Rear Bumper & Tire Carrier Needed/Options

[treillw]

Planning on ordering a '22 JKURD and adding a AEV 2.5" dual sport lift to it with 37s. Not sure what I need to do to mount a spare tire.

Do I need a new rear bumper? Who makes nice ones that aren't crazy expensive? The AEV one is awesome, but I can't cough up that much money for one...

Do I need to reinforce the door hinge? Over the weekend I checked out a 2017 with a 35 on the back. My wife could hardly move the tailgate and it didn't fell much different for me. Is this from the extra stress on the hinge? (note this is a JK, not sure if the JL is different)

What is the cheapest method of protecting things?

I've seen some say that the JL is fine without any reinforcements. True? I am always driving on very bumpy roads - 60 mph on MT dirt roads frequently.

Does anything change if I were to go with 35s?

Thanks!

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[JLRyder]

You can add a kit to raise up the spare to clear the factory bumper. The hinges are aluminum and will sag after time/use. Just expect It.

 

[BroncoHound]

The JL tailgate is, in most ways, an improvement over the JK tailgate. It's a Magnesium core skinned in Aluminum, so it is lighter and less prone to warping than the JK tailgate. With the JK, any tire size over a stock Rubicon 285 essentially required a tailgate reinforcement. With the JL, I've found that not to be necessary with 35" tires, though I personally believe 35's to be the limit before tailgate reinforcement should be added.

For 35's, depending on the specs of your wheel choice, you'll need to extend the rubber bumpers so the spare can be torqued down to the carrier and is making contact with the bumpers. This will prevent vibrations and rattling which will harm the tailgate. The overkill solution for this, which is the route I went, is to replace the spare tire carrier with an adjustable one like the Teraflex Alpha carrier. This allowed me to adjust the height of the spare so that the tire is juuuuuuust barely touching the bumper when the tailgate is closed (further spreading the weight distribution while driving) and pulling the spare tire into the carrier so that it is slightly compressing the OEM rubber bumpers, which means the weight of the spare tire is being as equally distributed across as many pieces of anchored panel as I can make it. This isn't much of an endorsement, but after 18 months and 25k miles of exploring, the tailgate is rock solid and I've full confidence in the weight distribution.

Now with a 35" spare on the tailgate, it is certainly noticeably heavier and requires more effort to get it closed. And, my reasoning for believing this to be the upward limit of weight before tailgate hinge reinforcement should enter the conversation is because on a couple of my longer trips to the backcountry I've strapped a pair of Rotopax fuel cans onto the spare tire and, when the cans are full of fuel (both are 3 gallon cans, so a little over 50lbs for the fuel, the cans themselves, and the mounting brackets) I noticed the tailgate would sag about 1/4" when opening. It wasn't enough for me to really stress over in just the short periods that I had the cans mounted and full, but it was enough of a concern that I emptied the fuel cans into the gas tank as early in the trips as I could and don't carry the fuel cans full unless I absolutely need the fuel for that leg of a trip.

As I've mentioned in your other threads, I intend to swap these 35" tires over to my JLURD when it arrives in March and I'll be bringing my Teraflex Alpha carrier when I do. When the 35's wear out, I'll be stepping up to 37" tires and, when I do, I'm bouncing between two different solutions: adding the Teraflex Alpha tailgate and hinge reinforcement, or a full AEV rear bumper swap with tire carrier relocation.

https://teraflex.com/jl-alpha-hd-hinged-spare-tire-carrier-kit.html
https://www.aev-conversions.com/product/rear-bumper/

Obviously there's a cost delta here; one is $800 and the other is $3000 (equipped the way I want it). But, in that $3000 cost is also a reportedly stronger rear bumper than my OEM steel bumper, zero future concern with tailgate load issues, and the 10-gal auxiliary fuel can. I'm going to first get a real-world baseline for my diesel Jeep to see what my realistic range is based on my driving characteristics on and off road and evaluate if I actually feel I need 10-gals of extra fuel. If not, that may sway my decision here, or I may still opt for the AEV bumper and tire carrier, just without the fuel caddy. I'm actually hoping I'm satisfied with the range WITHOUT the caddy and can stick to just bringing along a couple Rotopax when a splash of extra #2 is needed since I'm not thrilled about all that extra weight hung off the very back of the Jeep like that. The Rotopax option allows for flexibility in where I hang them off the Jeep (maybe up on the roof rack) whereas the AEV fuel caddy is fairly well stuck where its at.

Regardless, both options are expensive and have trade-offs. There are plenty of other brand products on the market that also have their trade-offs and cost. The moral of the story here is that you gotta pay to play, and going from 35" to 37" tires really is the threshold on the JL platform where little things start adding up and the vehicle gets much more expensive to outfit and maintain.

 

[treillw]

The JL tailgate is, in most ways, an improvement over the JK tailgate. It's a Magnesium core skinned in Aluminum, so it is lighter and less prone to warping than the JK tailgate. With the JK, any tire size over a stock Rubicon 285 essentially required a tailgate reinforcement. With the JL, I've found that not to be necessary with 35" tires, though I personally believe 35's to be the limit before tailgate reinforcement should be added.

