Hey guys. Well i searched and searched and suprisingly found very little on this subject.... How and what does everyone use to mount their spair tires to the roof? I just put 4door leaf springs/2"shackles and new shocks on my car and it gave it nice lift, however i think it'll look better if i get rid of the weight caused by the spair. I know a lot of the people mount the tire on the roof to distribute the weight between the front and rear suspension....

I have a Thule Roof rack, not basket or anything... could i build something that holds it in place? What have you guys done?

Does this disrupt the control of the vehicle....cause isnt that a lot of weith to put that high... bad CG?

How the hell do you get it on and off? LOL they weigh a lot!

Any info would be great guys.

Thanks

I just did this recently. I have a Yakima rack, and they make a spare tire mount. Here are some pics.

http://www.explorerforum.com/data/3058/4434rack---rear.jpg

http://www.explorerforum.com/data/3058/4434rack---spare-tire-mount.jpg

That looks pretty cool. How much did that all cost?

I could jump in the group buy going on now for the safari rack for like $150 and get the tire mount for another $50 but im a little short on cash.

I have a thule rack with the skis on it and wind deflector..
www.geocities.com/sk1er17

For the summer i was wondering if anyone made their own kind of rack where i could just take off my ski racks and have the tire sit on my roof with a support bar over it or something of that sort.

Is it ok to have the tire sit on the roof and secure it in place?
- i guess its not too hard to put a little rubber matting under it... and that would distribute the weight.


Also- hows the handling with it up there? and how do u get it down? (or worry about that when the times comes right?)

The handling is not really affected at all. Even with my rear sway bar disconnected, it's still fine.

I get the tire down very carefully! :p

As long as you find some way of securing the tire very well, it should be OK on the roof itself. But like I said, secure it VERY well.

I went to home depot today and priced out some stuff... it'll cost me $40 or less for everything.... looks like i can support it very well from all sides so it'd have no chance what-so-ever of sliding. But im not sure about how to support the top.......and ideas other than bungee cords?

My idea:
Install two bars using U bolts to my current roof rack so they would support the sides from moving

Install another bar that bolts onto that bar horrizontally; this can be mounted anywhere so it pins the tire to the back of the roof rack... this stops sideways movement..

Dont know what i should do about the top though, i was thinking bungees... all my bars will be touching the tire about mid-way up...

What ya think? It'd look pretty cool

i bought a set of ratchet straps from walmart for ten bucks and thats what i use to hold my spare to the roof.

Namitey:
All you're holding it on with is straps? The straps connected to your roof rack or something?
Pics would be awesome.

Thanks

this is the best pic i can find of it right now but i just used ratchet straps to hold it down to the roof.

http://www.explorerforum.com/data/3002/4156namity3.jpg

I like what you've done with your truck. I think im gonna do my idea with the supports then use the ratchet straps to secure it tightly. (it'll look cool :afro: )

One thing: do you leave it like that for highway driving? is it good like that for anytime driving? I do have the wind deflector on my rack so that should help.

BTW: cant wait to offroad with you dude, i just about fisnished my lift. It looks really good now and im gonna order AAL's just so my rear sits a little higher than the front. Then i get tires in March and im done.

I leave the tire on the roof all the time doesnt really bother me. Im building a new rear bumper with a spare tire carrier I just need to get a tubing bender before i can finish it.

http://www.explorerforum.com/data/2/9352my_truck.jpg

The tire is held on by two bolts formaly used as sway bar endlink bolts with bushings attached

http://www.explorerforum.com/data/2/9352tire_retainer.jpg

I built it with a flux core wire welder (looks like a mig but with no gas), and an angle grinder. Very simple design and only took me about 6 hrs including painting and insulation. I made it about a month ago, I got tired of seeing ratcheting straps on top of my roof. If you want measurements I have them written down. :D

measurments for that would be awesome.. thanks!