Tire carrier weight and a 2 dr

[DanQuixote]

Wondering what you all think about the weight of bumper mounted tire carriers on the 2dr. I've been doing (too much) research on the topic, and have started liking the Metalcloak carrier for its low center of gravity and all-in strength. But it also weighs in at 150lbs, which, along with my 35" duratracs, is alot of weight back there. The alternatives seem to be a lighter body mount like Genrights (20lbs for aluminum) or a tailgate mounted setup like Morryde (30-40ish lbs?), which, together with a steel bumper, would probably save me, say 30-50ish lbs versus the MC. I like the idea of maximum protection (I'm a moderate wheeler but like being protected against my own mistakes) but I also like the lightest jeep possible. Any thoughts?

 

[hinrichs]

What are you running up front currently?

If you really want light weight, I would suggest alum as it will be the lightest option for sure. I had the Steel genright carrier and was very happy with it once it was adjusted properly. Only reason I switched to the evo carrier was since I wanted the corner armor.

 

[mudmobeeler]

The only thing to be careful about is the lightweight stuff and/or the aluminum stuff won't stand up as well offroad compared to their steel counterparts. So depending on the type of wheeling you do and the type of trails etc then it might be better to go steel. Aluminum stuff will get chewed up by rocks and trees and stuff.

Not discouraging you just something to think about.

 

[DanQuixote]

Thanks. I'm gonna be steel up front once I ditch the stock bumper. But something grill widthy since my long arm lift has lots of articulation. I figured I'd be strategic with the aluminum for the reasons you state.

 

[hinrichs]

What I ran on my 2 door for a long time was this. Evo 1/4 pounder and stinger, quad q9000i with synthetic up front....rear was genright steel carrier, atx slab and a trail grappler is a 37. It felt balanced front to back.

 

[Jk909]

I'm running the LOD bumper with the carrier and trail rack. I have no complaints about the weight but I'm also running aftermarket coils and shocks. If your rig is stock it may be a bit heavy.

 

[DanQuixote]

Both of those rigs look great. Im taking away that I should do front and rear at the same time, and look for roughly equivalent weights, so as to keep it feeling and looking balanced? I've got some burly clayton coils on there.