For 35's, depending on the specs of your wheel choice, you'll need to extend the rubber bumpers so the spare can be torqued down to the carrier and is making contact with the bumpers. This will prevent vibrations and rattling which will harm the tailgate. The overkill solution for this, which is the route I went, is to replace the spare tire carrier with an adjustable one like the Teraflex Alpha carrier. This allowed me to adjust the height of the spare so that the tire is juuuuuuust barely touching the bumper when the tailgate is closed (further spreading the weight distribution while driving) and pulling the spare tire into the carrier so that it is slightly compressing the OEM rubber bumpers, which means the weight of the spare tire is being as equally distributed across as many pieces of anchored panel as I can make it. This isn't much of an endorsement, but after 18 months and 25k miles of exploring, the tailgate is rock solid and I've full confidence in the weight distribution.

Now with a 35" spare on the tailgate, it is certainly noticeably heavier and requires more effort to get it closed. And, my reasoning for believing this to be the upward limit of weight before tailgate hinge reinforcement should enter the conversation is because on a couple of my longer trips to the backcountry I've strapped a pair of Rotopax fuel cans onto the spare tire and, when the cans are full of fuel (both are 3 gallon cans, so a little over 50lbs for the fuel, the cans themselves, and the mounting brackets) I noticed the tailgate would sag about 1/4" when opening. It wasn't enough for me to really stress over in just the short periods that I had the cans mounted and full, but it was enough of a concern that I emptied the fuel cans into the gas tank as early in the trips as I could and don't carry the fuel cans full unless I absolutely need the fuel for that leg of a trip.

As I've mentioned in your other threads, I intend to swap these 35" tires over to my JLURD when it arrives in March and I'll be bringing my Teraflex Alpha carrier when I do. When the 35's wear out, I'll be stepping up to 37" tires and, when I do, I'm bouncing between two different solutions: adding the Teraflex Alpha tailgate and hinge reinforcement, or a full AEV rear bumper swap with tire carrier relocation.

https://teraflex.com/jl-alpha-hd-hinged-spare-tire-carrier-kit.html
https://www.aev-conversions.com/product/rear-bumper/

Obviously there's a cost delta here; one is $800 and the other is $3000 (equipped the way I want it). But, in that $3000 cost is also a reportedly stronger rear bumper than my OEM steel bumper, zero future concern with tailgate load issues, and the 10-gal auxiliary fuel can. I'm going to first get a real-world baseline for my diesel Jeep to see what my realistic range is based on my driving characteristics on and off road and evaluate if I actually feel I need 10-gals of extra fuel. If not, that may sway my decision here, or I may still opt for the AEV bumper and tire carrier, just without the fuel caddy. I'm actually hoping I'm satisfied with the range WITHOUT the caddy and can stick to just bringing along a couple Rotopax when a splash of extra #2 is needed since I'm not thrilled about all that extra weight hung off the very back of the Jeep like that. The Rotopax option allows for flexibility in where I hang them off the Jeep (maybe up on the roof rack) whereas the AEV fuel caddy is fairly well stuck where its at.

Regardless, both options are expensive and have trade-offs. There are plenty of other brand products on the market that also have their trade-offs and cost. The moral of the story here is that you gotta pay to play, and going from 35" to 37" tires really is the threshold on the JL platform where little things start adding up and the vehicle gets much more expensive to outfit and maintain.

Thanks for the excellent information, like usual. You're jeep is awesome - we're going to be looking very similar once mine comes in! I love the "backpack". What do you put in it? Does it get filled with dust?

A couple things make me feel like I might as well go right to 37s. The diesel can handle the tires. I'll have a lift capable of fitting 37s with chains, after today's conversation with AEV. I want to put BFG KO2s on it and in looking at them, the 35x12.5x17 10 ply tire weighs 66.5 pounds and the 37x12.5x17 load range D weighs 71 pounds. In this flavor, I don't think the 37 is much different at only 5 pounds more. I am however cautious of the fact that the 37 is not a 10 ply - anybody know how they hold up?

How much do your current 35s weigh?

Thanks!

 

[BroncoHound]

Thanks for the excellent information, like usual. You're jeep is awesome - we're going to be looking very similar once mine comes in! I love the "backpack". What do you put in it? Does it get filled with dust?

A couple things make me feel like I might as well go right to 37s. The diesel can handle the tires. I'll have a lift capable of fitting 37s with chains, after today's conversation with AEV. I want to put BFG KO2s on it and in looking at them, the 35x12.5x17 10 ply tire weighs 66.5 pounds and the 37x12.5x17 load range D weighs 71 pounds. In this flavor, I don't think the 37 is much different at only 5 pounds more. I am however cautious of the fact that the 37 is not a 10 ply - anybody know how they hold up?

How much do your current 35s weigh?

Thanks!

