drcre8tive

I run a Cooper Discoverer STT 35 X 12.50 R17 on my stock tailgate without any issues...

I do treat it a bit more gentle with regards to slamming the gate, but otherwise no bending, bowing or such. I also have no rear bumper on at all, so that allows more clearance, Clarence. Also be careful when you torq it down, as the tire will push back against the 3rd brake light... but mine peeks out over the top of the tire just enough to be visible.

I wheel it pretty hard, at Superlift and locally, so it takes some abuse.

JKswede

I just took my spare 35 tire off after almost a year and a half on there. It had started to put dents in the tailgate from the weight. It also rattled something aweful so it was time to take it off and just wait untill i had the money for a new bumper with tire carrier. When i took it off I was amazed at how light the actual tailgate is in it self. It weighs nothing compared to the 35 wheel and tire. Now there is no more rattling at all. You can have it on there for a while but it's just a matter of time before it finaly wears down from the weight.

sanjosebass

Someone PM'ed me and suggested that if I was going to use the tailgate for my 315/70/17 Duratrac that I should purchase some daystar tailgate bumpstops. From my understanding these would help distribute the weight on the gate since the new wheel will likely have a different backspacing. Not sure how much these are going to help in the long run but for as cheap as they are I'm willing to give them a try while I save the $$ to get a carrier.

Just google them and you should find them....

WindMeUp

I took the rather safe than sorry approach. If everything goes great running it on stock - awesome, but if it doesn't, it's going to cost you more than the carrier to buy a new tailgate, and you still won't have a carrier!

Buy the OR-Fab carrier, it's cheaper than the rest and is amazingly strong. I can stand on my carrier with the 100 lb. tire mounted on there with no issues.

JK Dawg

Or just keep the stock spare and in the rare chance that you have a flat you can't fix with a plug kit, just use it to limp on home with open diffs. You'll also save the cost of a new 35" tire, which can be put into your new bumper fund.

Husteds74

I have a simple way to stay legal when mount an over sized spare. I purchased a 2 in marker light at the auto parts store for $5. I then tapped into the factory wiring and then just force the light into the center cap hole.

Mastiff

Are there really laws on the books in all states about the third light? I figured it was a manufacturer thing. I tore mine off my TJ on day 1 and never had an issue.

rhmiller

On my previous Jeep running 33" x 12.5" tires, I cracked the tire mount, bent the hinges, and cracked the body where the tail gate closes. Jeeps were just never built to handle the extra weight of the larger spares... especially the additional weight in a dynamic load with bumps and jolts (pot holes in your case).