As many of you know, Cindy and I just got done installing an EVO 2.5" Boost Lift on JET Li, our 2018 Jeep JL Wrangler Rubicon Unlimited and he's now running a set of 37x13.50 Cooper STT Pros. Of course, the problem that needed to be solved was, how are we going to carry a spare? Initially, we ordered a Mopar tailgate reinforcement kit with upgraded tire carrier but for one reason or another, we still don't have it. Fortunately, I got talking to our good friends over at LoD and they were kind enough to send us a prototype of their all new Destroyer riser/spacer brackets to test out. The following photos are what they look like, how they look installed and how we got everything to work.
Knowing that we needed these in a hurry, LoD shipped the only set of their riser/spacer brackets to us and right off the work bench. Pretty beefy!
After having them powder coated locally, here's what they look like installed.
As you can see, they not only raise the spare tire carrier up, they also space everything out by about an inch.
Initially, we just installed the factory tire carrier onto the LoD riser/spacer brackets without the 3rd brake light.
To help prevent the jiggling of the spare tire which ultimately leads to damage of the tailgate, the rubber isolators have to be extended. To do this, used a couple of old JK isolators that I had laying around and some hockey pucks. Why JK isolators you might ask? Because they are about an inch longer than the factory JL ones.
The link below takes you to a write-up of how you can make your own extensions.
DIY Jeep JK Tailgate Spare Tire Isolator Extension Write-Up
If needed, you can buy new spare tire isolators here:
http://amzn.to/2G7gWBY
And cheap hockey pucks can be found here:
http://amzn.to/2IDcoSb
I should note that in the write-up, I use a 3" machine screw but to make this work with 2 hockey pucks, you will need a 4" bolt.
A few more shots to show what it all looks like.
And now, here's what the spare tire looks like installed!
As you can see, there's plenty of room between the 37" tire and the factory rear bumper.
And, the rubber isolators are pressing firmly against the sidewall of the spare.
After giving things a closer look, I determined that I might be able to get the 3rd brake light to work too.
All that would be needed was to raise the light brackets to the top holes.
Imagine that, it works!
So far, everything looks good and our tailgate seems to be holding up our 37x13.50R17 Cooper STT Pro mounted on an KMC XD231 beadlock wheel that weighs about 123 lbs. Jiggling has been mitigated so we're hopeful that the tailgate won't get damaged. Of course, we are heading out to Moab and will be putting it to the test and if it doesn't hold up, you can be sure that you'll hear about it here on JLWRANGLER. :yup:
POST MOAB UPDATE - 4/1/2018
As some of you may know, Cindy and I just spent the better part of the last 2 weeks, driving our brand new Jeep JL Wrangler Rubicon Unlimited out to Moab, wheeling it hard out there and then driving it home again. Along the way, we racked up almost 2,000 miles on the odometer and chalked up almost a dozen trails as well including, Metal Masher, Behind the Rocks, Gold Bar Rim, Golden Spike and Poison Spider Mesa. Now, I'm making a point to note all this because during this time, we were carrying a very heavy 37x13.50R17 Cooper STT Pro mounted on a KMC XD231 beadlock wheel and on our un-reinforced factory tailgate. To make it work, we did use an LoD spacer/riser bracket and we made sure to extend the rubber isolators to help mitigate jiggling and we were running a hitch mounted stinger to help prevent the spare catching on ledges but that's about all we did. Of course, the burning question that everyone wants to know is... how did the tailgate hold up?
JUST FINE!!
In spite of all the un-verified rhetoric being regurgitated on the internet, the factory tailgate is in fact quite strong or at least, strong enough to safely hold the weight of a 125 lb. spare. It is CRITICAL that you extend the rubber isolators to mitigate jiggling and take steps to protect your spare from catching on ledges but really, that's about all you need to do to make it work. I should note that I am by no means suggesting that this is a "better" solution than a swing out bumper tire carrier or even one that's as good. I'm am simply trying to show that it can be done and without problems if you do it right.