The "backpack" is a Trasharoo, which is just a big old lined sack you can hang off the back of your vehicle to throw trash in (your trash, trash you find on the trail, poop bags, etc) when in the backcountry. Yes, it gets dirty inside because it's just a drawstring closure with an overflap, but it has a rubber lining inside and is heavy canvas material outside so you can just hose it off with mild detergents and let it dry in the sun and it'll last forever. It's military-grade; as a matter of fact, it has some MOLLE webbing on the outside that I've actually mounted my entrenching tool case and a small MOLLE pouch for a short tree saw on the outside so they're easily accessible when I'm driving through the woods and need to clear some limbs or do my business.

http://trasharoo.com/TRASHAROO /About.html

If you're looking to run BFGs, you could probably get away with a 37" spare without much in the way of tailgate reinforcement, as they tend to run fairly light.

As for load range, most Jeep folks tend to lean towards load range C/6ply tires for the more compliant characteristics when aired down. Personally, I prefer load range E/10ply tires for the stiffness and puncture resistance. There are trade-offs in either direction; the heavier the load range, the stiffer the sidewalls, the harsher the on-road ride and the less sidewall flex when aired down. This doesn't bother me personally because, while I love trips to Moab and such, the vast majority of my off-roading driving is adventuring in the Montana backcountry where I'm not sheer rock climbing all day every day. I also have driven big heavy solid axle pickups for most of my life, so I would say I'm a bit less sensitive to ride harshness than most. I don't really mind a bit firmer ride on-pavement.

All that said, another option for you to consider for tires,are 37" KO2 takeoffs from the new F150 Raptors. They are a load range C 37" tire so I would think they would give you very similar behavioral characteristics to the stock Rubicon 285 KO2's and, being takeoffs, you might find a set on Craigslist or Marketplace relatively cheap (probably in Bozeman or Billings, if I'm honest).

The Method wheel was 31lbs and the 35x12.50R17E Goodyear Duratrac tires I run are 68lbs, so the total weight was right at around 100lbs for the spare. I've since replaced the Method wheels with OEM Jeep 392 takeoffs and I estimate they are about 5lbs lighter than the Method wheels (though I don't know the exact specs on the 392 wheels) so I'm probably sitting around a 95lbs spare at the moment.

Have you found a set of tire chains for 37" tires that you like?

 

[treillw]

The "backpack" is a Trasharoo, which is just a big old lined sack you can hang off the back of your vehicle to throw trash in (your trash, trash you find on the trail, poop bags, etc) when in the backcountry. Yes, it gets dirty inside because it's just a drawstring closure with an overflap, but it has a rubber lining inside and is heavy canvas material outside so you can just hose it off with mild detergents and let it dry in the sun and it'll last forever. It's military-grade; as a matter of fact, it has some MOLLE webbing on the outside that I've actually mounted my entrenching tool case and a small MOLLE pouch for a short tree saw on the outside so they're easily accessible when I'm driving through the woods and need to clear some limbs or do my business.

http://trasharoo.com/TRASHAROO /About.html

If you're looking to run BFGs, you could probably get away with a 37" spare without much in the way of tailgate reinforcement, as they tend to run fairly light.

As for load range, most Jeep folks tend to lean towards load range C/6ply tires for the more compliant characteristics when aired down. Personally, I prefer load range E/10ply tires for the stiffness and puncture resistance. There are trade-offs in either direction; the heavier the load range, the stiffer the sidewalls, the harsher the on-road ride and the less sidewall flex when aired down. This doesn't bother me personally because, while I love trips to Moab and such, the vast majority of my off-roading driving is adventuring in the Montana backcountry where I'm not sheer rock climbing all day every day. I also have driven big heavy solid axle pickups for most of my life, so I would say I'm a bit less sensitive to ride harshness than most. I don't really mind a bit firmer ride on-pavement.

All that said, another option for you to consider for tires,are 37" KO2 takeoffs from the new F150 Raptors. They are a load range C 37" tire so I would think they would give you very similar behavioral characteristics to the stock Rubicon 285 KO2's and, being takeoffs, you might find a set on Craigslist or Marketplace relatively cheap (probably in Bozeman or Billings, if I'm honest).

The Method wheel was 31lbs and the 35x12.50R17E Goodyear Duratrac tires I run are 68lbs, so the total weight was right at around 100lbs for the spare. I've since replaced the Method wheels with OEM Jeep 392 takeoffs and I estimate they are about 5lbs lighter than the Method wheels (though I don't know the exact specs on the 392 wheels) so I'm probably sitting around a 95lbs spare at the moment.

Have you found a set of tire chains for 37" tires that you like?

Thanks. I'll check that out.

I didn't look in great detail for chains, but I saw that a few places have V-bar chains in that tire size, just with a quick search.

 

[COKENOGOOD]

weight is the thing that matters, not the size
37" Ko2 with OEM wheel or 37" Nitto MT with bead lock
you can find out how big difference they have

I have seen people said carrying 37" with OEM setup is fine on street driving, but not on bumpy roads.

If your combination is over 100lbs, you may want to get one

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