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Ford Explorer Community - Maintenance - Modifications - Performance Upgrades - Problem Solving - Off-Road - Street
Explorer Forum Covers the Explorer ST, Explorer Sport, Explorer Sport Trac, Lincoln Aviator, Mercury Mountaineer, Mazda Navajo, Ford Ranger, Mazda Pickups, and the Ford Aerostar
TRJ are you sure those bunjee cords are good enough support for that spare tire? Might consider a better mounting setup, I would hate to see it come flying off...
There thats as close to bad mouthing as we get on the lifted side of things
TRJ are you sure those bunjee cords are good enough support for that spare tire? Might consider a better mounting setup, I would hate to see it come flying off...
There thats as close to bad mouthing as we get on the lifted side of things
That was actually the first time i have ever put a tire up there, there were 6 very tight bungee cords, it was stable enough for a little mudding but i wouldn't take it cross country or over mountains or anything. It was only on my roof for about 3 hours. I was going to use tie downs but it seems they were "misplaced". Also, that tire is only 31", i don't have a full size 33" spare yet. Looking for a good deal on one of those.
That was actually the first time i have ever put a tire up there, there were 6 very tight bungee cords, it was stable enough for a little mudding but i wouldn't take it cross country or over mountains or anything. It was only on my roof for about 3 hours.
What 410 Fortune was worried about was not necessarily only on the trail. There is no way that any bungee cord of any type is nearly strong enough to hold the tire should you get in an emergency situation on the highway or in heavy traffic.... if you have any sort of front-end collision or hard manuever that tire will fly off the top and become a lethal missile. Asking the simple question "what if I have an accident" doesn't usually come to mind when we do mods so it's a good idea to make us all think.
For another example, I've seen many fire extinguisher setups where people strap fire extinguishers to the cargo area with nothing more than the plastic straps that are made to hold them in place at your home..... get in a front-end collision where you stop very fast and that fire extinguisher will kill someone sitting in a seat in front of it when inertia busts it loose of the strap and hits the back of their head.
We just don't want anyone hurt
Nice rig BTW.... I've also got a '99 and I've really enjoyed the adventures it's taken me on. We can do a lot more in our IFS rigs than most people give credit for. Keep enjoying yours!
Hmm I didn't think about that, I was on the highway for maybe 10 minutes but that's still a good point. I want a basket but in the mean time i need to buy more tie downs, all of ours are lost. Would they hold the tire sufficiently?
IFS is definitely not a terrible thing, I'd rather have a TTB or solid axle but IFS is fine for what I do, mainly mud, sand, and mild to moderate trails.
How much did you have to trim (if any) to get 35's on yours Gerald?
And sparky, do I see 35's with no trimming?
How does the front suspension hold up with that size tire?
I had to do some trimming, mine being a limited and having those big fender flares, I removed those and then went at my fenders with a grinder and cutting wheel, If you look close you can see where I cut it...that is only like 3 days after I did it. I need to go back and smooth out the cut and make it less noticeable... my ball joints are shot but they were a long time before the 35's just need to get them replaced, but haven't grernaded anything yet, but big weekend trip coming up so we will see.
Oh yeah I had to trim; there is NO way you'll fit 35's without it. Mine is probably 1.5"~2" of sheetmetal gone at the rear of the front fenderwells.
PS - yep good tiedowns would probably work. Good tiedowns, not cheapo ones. A full size spare will weigh what - 75 lbs? - and that's a lot of inertia to hold back when you go 60-0 immediately.
Don't know if it's got enough lift to be posted here :scratch: 38x13x16 are on the way! Originally 1998 Sport 4.0L SOHC, now 302 EFI, SAS D44 in front, 14Bolts on the rear