Here's a of shots of us out in Moab and going through the Golden Crack with our very heavy 37" spare tire mounted on the factory tailgate. As you can see, this is we are running a hitch mounted stinger to help protect the spare.
Here are after shots that I just took this morning to show how our tailgate is 100% intact. NO buckling, no bending, no breaking or otherwise as everyone insisted would happen if we ran this setup.
Seeing is believing.
Knowing that we needed these in a hurry, LoD shipped the only set of their riser/spacer brackets to us and right off the work bench. Pretty beefy!
After having them powder coated locally, here's what they look like installed.
As you can see, they not only raise the spare tire carrier up, they also space everything out by about an inch.
Initially, we just installed the factory tire carrier onto the LoD riser/spacer brackets without the 3rd brake light.
To help prevent the jiggling of the spare tire which ultimately leads to damage of the tailgate, the rubber isolators have to be extended. To do this, used a couple of old JK isolators that I had laying around and some hockey pucks. Why JK isolators you might ask? Because they are about an inch longer than the factory JL ones.
The link below takes you to a write-up of how you can make your own extensions.
DIY Jeep JK Tailgate Spare Tire Isolator Extension Write-Up
If needed, you can buy new spare tire isolators here:
http://amzn.to/2G7gWBY
And cheap hockey pucks can be found here:
http://amzn.to/2IDcoSb
I should note that in the write-up, I use a 3" machine screw but to make this work with 2 hockey pucks, you will need a 4" bolt.
A few more shots to show what it all looks like.
And now, here's what the spare tire looks like installed!
As you can see, there's plenty of room between the 37" tire and the factory rear bumper.
And, the rubber isolators are pressing firmly against the sidewall of the spare.
After giving things a closer look, I determined that I might be able to get the 3rd brake light to work too.
All that would be needed was to raise the light brackets to the top holes.
Imagine that, it works!
So far, everything looks good and our tailgate seems to be holding up our 37x13.50R17 Cooper STT Pro mounted on an KMC XD231 beadlock wheel that weighs about 123 lbs. Jiggling has been mitigated so we're hopeful that the tailgate won't get damaged. Of course, we are heading out to Moab and will be putting it to the test and if it doesn't hold up, you can be sure that you'll hear about it here on JLWRANGLER. :yup:
POST MOAB UPDATE - 4/1/2018
As some of you may know, Cindy and I just spent the better part of the last 2 weeks, driving our brand new Jeep JL Wrangler Rubicon Unlimited out to Moab, wheeling it hard out there and then driving it home again. Along the way, we racked up almost 2,000 miles on the odometer and chalked up almost a dozen trails as well including, Metal Masher, Behind the Rocks, Gold Bar Rim, Golden Spike and Poison Spider Mesa. Now, I'm making a point to note all this because during this time, we were carrying a very heavy 37x13.50R17 Cooper STT Pro mounted on a KMC XD231 beadlock wheel and on our un-reinforced factory tailgate. To make it work, we did use an LoD spacer/riser bracket and we made sure to extend the rubber isolators to help mitigate jiggling and we were running a hitch mounted stinger to help prevent the spare catching on ledges but that's about all we did. Of course, the burning question that everyone wants to know is... how did the tailgate hold up?
JUST FINE!!
In spite of all the un-verified rhetoric being regurgitated on the internet, the factory tailgate is in fact quite strong or at least, strong enough to safely hold the weight of a 125 lb. spare. It is CRITICAL that you extend the rubber isolators to mitigate jiggling and take steps to protect your spare from catching on ledges but really, that's about all you need to do to make it work. I should note that I am by no means suggesting that this is a "better" solution than a swing out bumper tire carrier or even one that's as good. I'm am simply trying to show that it can be done and without problems if you do it right.
Here's a of shots of us out in Moab and going through the Golden Crack with our very heavy 37" spare tire mounted on the factory tailgate. As you can see, this is we are running a hitch mounted stinger to help protect the spare.
Here are after shots that I just took this morning to show how our tailgate is 100% intact. NO buckling, no bending, no breaking or otherwise as everyone insisted would happen if we ran this setup.
Seeing is believing.
