Miscellaneous questions regarding tailgate strength and spare carrier fitment

[aldo98229]

As some of you already know, my JL is going in to the dealer for a 2” Mopar lift next week.

I’ve been going back and forth on wheels and tires for months.

Although this may change, I think I am going to go with OE Gladiator Overland 18” wheels and 285/75R18 Falken Wildpeak AT3W tires —see below.

I happen to love these wheels, and prefer the more traditional “pizza cutter” tire look on a Jeep.

First some specs:

• These tires measure 34.8 tall by 11.2 inches wide —for all intents and purposes, 35 x 11 inches.
• Jeep wheels have 6.2 inches of backspacing
• The combined weight of the spare wheel and tire will be 90 lbs —25 + 65, respectively

Questions:

1. Will I need a tailgate reinforcement? I read somewhere that the JL tailgate is very strong; it can handle up to 85 lbs, in addition of the spare wheel and tire
2. Will the OE wheel and 35x11 tire fit the factory spare carrier? Currently, I have the OE Sahara 18” wheels on 33.2 x 10.8 KO2s and the spare barely fits. I don’t want a bumper-mounted tire carrier, or to spend money on a fancy adapter if can avoid it. On my JKs, I avoided needing to buy a $300 carrier adapter by simply bolting a $25 wheel spacer to the end of the carrier; the 35” tires cleared like a charm

I will be getting my tires from Discount Tire, so I will need to have all these wrinkles ironed out before I go in.

Please share your insights.

Thank you in advance.

Aldo


2” Mopar lift, 285/75R18 Falken Wildpeaks on Overland 18” wheels

285/75R18 Duratracs on Overland 18” wheels

2” Mopar lift, 285/75R18 Cooper ATs on Overland 18” wheels

Sponsored

 

[cOtter]

Hello. I have a ‘20 Sahara. I added the tires indicated below. With this change the subsequent spare (wheel / tire) combo would not fit.

Wheels & tires:
20” FUEL wheels with 35” tires:
35s are TOYO Open Country A/T II XTREME (35X12.50RTLT).

Added Rough Country relocation bracket. See below.

 

[aldo98229]

Hello. I have a ‘20 Sahara. I added the tires indicated below. With this change the subsequent spare (wheel / tire) combo would not fit.

Wheels & tires:
20” FUEL wheels with 35” tires:
35s are TOYO Open Country A/T II XTREME (35X12.50RTLT).

Added Rough Country relocation bracket. See below.

Thank you.

You didn’t need a tailgate reinforcement?

 

[CaJLMetalHead]

Tailgate reinforcement kits look gimmicky to me.. I installed one of the cheaper ones.. but even the $750 Mopar one I have seen installed on a few JLs does not look like it offers proper and complete reinforcement .. sure.. it reinforces the tailgate.. but not the hinges... imagine you upgrade to 38 inch tires.. then add a couple 3.5 gallon tanks with the tire strap... that is a lot of weight... uhm... how about you upgrade to 40 inch tires? madness.. sure.. some people could argue that the JL hinges are strong enough.. but I much rather upgrade to a bumper with tire carrier....

If you are budget conscious then you can go with something like EAG ... I have the single arm model but the one that looks like a triangle is much better (with single arm the tire swings a lot on the road / trails )... something like this:

https://www.amazon.com/KML-Crawler-Modular-2018-2019-Wrangler/dp/B0812ZXRL2

If money is not an issue... then there are quite a few options of bumpers with tire carriers..

Cheers..

 

[aldo98229]

Tailgate reinforcement kits look gimmicky to me.. I installed one of the cheaper ones.. but even the $750 Mopar one I have seen installed on a few JLs don't look like it offers proper and complete reinforcement .. sure.. it reinforces the tailgate.. but not the hinges... imagine you upgrade to 38 inch tires.. then add a couple 3.5 gallon tanks with the tire strap... that is a lot of weight... uhm... how about you upgrade to 40 inch tires? madness.. sure.. some people could argue that the JL hinges are strong enough.. but I much rather upgrade to a bumper with tire carrier....

If you are budget conscious then you can go with something like EAG ... I have the single arm model but the one looks like a triangle is much better (with single arm the tire swings a lot on the road / trails )... something like this:

KML Rock Crawler Modular Rear Bumper with Tire Carrier and D-Ring Fit for 2018-2019 JL Wrangler

If money is not an issue... then there are quite a few options of bumpers with tire carriers..

Cheers..

Yeah, now that you mention it: the new Mopar tailgate reinforcement does not replace the hinges, like it did on JK. So I agree with you: it looks rather gimmicky.

I don’t care for bumper mounted carriers, though. Besides costing a lot of money and adding a ton of weight, they are a total PITA. I doubt I need to go to that extreme for a 35 tire and wheel combo that weigh 90 lbs. It seems overkill for my intended tire and wheel upgrade.

