Having a spare tire is important. Whether it’s a donut tire or a full-sized spare tire, it’s good to have one in the back of your vehicle just in case. But what do you do if you don’t have space in the back for a spare? You can buy a tire patch kit instead or, if you’re in a city with repair shops along every road, you can even choose to go without a spare altogether. But there’s a sense of security in having a spare tire ready, especially if you’re planning to go off-roading. Thankfully, you don’t always have to store your tire in the back if you don’t have room. You can install a spare tire mount instead.
A spare is a set of metal bars, plates, and fasteners that keep your spare tire mounted to your vehicle. Consider the following when picking a tire mount to install:
First, you need to think about where you want your spare tire mounted. What are the available options for your vehicle? Is there space in the trunk or on the roof?
How secure and stable will the tire be in the area that you choose? Depending on the type of spare tire you have, certain locations aren’t suitable. Think about how much wear and tear will result from having a heavy tire mounted to a passenger door, for instance. Consider what would happen if the mount fails. Make sure that wherever you choose to mount the spare tire is secure and stable enough to hold it properly.
Next, let’s take a look at practicality. You can mount a tire underneath your cargo area, but it will affect your vehicle’s ground clearance. Ground clearance is especially important for off-roading, so having a spare tire mounted under the cargo space of an offroadster might not be the best idea.
Similarly, while you can mount a tire to the hood of your vehicle, doing so impedes visibility. Think about where it’s most practical to mount your spare tire.
Finally, consider the spare tire’s weight. A spare donut tire mounted to a roof rack shouldn’t cause too much trouble, but a heavier off-roading tire can throw off the vehicle’s center of gravity, affecting its handling. You might also need to reinforce the area you mount the tire to if it’s especially heavy.
Determine what kind of spare tire you’ll be hauling. Not all tire mounts fit all tires. Find the tire’s bolt pattern and bolt circle so that you can pick the right mount. While universal spare tire mounts exist, it’s best to keep these measurements in mind when shopping.
If you have nice wheels and your spare tire is mounted to a nice wheel, you may want to get a wheel lock to keep someone from taking it.
–Anthony Harlin, ASE Certified Master Automobile Technician
There’s a wide range of tire mount types out there. Some are more suited for certain purposes than others, and some are plain bad ideas.
Spare tire hitch mounts attach to a vehicle’s hitch and hold the tire over the vehicle’s back. These hitches provide easy access to the spare tire and don’t severely affect clearance and departure angles. Jeep and Ford offer hitch-mounted external spare tires, and aftermarket hitches are also available with swing-out features that can also hold jerry cans and other tools. But these hitches can be heavy, and the tire is left exposed to the elements if you don’t protect it with a weatherproof cover.
Bumper mounts attach via a set of long, two-headed, U-shaped bolts called U-bolts. These bolts go around the bumper and into the tire mount to keep it in place. These are a great spare tire mount for trailers as well as regular vehicles.
Roof rack mounts are a popular option if you don’t want to install an aftermarket hitch mount. Many roof rack manufacturers make their product compatible with various tire mounts to suit crossover utility vehicles (CUVs). These mounts do make your vehicle more top-heavy though, which means it’s less aerodynamic and more susceptible to rolls. Keep tire weight in mind when deciding on this mount.
Truck bed spare tire mounts attach your spare tire to your truck bed. Some drivers even install two mounts to hold two spare tires. It doesn’t affect ground clearance or top-heaviness, and it provides easy access to the spares in case you need to roll them out to replace a flat. However, it does eat up your truck bed space.
If you’re towing a trailer or a boat along, you might want to consider a tongue and frame mount. These attach to any part of the trailer’s metal frame. The mount part goes on one side of a free trailer beam, and a set of long, narrow pieces go through the other side to hold the mount in place. Some models use U-bolts instead. Make sure that the mounted tire doesn’t affect the payload or how the trailer moves when towed.
Land Rover Defenders used to have their spare tires mounted to their hoods. But the once-popular yet impractical hood mounts have gone out of fashion now. The mounted tire interfered with visibility on steep inclines and descents, and the hood mount left the spare tire exposed to the elements and the engine heat coming from the engine bay.
Spare tire mount kits offer a lot of convenience. Tire mount kits come with everything you need, and they have different variants depending on what kind of tire mount you need. Buying the mount alone sometimes isn’t enough, and you might need to return to the automotive store multiple times if you find you need a piece you don’t have in your garage.
Spare tire mounts are an excellent way to carry a full spare tire without losing storage space. Whether you’re looking for a spare tire mount for your trailer or your off-roader, we hope this guide’s proved useful. Now that you’re more familiar with spare tire mounts, you can decide what type will best suit your vehicle.
Any information provided on this Website is for informational purposes only and is not intended to replace consultation with a professional mechanic. The accuracy and timeliness of the information may change from the time of publication.