Underneath tire carriers

[mcd2484]

Hey everyone I just picked up Mammoth charcoal rims and love them on the gladiator… good price too! One issue, the underneath carrier mounting point is too large to go through the center for the spare tire. I was going to pick up a factory steel wheel and hold onto it as I am upgrading tires once the lift is in but then I really can not do the 5 tire rotation. Is there a smaller center tab (sorry for terrible terminology) that I can put underneath? I bought 5 rims and would like to keep it underneath as I do use my bed. Boring the center would cause the same 5 rotation issues. Regardless I love the rims wanted to get away from black and I have not seen these on many gladiators. Probably great on wranglers since the spare is a bolt on.

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[Mr._Bill]

Just leave the factory spare underneath. Keep the fifth wheel in the garage and pull it out at rotation time.

 

[Sarge502]

Just leave the factory spare underneath. Keep the fifth wheel in the garage and pull it out at rotation time.

Yeah but what if his factory spare doesnt have the same size tire? Technically he could buy one if it isnt, but I'm considering the same thing when I buy new wheels in the next month or so.

Although I've done my research prior to my purchase and I think the bore size (71.50) on the wheels I want matches the stock size, so I should be good. But I have upgraded to larger tires than stock. I bought an additional stock Overland wheel and bought 5 larger sized tires for all and have a matching stock Overland spare at all times for my 5 tire rotations. If for some reason my new wheels bore dont fit the spare holder, I would be screwed and would be in his same prediciment since my original spare still has the stock size. There has to be another option for those in the same boat I'd imagine.

 

[mx5red]

I saw a post where somebody cut theirs to fit through their AEV wheel. just a thought

 

[mcd2484]

Exactly so like if I’m buying 5 tires I’d like to use 5 tires. The tab that goes through the center isn’t a major pain to cut I suppose not like it’s hard to replace those cables can snap after time anyway. Just odd that there’s no google search for this the rims we chose for our jeeps is sacred like picking our kids names lol. Also I like these rims cause they are one bolt pattern no hub centric rings just metal on metal.

 

[Mr._Bill]

It's all personal preference. The only reason I would be interested in a matching spare is if it was visible all the time, like on a Wrangler. I see five tire rotations as a waste of time and money on a truck. The spare is meant for emergency use. It is not necessary for it to exactly match the other tires. It will be three years in July, and I have yet to drop the spare from under the truck. I bought a full set of take-offs from a matching truck (wheels, tires, TPMS) for $500. They are still sitting in storage.

 

[Sarge502]

It's all personal preference. The only reason I would be interested in a matching spare is if it was visible all the time, like on a Wrangler. I see five tire rotations as a waste of time and money on a truck. The spare is meant for emergency use. It is not necessary for it to exactly match the other tires. It will be three years in July, and I have yet to drop the spare from under the truck. I bought a full set of take-offs from a matching truck (wheels, tires, TPMS) for $500. They are still sitting in storage.

It’s debatable but exactly you say you haven’t used the spare in 3 years. Wonder how it’s held up in conditions just sitting there

 

[Mr._Bill]

It’s debatable but exactly you say you haven’t used the spare in 3 years. Wonder how it’s held up in conditions just sitting there

The spare on the Silverado I traded for the Gladiator was still holding air. I dropped it one time in the thirteen years I drove it. When it was time for new tires, I put new wheels on it and carried two of the originals as spares. They were only used a couple times, and still in the back when I traded it in.

 

[WILDHOBO]

It's all personal preference. The only reason I would be interested in a matching spare is if it was visible all the time, like on a Wrangler. I see five tire rotations as a waste of time and money on a truck. The spare is meant for emergency use. It is not necessary for it to exactly match the other tires. It will be three years in July, and I have yet to drop the spare from under the truck. I bought a full set of take-offs from a matching truck (wheels, tires, TPMS) for $500. They are still sitting in storage.

The nice thing about 5 way rotations is the 20% more tire life you get. That’s a big deal to some of us who spent a mint on our larger tires. And the driveway rotation is way easier with 5. Since you only need to lift one corner at a time.

 

[Mr._Bill]

The nice thing about 5 way rotations is the 20% more tire life you get. That’s a big deal to some of us who spent a mint on our larger tires. And the driveway rotation is way easier with 5. Since you only need to lift one corner at a time.

Yeah, but to get that extra 20% of tire life, you have to spend an additional 25% up front when buying tires.

 

[NachoRuby]

Yeah, but to get that extra 20% of tire life, you have to spend an additional 25% up front when buying tires.

Don't you have to do that anyway? The spare tire is a matching spare, the wheel just doesn't match. And when I put new tires on, I got a new spare tire too, since the size was different. When it's time to put new tires on the JK, wheel have to get 5, because the spare is now 7 years old (PO didn't do a 5 tire rotation, and it's the original tire).

 

[sharpsicle]

OK, first things first: Math on a 4-tire vs 5-tire rotation strategy is a wash. We've done this many times before in many other threads and neither option saves you any more money than the other. All it does is change when you spend the money, but the amount you spend over time is the same.

As for the spare, it's an emergency use tool. The spare tire is there to get you to a tire shop so you can fix or replace your damaged main tire and put it back on. It's not something you're designed to drive on for prolonged periods. There's absolutely no shame in keeping it that way. I do understand that some prefer to have all 5 rims and tires matching, but as stated before that's an aesthetic that comes over from the Wrangler side where the spare is visible. You don't have that aesthetic concern on the Gladiator unless you're bed/rack mounting it (in which case this thread is meaningless).

For OP @mcd2484 , I will never tell you that you made a mistake buying 5 matching. It's good insurance and easy to replace should you severely damage a rim. And with those 5, a 5-tire rotation is easily justified. However, what's the reason you want to carry all 5 at the same time? Consider what I said about the intended use of the spare. If you have a blowout, could you not use the factory spare to get you home where your matching 5th lives? I think that would save you a lot of headache, and you could still do the 5-tire rotation.

 

[WILDHOBO]

Yeah, but to get that extra 20% of tire life, you have to spend an additional 25% up front when buying tires.

If you actually want to be able to use your spare to drive out of somewhere, you need the same size to not wreck your expensive gears. I’d love to see someone drive out with a 33 spare on one side and a 35 or 37 on the other and not break something way more expensive than a tire.

 

[mcd2484]

This is where I’m at.. also 5 matching is great but living in the northeast unless I wash my undercarriage daily the underneath rim will wear different from road salt and spray. These rims were 160 each and they are out of stock often keeping a spare in the box in the garage is cheap insurance for me especially if one gets messed up and they are now discontinued or severe backorder as many things are. Still why isn’t there replacement endy knobby things lol it’s a simple part for a very customizable vehicle.

 

[Mr._Bill]

If you actually want to be able to use your spare to drive out of somewhere, you need the same size to not wreck your expensive gears. I’d love to see someone drive out with a 33 spare on one side and a 35 or 37 on the other and not break something way more expensive than a tire.

If that's an issue, put the spare on the front and keep it in 2WD. Not everyone puts large tires on their Jeep.

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