Spare tire location. Is this ok?

Hey guys, my spare tire is mounted to the top of my bed rack. I used a ratchet strap to hold it down.

is this a good location? I feel like it can cause wind resistance, and maybe it’s cluttering up the rack where I could put other gear instead.

should I move it to the stock location, and just bend out the tabs to fit it? It’s a 33. What would yall do? Thanks

 

Do you have bed stiffeners?

 

yup. Installed them in 2018.

 

I would move it lower - stand the tire up vertical and put it up against the front of the truck bed.

 

If you're not concerned with loosing some clearance, I'd bend the tabs and put it back under the bed. Otherwise I'd just leave it there for now. Or find a way to add a swing out to your bumper and put it there.

 

I wish, but the rear bumper I got from C4 and they say a swing arm can’t be added after it’s been manufactured.
https://c4fabrication.com/collectio...eries-high-clearance-rear-bumper-3rd-gen-2016

 

How would you hold it in place?

 

Seriously? Looks like you'd just have to weld some tabs on for the hinge and the latch and just add the carrier. Where there's a welder, there's a way, ha.

 

I would trust the ratchet strap here better than on top of the rack.

There are two bolted on metal loops at the front of the bed just above the the wheel wells. Attach the strap there.

 

fair point lol.

maybe I’ll find a guy that can do it.

 

There's also the spare mount that you can put in the bed rails.

https://***************/review/spirit-of-1876-truck-bed-spare-tire-mount/

https://rebeloffroad.com/wilco-offroad-bedrail-mounted-tire-carrier-fits-up-to-37-tire/

 

That’s awesome. Thanks !

 

My 285/75R16 (a 33) fits in the stock spare location - just bend the tabs out a tad and it will fit.

 

nice. Any clearance issues ?

 

If you were in the US, blocking the 3rd brake light would not be street legal in some states, though it's easy enough to add a red LED strip to the tailgate.

Some people drill two holes in the X-brace and relocate the spare tire hoist one bolt pitch rearward: https://www.tacomaworld.com/posts/17311994 This is preferable to hammering out the tabs, because the tire can hit the rear diff cover at full axle compression.

Me? I just carry a 32" spare. In 2022, after cracking a rim (see June picture in 2023 TW calendar) I drove a few hundred kms with the 32" spare staggered with three 35" tires. No issues aside from having to hold the steering wheel a bit off-center.

 

oh yeah no issues here in lebanon, there aren’t many laws, and the laws we have in place now aren’t really enforced.

Oh I didn’t know the rear axle will hit the spare tire. Is that a huge issue you think?

 

^If you shift the OEM spare tire hoist one bolt pitch rearward like in the link, then the rear diff won't hit the tire.

 

None - when I get a chance - I should take a pic. I am getting ready to add some skid plates so when I have it on jack stands in a day or two I'll take some pics. But again - no issues with clearance.

 

mount under bed with no air in it

 

My 2 bits:

a) Rigging. We carry a ton of stuff on our trucks which can become proyectiles when things go sideways. I've seen my share of spares fly off (from other people's vehicles) and I dread seeing them. - A ratchet strap will fail when things go sideways / impact. I would suggest a cable lock to ensure it stays with the vehicle in case of impact, etc. The spare's momentum will be sufficient to tear the bed rack off if the impact occurs in certain directions. (not always, but it will happen in some cases...)

b) CG. I do not like spare tires up high. The stock location is as low as you can get - albeit it is a bit low / far to the rear for larger tires or if you have a low clearance bumper...
Spares are heavy and raise your center of gravity (CG) is one of MY biggest factors. If placed higher into the wind-flow, spares become a big wind catcher (see Point "a" above) this is bad for long trips - especially at speed on the Hwy.
- I was a passenger in a rollover in the AUS outback with a high mounted spare. I will never do that again.