Serious question about tire placement on the spare carrier

I keep seeing guys mount their spare tire on the rear bumper and then complain about rear visibility. Like... yeah. You put a 35 inch tire right in the middle of your rear window. What did you expect? I run a swing out carrier on my 1998 Tacoma and I keep the tire low. Below the window line. Took me an afternoon to figure out the right bracket position. Now I can actually see behind me. Also helps with the center of gravity if you ask me. Anyone else run a low mount spare or am I the odd one out here?

2 comments

2 Comments

verap5221d agoMost Upvoted

My 2001 4Runner has a swing out on a custom fabbed bumper and I run mine low too, right at the bumper level. Had to extend the arm 4 inches to clear the hitch but its worth it. I can actually use my rearview mirror and my back up camera still works. Plus the weight is down where it belongs. Too many folks bolt that thing up high like a trophy and then wonder why their tailgate sags.

jana_ellis9521d ago

Oh man, I feel this so hard. I mounted my spare up high on my old XJ once, thinking I was being all cool and functional, and ended up almost needing a chiropractor after every trip because the tailgate groaned like it was about to fall off. Plus, trying to parallel park with that thing blocking half my view? I literally backed into a dumpster because I couldn't see it. So now I've got it sitting low on a swing out too, and it's like a whole new world - I can actually see out the back and not worry about my hatch hinges snapping. But of course, the first time I opened it after the low mount, my hitch scraped a parking curb and I felt like a real genius.