Adding a full size spare

Discussion in 'Renegade Wheels & Tires' started by aclaypigeon, Jan 21, 2018.

  1. aclaypigeon

    aclaypigeon New Member

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    I'd imagine there are many other people in the same boat as me who opened the hatch of their Renegade after their purchase to see whether they had a full size spare or a donut, only to find nothing but the inflator. I have the Renegade 4x4 Sport model. Something about this vehicle not having a full size spare, let alone no spare at all, seems so wrong to me. Who would ever want to hit trails of any kind with only an inflator as backup? Clearly I had to do something about this.

    Luckily the rear compartment of the sport model has plenty of space to fit a full size spare. One can be added with very little modifications. I thought I'd share my journey to get this added with you.

    Supplies for this are very straightforward. I went on tirerack.com, ordered up the cheapest tire I could find, had it shipped to me already mounted and balanced on a steel rim for $160. Next I would need some sort of way to get this on and off, so I bought a breaker bar and 17mm deep socket, $20. For a jack, I could have bought any old scissor jack, but I wanted the official renegade jack so that it would match up just right with the pinch weld in use, $80 from the dealership. All set!

    I removed everything from the back of the Jeep. Inserting the tire into the rear upsidedown allows the original nut and washer to be used to secure the spare. I added a layer of rubber under that washer to prevent metal to metal rubbing on the rim.

    1.jpg

    I wanted to still be able to carry around the inflator, so I modified the existing foam that it sits in to fit inside the spare tire rim. Not only does this fit slick, but it also creates compartments to add random things.

    2.jpg

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    I also cut the lower mat to fit around the spare, and placed all my random tools and whatever else I want to carry in bags to eliminate rattling and help organize.

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    That's it! Now I feel ready for anything knowing that I not only have a full size spare, but also the inflator, in case I get into some kind of crazy double flat situation - believe me it happens, happened to my brother a couple years ago in the middle of Alaska, and that was no short wait for a rescue!

    Obviously not everything I've done here is totally necessary, but I wanted to be sure to share my story here with anyone else this may help. Good luck!
     
  2. persquank

    persquank Active Member

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    Pretty smart to re-use the foam inside the tire. I have a 225/75R16 tire and it still fits in that spot no problem.
     
  3. Mr Leroy

    Mr Leroy Member

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    Perhaps I missed the obvious, but can you still place the luggage compartment floor panel over the tire and accessories? ...and does it rest in the same location or does it ride a bit high?

    Nice job and documentation.
     
    JohnnyD likes this.
  4. persquank

    persquank Active Member

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    The thicker, upper floor goes in just fine. There is a lower floor that covers that foam organizer which I didn't put back in mine.
     
    JohnnyD likes this.
  5. JohnnyD

    JohnnyD New Member

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    Hey this is great help...TY for the post and the backup from you other guys
     
    IDoMy0wnRacing likes this.
  6. Jeep Ride

    Jeep Ride New Member

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    Good info thanks for posting.
     
  7. durdad

    durdad New Member

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  8. Gary

    Gary New Member

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    Like @aclaypigeon, I was shocked to find that there wasn't a spare tire in my 2019 4x4 Sport. I found a vendor on ebay ( https://go.skimresources.com/?id=13...3b23e1142c863&xjsf=other_click__touchstart [] ) that had a steel rim that would fit for $66 delivered. They're about $80 now. I bought a tire at Walmart for about $100 and a jack from Amazon. I had a 17mm socket & Harbor Freight got me the breaker bar. All together the cost was about $200-$225. It'll be a bit more now but it's still worth it for the peace of mind.
    I kept the spare when I totaled the Sport for use in the new 2022 Altitude. The new car has 225/55TR18 tires but it turns out that the diameter of the spare is within 3 or 4mm of being the same as the tires on the car. Close enough for a spare tire, a lot closer than a donut tire anyway.
     

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