I have an OME Lift on order and I am debating what tires to install with the lift. I am keeping the stock Trail Teams TRD wheels and I want a full size spare tire. I was wondering whether the OEM spare tire carrier has enough clearance to hold a bigger tire as is, or if I am going to have to buy an aftermarket rear bumper to get the clearance I need for the bigger tire and/or some sort of kit for the carrier itself. If I do need a new bumper, I was leaning towards Demello since I have their front bumper. Any thoughts on the Demello rear bumper, or any other recomendations would be great. Tire reccomendations would be great too. Thanks guys.
OEM Spare Tire Carrier Clearance
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Welcome!!
285/70R17's should fit fine (or 285/75R16's depending on rim size)- these would be 33" tires . I have the 255/80R17's- (33.3" tires) (255/85R16's if needed) in the BFG KM2's and those work on almost any terrain and really wear well. They make them in the 285 size but cost more and at that time i was just looking for clearance and the "pizza cutters" did that well. They do look a litle strange without wheel spacers but do the trick (look like an old postal jeep).
As far as brand and style you will get a million different answers. All I can say is if you can get together with some other FJ owners, you should be able to ride in theirs and see what you like. I like loud mud tires (howling!), some like quite tires but want all terrain. Main thing to consider and most dont, is wear. You will spean a lot on tires and if there made only for mud and wear out in 10K- your out a lot of money. If you like quite tires stick with tread patterns that have the treads interlocked (connected) otherwise go with sepparated treads (blocks) and you will get more noise but better cleaning of the tread in mud. I dont play in the mud (like rocks better) so my tires are for climbing, but most are multi- purpose.
Otherwise with size comes the rub. Depending on which tire you choose, you may have to cut off you "ears"... The Body mount chop (known as the BMC here on the forum) is removing those two "bumps" that protrude into the wheel well behind the front tires (behind those plastic flaps). The body mounts are your biggest problem at that point but can be easily removed with a multitude of tools. Not that difficult- you just have to build up the want to cut parts off your truck. For me it was the fact that my 35's wouldnt fit and then they just got cut off. took me less than 5-10 minutes a side.
Best of luck to you and Semper Fi
:cheers:
285/70R17's should fit fine (or 285/75R16's depending on rim size)- these would be 33" tires . I have the 255/80R17's- (33.3" tires) (255/85R16's if needed) in the BFG KM2's and those work on almost any terrain and really wear well. They make them in the 285 size but cost more and at that time i was just looking for clearance and the "pizza cutters" did that well. They do look a litle strange without wheel spacers but do the trick (look like an old postal jeep).
As far as brand and style you will get a million different answers. All I can say is if you can get together with some other FJ owners, you should be able to ride in theirs and see what you like. I like loud mud tires (howling!), some like quite tires but want all terrain. Main thing to consider and most dont, is wear. You will spean a lot on tires and if there made only for mud and wear out in 10K- your out a lot of money. If you like quite tires stick with tread patterns that have the treads interlocked (connected) otherwise go with sepparated treads (blocks) and you will get more noise but better cleaning of the tread in mud. I dont play in the mud (like rocks better) so my tires are for climbing, but most are multi- purpose.
Otherwise with size comes the rub. Depending on which tire you choose, you may have to cut off you "ears"... The Body mount chop (known as the BMC here on the forum) is removing those two "bumps" that protrude into the wheel well behind the front tires (behind those plastic flaps). The body mounts are your biggest problem at that point but can be easily removed with a multitude of tools. Not that difficult- you just have to build up the want to cut parts off your truck. For me it was the fact that my 35's wouldnt fit and then they just got cut off. took me less than 5-10 minutes a side.
Best of luck to you and Semper Fi
:cheers:
Awesome, that'll save me about a grand on the bumper that I can put towards other things. I was leaning towards some 285/75R16 BFG AT's. I know that they are kind of cliche and plain for offroad tires these days, but I do a lot of interstate driving between home in Georgia and my duty station in North Carolina. So I need a decent amount of on-road comfort and I'm not sure what other tires could beat those for a good balance between on-road and off-road performance.
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Those are great tires! My buddy saw 68,000 miles on his 3/4 ton Dodge PU with those tires. Nice and quiet but could do well in the loose stuff too. Another option is the Nitto Terra grapplers (spelling?). They did offer a 50K mile warranty.
Just for your information, Ive got over 30,000 miles on my KM2's and they still have over 9/32's left (18/32's new). They hold up but do get louder with age and heat cycling. Still use them for my long hauls and the 35's are just for scooting around till the others are worn out.
Best of luck to you.
:cheers:
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For what its worth I know a few guys that have flipped the spare tire carrier upside down which makes the spare fit at a slight angle and they have a 35 in. tire and it clears the back bumper.
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458 Posts
I did the same ....
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Yes, but you`ll lose the cover, which is a good thing :lol:
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You can do what I'm doing and what others have done if you want to. Just find a pre back-up camera tire carrier and swap them out. Then relocate the camera and run a center cap. It looks a million times better.. I found a used carrier for $25 and it's on the way. I'll post pics once I've got it installed. I'm also trying to decide between the old BFG AT's or the KM2's.. I just finished a round trip out to Idaho and back from Pennsylvania so 5k miles on my stock BFG Rugged Trails were nice. Guys give them sh*t because they don't look cool, but I got great performance from them on and off road.
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Steel rim with bfg km2 285/70/R17
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403 Posts
By using a wheel spacer (I used spidertrax), I fit a 35" tire, with clearance top and bottom. Also gained the 6 lug appearance. Don't know about the back up cam, my FJ is a dinosuar.
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