 

[OnlyOne]

No need and it will fit fine. I’ve been running a 37 on mine since new. It’s fine.

 

[cOtter]

Thank you.

You didn’t need a tailgate reinforcement?

I have not added the tailgate reinforcement. Time will tell. So far I have not noticed any issues with sag for the tailgate.

Just for added information, my JL is my DD. My family and I use it for everything. My tailgate is opened numerous times nearly everyday and it is not typically just a simple open and close. It is fairly common that the tailgate open for 20 - 30 minutes at a time and as I said I have not noticed any issues with sag or issues with the hinges functioning correctly. I hope that this helps.

 

[CaJLMetalHead]

Yeah, now that you mention it: the new Mopar tailgate reinforcement does not replace the hinges, like it did on JK. So I agree with you: it looks rather gimmicky.

I don’t care for bumper mounted carriers, though. Besides costing a lot of money and adding a ton of weight, they are a total PITA. I doubt I need to go to that extreme for a 35 tire and wheel combo that weigh 90 lbs. It seems overkill for my intended tire and wheel upgrade.

Correct.. bumper + tire carrier weights more for sure... if you are sticking with 35'' tires then you are fine.. the idea behind my post is to also be informative to others looking for solutions for added weight to the tailgate.. in my case I run 35'' but soon I will run 37 or 38... plus I use the Rock-Slide EZ rack kit and 2 Rotopax 3.5 gallon tanks.. which easily adds 60 more pounds ..also a mountain bike sometimes mounted to the tire...

 

[Spank]

I ran the RC relocation bracket when I had my 35" KO2s and the gate handled everything just fine, but after about a year, I did start getting noises from my hinges. Just remember to extend your bumpstops.

 

[Roadkill]

We're please with this kit. We purchased from Northridge4x4 on sale for $425. It replaces the entire hinge, reinforces the tailgate, and addresses the possibility of the tire not fitting. Best bang for your buck in my opinion.

I wrote a little about it here:
https://www.jlwranglerforums.com/forum/threads/rugged-ridge-tire-carrier.62704/post-1336536

 

[Roadkill]

Forgot to add...

Fwiw, our wheels are 17" weigh 32 lbs 9.5" wide -18mm offset 4.5 bs and those tires are 35x12.5 weigh 66 lbs for a combined weight of 98 lbs

The kit makes closing the tailgate feel just like before. It's heavy weight material and worth it for the peace of mind.

 

[av8or]

My Stock gate is starting to get a little rattley after 22k with a 35 inch Tire and Quadratec wheel, which I think is in the ballpark of 95 pounds. I’m upgrading to what has been mentioned, a bumper mounted tire carrier for the above mentioned reasons. Weight adds up back there very quickly.

And I’m going to 37s.

 

[Col_Sanders]

I'm not a fan of bumper mounted tire carriers in general just because of the convenience factor. Having that extra step to get into the tailgate is annoying after a while. JCR has a pretty cool solution though with their "Shield" tire carrier. It is mounted to the bumper but swings with the tailgate.

No need and it will fit fine. I’ve been running a 37 on mine since new. It’s fine.

I have a Motobilt tire carrier sitting at home waiting on me to not be lazy and install it, but temporarily installed my 37 on the stock carrier and adjusted the brake light up to clear the tire. Just opening the gate a few times it seems a bit more wobbly than I'd like, but I'm sure my tires (37 Baja Boss) weigh a bit more than the 37 KO2s in your signature.

 

[Hayseed_JLUR]

I bang mine around - it is a 35" and is pushing 105lbs (+/-). Without it, the tailgate sags and wobbles off road. Installed the Rustys and glad I did - rock solid with no movement.

If not really hard offroad, you should be fine. They key will make sure your bumprstops are good. They secure the tire from wobbling quite a bit. Also keep the tire as close to the tailgate and centerline on the tailgate and that helps quite a bit as welll.

 

[OnlyOne]

I'm not a fan of bumper mounted tire carriers in general just because of the convenience factor. Having that extra step to get into the tailgate is annoying after a while. JCR has a pretty cool solution though with their "Shield" tire carrier. It is mounted to the bumper but swings with the tailgate.



I have a Motobilt tire carrier sitting at home waiting on me to not be lazy and install it, but temporarily installed my 37 on the stock carrier and adjusted the brake light up to clear the tire. Just opening the gate a few times it seems a bit more wobbly than I'd like, but I'm sure my tires (37 Baja Boss) weigh a bit more than the 37 KO2s in your signature.

I would say a lot of it is because I’m running factory wheels. It sits really tight up against the door. With the EVO rear bumper, it wedges itself pretty tight. I just don’t see a reason to add it unless you just like the look. If a guy or gal likes it, I say go ahead. It’s your money, you should buy what you want.

You can see how tight it is to the gate and it still sits in the factory spot. I can still see out of the back window.

Sponsored