Running without a spare

The BAD Influence

The BAD Influence

Active Member
A local group we've been wheeling with has only a couple Jeeps with spares. The rest all say they've gone away from running with a spare because of the weight. Most of those are on 40s, with a few running Pitbull 42s.
They say tires that big, hanging that high up in the air causes too much off balance feel when wheeling especially steep obstacles. Also, almost all are E rated tires with extremely strong sidewalls.
Any thoughts from anyone who has dropped their spare? Do you feel more in control, less off balance? Have you been stranded with a flat?
Any thoughts on why or why not you'd ever consider running without a spare?

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Napalm

Napalm

New member
I would never run without a spare. Just my opinion, but nothing sounds like more fun than being out in the middle of nowhere and breaking a bead or popping a tire and being screwed with a capitol S.

I wouldn't think the weight could be a concern. Even with that much weight on the rear, you have a ton of weight in the front from your engine. But then again, I'm not an engineer so I'm not sure how it truly affects it. Plus, in my opinion, a Jeep looks "odd" without a spare on the rear. Like a dog without a tail!

Just my two cents. :)


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gheller

gheller

New member
I've been seeing a few Jeeps in my area running without a spare. It just seems like a "fashion trend" here.
I've seen a Rubicon JK with a 48" hi lift on the hood and no spare, doesn't make sense.
I don't think any weight advantage would make up for the security of having a spare when needed.


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cmireles

cmireles

Member
Think of all the big guys on here running on 40's. I think if the pros outweighed the "cons" then a lot more of them would be ditching the spare. As napalm said, I doubt weight is truly an issue. A lot of the fully built rigs are easily 6000+ pounds when loaded. If it really bothers them that much then throw it in the back. Also, shit happens. Our tires can be tough but there not bulletproof.

Running without a spare on the road is kinda silly to me but running no spare on the trails - that's just not a good idea.

To each their own I guess, just make sure you have someone with the same tire/bolt pattern as you that's willing to share their spare in an emergency.


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RSQCON

RSQCON

Member
I think there is a time and place for not running a spare. If you are on the slick rock in Moab the likely hood of damaging your tire beyond repair is slim to none. If you are up in the High Sierras where the rocks tend to be more jagged well that's a time to be concerned. When you get into 40+" tires that is a lot of weight hanging off the back end. On level ground no big deal but as the angle of the vehicle changes that tire can act as more leverage causing your Jeep to do things you didn't intend to happen. If you don't run a spare I suggest you come prepared with a tire repair kit, compressor, bottle or hi jack lift and as mentioned ideally someone in your group is running the same size tire and bolt pattern.
 
2Cross

2Cross

Caught the Bug
RSQCON said:
I think there is a time and place for not running a spare. If you are on the slick rock in Moab the likely hood of damaging your tire beyond repair is slim to none. If you are up in the High Sierras where the rocks tend to be more jagged well that's a time to be concerned. When you get into 40+" tires that is a lot of weight hanging off the back end. On level ground no big deal but as the angle of the vehicle changes that tire can act as more leverage causing your Jeep to do things you didn't intend to happen. If you don't run a spare I suggest you come prepared with a tire repair kit, compressor, bottle or hi jack lift and as mentioned ideally someone in your group is running the same size tire and bolt pattern.
Click to expand...

This ^^ is how I do it. Great explanation rsqcon
It has saved me from rolling over
I always carry a spare if I'm alone



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13_gecko_rubi

13_gecko_rubi

Caught the Bug
I don't have a spare on mine but I live on the east coast. I have tire patch kit and onboard air in the Jeep for when running around town etc. and when we wheel we are in parks mainly here. I have my spare in the truck and if I need it I am never more than a mile from it and can patch tire good enough to get back to it. I don't do it for the weight, I do it because it's kind of nice being able to actually see out the back. I don't think my 150ish lb 40/machette makes much of a difference on my 6000lb JKU. At least not that I've ever noticed.

Now that said, whenever I go out west or to larger parks in KY or TN or if I drive the Jeep to the off road parks locally, I always carry my spare in it.

I guess you could say I carry it when I should and don't when I don't feel the need (my view of need that is :) ). If I lived out west and was always going to excursions far out I would have it mounted up all the time.


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Basscat

Basscat

Member
The odds of bad damage to a tire that can't be repaired are probably pretty low but man what a bitch it would be if you blew out a sidewall on a 40 out in the middle of nowhere or at the beginning of a weeklong trip with no replacement to be found anywhere! Even a 40 only weighs about 125lbs all mounted up. That's like a kid sitting on the rear of your jeep. Unless you're doing some real BFE technical stuff I don't see where a spare would hurt you.


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BobNH

BobNH

Member
I always carry my spare. No groups I run with allow you on a run without one, nor will I on the runs I set up, plus I see no reason not to have it on the back. I have no reference point for those running 40's though.

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IBSMSHN

IBSMSHN

New member
Napalm said:
I would never run without a spare. Just my opinion, but nothing sounds like more fun than being out in the middle of nowhere and breaking a bead or popping a tire and being screwed with a capitol S.

I wouldn't think the weight could be a concern. Even with that much weight on the rear, you have a ton of weight in the front from your engine. But then again, I'm not an engineer so I'm not sure how it truly affects it. Plus, in my opinion, a Jeep looks "odd" without a spare on the rear. Like a dog without a tail!

Just my two cents. :)


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Click to expand...

[emoji1360]


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zimm

zimm

Caught the Bug
I don't like driving on the highway with a spare-less car on run flats and road side assist.
 
Hammmerhead

Hammmerhead

Member
Everything is lovely until you need one. Having said that, I don't run a spare. I just keep plugs, compressor, jack and starting fluid with me. Even if I had a spare, I could never get a 40X15.50 re-hung on the back of my rig by myself anyway, I would just have to hide it in the damn bushes. Its just another roll of the dice.
 
10abadilla/jk

10abadilla/jk

New member
I've run a couple times without a spare and have been fine. The only reason I did is because the stock carrier tore my door up with larger tires. That being said like bigcale said it's better to have it and not need it then to need it and not have it. All in all I now run with a spare and an after market tire carrier. Id say keep the spare on.

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Sahara_Maverick

Sahara_Maverick

New member
It depends on where you will go and what's on the ground. In Australia some folks run with two spares because the twigs are hard enough to ruin a tire unrepairable on the trail. I always run with a spare and also carry an ARB tire repair kit.


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Turbotastic

Turbotastic

New member
I always have and always will run a spare in my Jeeps. It also balances out the weight distribution nicely and personally I think it looks odd, even ugly, without it.
 
croge17

croge17

New member
I eat up more wheels than I do tires. Carrying a spare not only saves you from tire damage but also from bent or cracked beads that will no longer hold air.
 
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