2022 AEV Gladiator Rubicon build

[Flyin6]

How did your tires fall off??!! Never had that happen on a Jeep before.

It's even crazier than that. I am only going to run three wheels on this new Hemi Jeep of mine. Have the first tricycle Gladiator out there. I was thinking of how many thousands of times I slid onto a runway with only three points of contact. Worked there, oughta work with the Jeep. ;-)

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[Flyin6]

I think I am no longer going to run a spare.

I have never busted a sidewall on a Jeep or recreational off-road vehicle. I have, however, torn up a couple of tractor tire sidewalls...

In the past, we never had these new sidewall repair kits, which I now own, for trail repairs. That gives me a degree of comfort about surviving most of my off-road adventures. I do admit, my off-roading experience in the western states is limited, so there's that...

I am thinking of losing the spare because 1. I have never used it. 2. This 40" spare is 129 pounds vs 117 for the 37" sizing. With all tires increasing to the 40" size, the weight increase is substantial. 3. There is the previously discussed problem with where/how to carry that monster spare.4. Finally, with ditching the spare, I will improve ground clearance, unclutter the underside, possibly freeing up room for an aft-mounted aux fuel tank, and the truck will realize a net loss of 69 pounds even with the larger tires.

Where my head is at for now...

 

[RudeJeepin]

@Flyin6 As to no spare, no you can use that underneath space for something else.
You could still take the spare along on longer trips and leave it at basecamp. I didn't run a spare on my old CJ5 for years. There were times I was hours of hwy away from a spare. But I never wheeled it in really rocky places.
Or just for more head scratching, what is the lightest, skinniest, 37" setup you could tuck under there? I mean a 37 would be better than nothing. If with running 40s.

 

[Flyin6]

@Flyin6 As to no spare, no you can use that underneath space for something else.
You could still take the spare along on longer trips and leave it at basecamp. I didn't run a spare on my old CJ5 for years. There were times I was hours of hwy away from a spare. But I never wheeled it in really rocky places.
Or just for more head scratching, what is the lightest, skinniest, 37" setup you could tuck under there? I mean a 37 would be better than nothing. If with running 40s.

Well, I already have a 37" spare, and I thought of just using it. I'm leaning toward no spare for the moment.
Caveat: When I eventually head out to the Rubicon, I'll carry a spare.

 

[Bandit’s Lair]

Reasoning seems sound. Probably not as much of a concern with 40”s. Those of us on 38” and down probably still want to run the spare. 40”s just seem to be a much tougher tire. I’d caution to take the trail you intend on running into account. Moderate to difficult you’ll probably be fine but get into a Johnston valley type situation and you may want to drag it along.

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