Smudgeontheglass

I learned with my carrier that you cannot use a blanking plate like that with a Hard Top. You absolutely need the vent on the back to be able to use the heater or A/C to any effect. Is there another way around it or have all of these installs been with a soft top in use?

BFYTW

So I found my "THUNK" it wasn't the tire carrier at all. I have the CC skinny rear bumper. The hitch pocket was bumping the body right where the drain plug in the Jack storage is. The weight of the spare on the body was making the two contact. I tapped the drain area up about 1/4" and it fixed my issue. Mine is now completely silent no matter the terrain. Love it.

LoneWolf

You can drill a large-diameter hole in the steel plate and install a vent cap (like this: http://www.drumalarm.com/ventcap.html) to allow airflow without promoting water ingress. I haven't done this yet, but even with my soft top, it's a borderline necessity. I do wish CC had pre-cut a vent in the tailgate plate.

LoneWolf

I'm glad you found the source. I'm using the factory hitch, so that can't be my issue. Mine definitely improved significantly when I tightened the swing arm to the door. But mine's close to being as tight as it will go and, more importantly, is already past the recommended spec, so I don't want to exceed the bushing's stretch tolerance. I've yet to hit the trails since I installed my bumper-tire carrier (such a travesty!), but if it moves a lot off pavement, I'll make another adjustment.

Punkyn13

What is the issue you guys are running into with air flow? I havent noticed any real difference in the AC/Heat functions in the jeep since installing the CC carrier. We have the premium sailcloth soft top. We also built a rear enclosure for the cargo area. But we havent noticed any reduction in airflow.

We have to keep ours tightened down pretty tight or we get that "thunk" on bigger bumps. At this point I think it has worn in enough that tightening doesn't make the carrier any stiffer to open or close. But it overall does take some force to move. It def doesn't glide like I have seen in some youtube videos. I would imagine that the guys in the video probably went back after driving it for the first time and ended up tightening up their carriers quite a bit more. I wish CC could come up with a retrofit kit that maybe used some sort of bearing setup instead of the poly bushing. I would like to be able to open and close the tailgate while having stuff in my hands without having to put my shoulder against the tire!

LoneWolf

The factory vent in the tailgate is designed to allow air to pass through the cabin and out the back. With it blocked, the HVAC motor has to work harder due to the back-pressure Turn on your AC -- not on recirculate -- and stand outside the Jeep with the doors shut. See how the top balloons out? That's your back-pressure showing itself. Unzip a window, and the ballooning disappears. There are numerous folks out there who say running this way will cause premature motor failure, and others who notice their A/C or heat won't blow with any force while the vent is plugged.

Punkyn13

So I ran the air for a while and im not getting the puffing of the soft top that you guys mentioned. Im not sure if it has to do with the cloth type our top is made from, or maybe because of the rear cargo area cover I made. The cargo area is fully enclosed, but has vents cut in it to allow the sound from the subs to pass. So im not sure if that kind of creates a place for cabin air to pass back and forth enough to keep things with the air going or not. But I ran it on high fan totally closed up for about 30-40 minutes while I was working on some exterior stuff and never saw a change in the windows or top. Maybe we just have a leaky jeep! But Ill def keep an eye on this and see if things change. Im sure there is an easy solution, I do wish CC would have been the ones to come up with it though. This seems to be a product that may have gotten rushed into production and sale before it had been fully tested and researched and had all the little kinks worked out.
I still have to say that I am overall pleased with the carrier though.

Here is our rear deck cover. It is technically still a sealed cabin, but not sure if this deck with vents makes any difference and accounts at all for why we dont get that puffing.

tj2jkrubi

I just got my CC tire carrier installed. Like is mentioned before, right now it is tight to open and close the tailgate. I need to do some fine tuning to it and see if I can get it better. The clearances are definitely tight. I did end up using the license plate mount and put on an Off Road Only license plate light with 3rd brake light. I am very happy with the install, zero rattles or noises and it carries my 35" Nitto Trail Grappler on an aluminum 17" wheel with ease. I painted the rack myself and I am happy with how well they cleaned up the welds and I actually do not mind the tight fit of the hinges.

Ghostjku0910

Have you taken it off-road after the install? Curious to hear if it make any noise . Being that it still mounts to body I'm worried over time it will start to move around

sa29560

Mine is going rock solid after 8 months.

The op has had their carrier a bit longer than I've had mine. I'll definitely post some experiences with mine in the coming months as another season of smashing through the mountains begins.

I want to get a larger tire on it as well, maybe a 37 or 38 (closer to 37) to get more weight on the actual mounting plate.