Pros and cons of no rear bumper

seanb33

seanb33

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Hi there,

I am looking into tire carriers for my 2012 jku sport that will be running 35's very soon. I was looking at the teraflex heavy duty tire carrier, no rear bumper and the EVO d ring mounts.

-What are the pros and cons of no rear bumper on street and offroad use?

-Should I save up for a full bumper and tire carrier instead like the new poison spyder one?

Thanks,
Sean
 
OverlanderJK

OverlanderJK

Resident Smartass
No bumper is what I run so I will respond to that.

Pros - less weight, better departure angle, tow points with the d ring mounts

Cons - can't run a "cheaper" carrier, less protection in an accident, some don't think it looks complete

As for the cheaper carrier comment, I mean a swing out bumper mount carrier. With no rear bumper you are looking at a grand or more for a good tire carrier (EVO, genright). With a bumper you can get a complete LOD for around $1000 or less I believe.
 
seanb33

seanb33

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OverlanderJK said:
No bumper is what I run so I will respond to that.

Pros - less weight, better departure angle, tow points with the d ring mounts

Cons - can't run a "cheaper" carrier, less protection in an accident, some don't think it looks complete

As for the cheaper carrier comment, I mean a swing out bumper mount carrier. With no rear bumper you are looking at a grand or more for a good tire carrier (EVO, genright). With a bumper you can get a complete LOD for around $1000 or less I believe.
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Thanks the the quick reply! What are your thoughts on the newish teraflex tire carrier? It's between that($700) and no bumper or saving up $1700 for the poison spyder single action tire carrier. And as far as protection, will just having a spare on the back and no bumper help absorb some of the impact?

Thanks
 
OverlanderJK

OverlanderJK

Resident Smartass
There is a thread on here about that tire carrier. Look it up. I would link you but I'm on my phone.

As for protection the tire won't really give you much. In fact I would prefer to get hit on the frame and have no damage then hit the tire and mess up the tub and gate.
 
seanb33

seanb33

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OverlanderJK said:
There is a thread on here about that tire carrier. Look it up. I would link you but I'm on my phone.

As for protection the tire won't really give you much. In fact I would prefer to get hit on the frame and have no damage then hit the tire and mess up the tub and gate.
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Gotcha, I haven't heard anything bad about the carrier besides that one cracked weld issue. I figure the frame is about as strong as any bumper out there, correct? But there is less body protection without a bumper. With some of these awful SoCal drivers, maybe I should save for the full bumper and tire carrier. All though I like the look of no rear bumper
 
OverlanderJK

OverlanderJK

Resident Smartass
There are a lot of us SoCal guys that run no rear bumper.

And that weld is a big issue in my opinion. I would look elsewhere for a carrier personally. You can get the genright aluminum carrier for like $900.

You should try and make it to the suds n grub at noble on the 25th and check out some of the rigs there if you can. Lots of different setups to look at.
 
seanb33

seanb33

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OverlanderJK said:
There are a lot of us SoCal guys that run no rear bumper.

And that weld is a big issue in my opinion. I would look elsewhere for a carrier personally. You can get the genright aluminum carrier for like $900.
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I will continue to look into it some more, just trying to get some feedback from those who do not run a rear bumper. Thank you for your help! I have been to 2 of the suds and grubs at noble. I saw many nice rigs there, including a black one with 37's, teraflex tire carrier and no rear bumper (where I got the idea from)
 
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StrizzyChris

StrizzyChris

New member
OR fab also makes a tire carrier similar to genright,but the tire mounts on the outside rather than the inside. its also cheaper. I have seen it in person and its pretty sturdy looking. Im actually getting it used myself! :thumb: Ill post pics when I do
 
dchew

dchew

Caught the Bug
I have exactly what you describe: Teraflex, no bumper, EVO D ring mounts. I bought the TF carrier before the report of a breakage; If that remains the only report of failure, then I think it is a good option with a few notes:
  1. I added a safety strap that goes from the tire to the passenger side D-ring. I would not run this carrier without a backup strap.
  2. Your wheel backspacing needs to be enough so the tire reaches the carrier. 3.5" will not work. I have 4.625" so it works.
  3. An exposed tire can catch rocks on steep departure angles. If you have the trailer hitch then you will hit that first before the tire, but there are still situations where you could hit the tire. That would be bad.
The problem with the backspace limit is that many lifts, including the EVO coilovers, require 3.5" of backspace (I have to run wheel spacers with my setup). So the TF tire carrier does not work with arguably the most popular wheels, ATX slabs. The right bumper would help with #3, so that is one problem with the combination you are considering. A bumper would essentially "protect" the tire from getting hit.

Dave
 
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wayoflife

wayoflife

Administrator
Staff member
seanb33 said:
Hi there,

I am looking into tire carriers for my 2012 jku sport that will be running 35's very soon. I was looking at the teraflex heavy duty tire carrier, no rear bumper and the EVO d ring mounts.

