enough to raise it to the top position and even if it could, blocks visibility above the tire.

Do you have a link to the light you used?

I already have the oracle ring brake light behind my spare. so i guess that is basically the same then right?

 

[JeepyD]

Yes, same light. I just removed the stock 3rd brake light and assembly from the tire carrier.

 

[zeebo56]

Sounds good, hopefully these distances differ enough to get you the height you're looking for.

The more I look at these photos the more I feel like there isn't much of a difference. I didn't even realize you put both plates on the same photo till today lol.

I am going to try the rubicon carrier, found one locally.

Should have read what you said prior to ordering the iron cross plate, just ended up adding $45 total cost to doing this since it doesn't seem to be much different and I included the last relocation plate with my old tires when I could have used it and just got the rubicon carrier.

 

[Trill]

The more I look at these photos the more I feel like there isn't much of a difference. I didn't even realize you put both plates on the same photo till today lol.

I am going to try the rubicon carrier, found one locally.

Should have read what you said prior to ordering the iron cross plate, just ended up adding $45 total cost to doing this since it doesn't seem to be much different and I included the last relocation plate with my old tires when I could have used it and just got the rubicon carrier.

All good dude I thought you still had the RC plate but no sweat. Having to buy a new plate is a small setback, a lot of people are steered into these way more expensive aftermarket contraptions but that's another topic, so maybe you dodged a bullet.

Also, depending on your wheels and exact size of your tires, you might not even need a plate with the rubi carrier. You 100% do if you use the stock wheels because the spare is so close to the gate, and the bumper sort of tapers in. But with aftermarket wheels with a ~4.5"ish backspace you can sometimes get away with it. Here is an example.

Now as far as the rubi carrier install goes I have one tip that might save you a headache. In my case, the backup camera mount on my stock carrier was not just held in by the 2 hex bolts by the wheel studs. It was also held in by some adhesive in 2 or 3 spots. So I got underneath those spots from the inside with a big flathead and a hammer to break them free. Hopefully yours will drop out just by removing those 2 bolts but if not, now you know what you have to do.

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