katuah
Adventurer
Would like to ask for opinions on this from the ExPo community, who tend to use their XJs a little differently than the rock crawler/wheeler community. I've been keeping my 31 spare in the rear hatch, strapped down for safety, but I'd like to reclaim the space for longer trips and to build the sleeping platform I've talked about before on here.
I just picked up a nice roof rack for pretty cheap, with spare tire mount, hi-lift mount, light tabs etc. My rear bumper is the OR-Fab XJ tube bumper, which I absolutely love, for strength to weight ratio, corner panel protection, and just plain looks, but it does not come with a tire carrier option. I think I see a way to fab up a tire carrier for it, but I don't weld and I'm sure it will cost a bloody fortune to get something like that custom-made. However, I know I'm going to be seriously eating it in terms of wind resistance with the tire etc on the roof rack. So, I open the floor: Which do you prefer, tire on top rack or tire on back, and why?
![jeep_small.jpg jeep_small.jpg](https://expeditionportal.com/forum/data/attachments/71/71361-4d6ccf311f7d64a5f007a2e3b159ca6d.jpg)
I just picked up a nice roof rack for pretty cheap, with spare tire mount, hi-lift mount, light tabs etc. My rear bumper is the OR-Fab XJ tube bumper, which I absolutely love, for strength to weight ratio, corner panel protection, and just plain looks, but it does not come with a tire carrier option. I think I see a way to fab up a tire carrier for it, but I don't weld and I'm sure it will cost a bloody fortune to get something like that custom-made. However, I know I'm going to be seriously eating it in terms of wind resistance with the tire etc on the roof rack. So, I open the floor: Which do you prefer, tire on top rack or tire on back, and why?
![jeep_small.jpg jeep_small.jpg](https://expeditionportal.com/forum/data/attachments/71/71361-4d6ccf311f7d64a5f007a2e3b159ca6d.jpg)