-What are the pros and cons of no rear bumper on street and offroad use?

-Should I save up for a full bumper and tire carrier instead like the new poison spyder one?

Thanks,
Sean
Click to expand...

It really depends on how you plan on using your jeep. There are a lot of pros to having a bumper/tire carrier and, I might still be running one if not for the fact that I just like the look of not having one. The pros of NOT having one is weight savings and better departure angles but, unless you have a stout tire carrier like what EVO makes, you'll leave your spare exposed and open to serious damage - trust me, I have seen in happen. I would not recommend the TF tire carrier if only because it is so expensive for what you get. For the money, you will be close to getting something much better. Of course, there is the break I have seen on it and to be clear, it wasn't the weld that broke.
 
seanb33

seanb33

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StrizzyChris said:
OR fab also makes a tire carrier similar to genright,but the tire mounts on the outside rather than the inside. its also cheaper. I have seen it in person and its pretty sturdy looking. Im actually getting it used myself! :thumb: Ill post pics when I do
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I will look into those! Please post pics when you get it, I'd love to see it. Thanks
 
seanb33

seanb33

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dchew said:
I have exactly what you describe: Teraflex, no bumper, EVO D ring mounts. I bought the TF carrier before the report of a breakage; If that remains the only report of failure, then I think it is a good option with a few notes:
  1. I added a safety strap that goes from the tire to the passenger side D-ring. I would not run this carrier without a backup strap.
  2. Your wheel backspacing needs to be enough so the tire reaches the carrier. 3.5" will not work. I have 4.625" so it works.
  3. An exposed tire can catch rocks on steep departure angles. If you have the trailer hitch then you will hit that first before the tire, but there are still situations where you could hit the tire. That would be bad.
The problem with the backspace limit is that many lifts, including the EVO coilovers, require 3.5" of backspace (I have to run wheel spacers with my setup). So the TF tire carrier does not work with arguably the most popular wheels, ATX slabs. The right bumper would help with #3, so that is one problem with the combination you are considering. A bumper would essentially "protect" the tire from getting hit.

Dave
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Dave,

Thanks for your response, it's just the info I've been looking for. My wheels are 4.75 backspace so I believe they should be fine on the carrier, and I do not have a tow hitch on my jk. But my tire will definitely be exposed which I don't really think is a great idea... I wish the evo tire carrier didn't look so goofy with a 35 in it! By the sound of it, teraflex does not sound like the best choice

Thanks,
Sean
 
seanb33

seanb33

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wayoflife said:
It really depends on how you plan on using your jeep. There are a lot of pros to having a bumper/tire carrier and, I might still be running one if not for the fact that I just like the look of not having one. The pros of NOT having one is weight savings and better departure angles but, unless you have a stout tire carrier like what EVO makes, you'll leave your spare exposed and open to serious damage - trust me, I have seen in happen. I would not recommend the TF tire carrier if only because it is so expensive for what you get. For the money, you will be close to getting something much better. Of course, there is the break I have seen on it and to be clear, it wasn't the weld that broke.
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I don't think the departure angle is going to be that big of a deal for me, I don't plan on doing that serious of wheeling but you never know. I too like the look of no rear bumper but I know what you mean by without a carrier like Evo makes, the tire and rear will be vulnerable to alot of damage. The teraflex does seem a bit expensive and I don't like the fact that it is not American made. But I will continue my research as I gather enough money to buy a carrier! Thanks for your help, hopefully I'll see you at suds and grub

Thanks,
Sean
 
OverlanderJK

OverlanderJK

Resident Smartass
StrizzyChris said:
OR fab also makes a tire carrier similar to genright,but the tire mounts on the outside rather than the inside. its also cheaper. I have seen it in person and its pretty sturdy looking. Im actually getting it used myself! :thumb: Ill post pics when I do
Click to expand...

ORFab make both. They make it where the tire mounts on the inside and the outside.
 
mattdenney07

mattdenney07

New member
OverlanderJK said:
ORFab make both. They make it where the tire mounts on the inside and the outside.
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I swore up and down they did too, but unless they discontinued them or something, I couldn't find the ones that mount on the inside on their website. Still love the look of their carriers though.
 
seanb33

seanb33

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mattdenney07 said:
I swore up and down they did too, but unless they discontinued them or something, I couldn't find the ones that mount on the inside on their website. Still love the look of their carriers though.
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Yea, I could not find one that the tire mounts to the inside on their website. I think I would like the look of that better
 
seanb33

seanb33

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StrizzyChris said:
I thought the only variation was one with or without Jerry cans inside the carrier. The one I'm getting is with them.

Sent from a migrant connectivity device
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From their website they have a Jerry can holder or a rotopax holder, the rotopax carrier is a bit slimmer
 
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