Spare wheel location

[Julian T]

I have tried to resist commenting on what is I think a bad idea, nostalgia aside, but here goes.

In my opinion you will probably find that having the spare on the bonnet will restrict your forward view too much, remember that the series landy had the bonnet much lower than a modern car does below the windscreen not to mention the position of your head in relation to height above the bonnet.

If you are set on this idea try placing a tyre without a rim on your bonnet, perhaps with a couple of planks under it to both simulate the inflated width of your rim and tyre and the height it will be above the metal work with a spare holder under it then sit in the car and see how much of the road you can see from the drivers seat.

It also strikes me that you will have to remove it for MOT as it will be considered a obstruction of the swept area of your windscreen, also you will have to declare this modification of the vehicle to your insurance company because if you don't and your vehicle is involved in an accident then having the spare on the bonnet could possibly be considered a contributing factor.

As an aside a gent I used to work with told me he had obtained a exemption from the chief constable of his area to use his motor vehicle on the road as the supercharger projecting up out of the bonnet of his car obstructed his view of the road and he kept getting stopped by traffic police who were interested/concerned.

Oh wait you are in ireland, well I suggest you run your idea past your insurance company and if you have a yearly test then ask a testing agent as well, I have written from the perspective of my experience in the UK, and in SA no one would say anything as far as the law was concerned unless you managed to offend a traffic officer.

 

[SafariTecPeter]

If one goes with a sturdy RR, one could build a bracket that drops down from the roof line on the rear quarter panel & somehow is supported in the bottom through the wing or underneith the rear window.
To this bracket one could attach a spare wheel. Others tend to fit jerrycans etc on it.I often see 2 jerrycans which on weight should be "roundabout" what a descent spare wheel weights.
U will find many such setups on Land Rover Defender overlanders.
Have a look around!

& for argument sake; We had the 200Tdi Defender spare on the bonnet all over Africa for years. All well!
Land Rover moved the spare wheel among others due to clearence underneight the bonnet. Thats why the turbo on a Defender 200Tdi sits different than on a Range Rover or Discovery1.

 

[Rockall]

Appreciate your input

I have already tried the wheel on the bonnet as stated in my previous - I am not losing much vision at all, but that is with a standard wheel.
I will be doing a 20-30mm body lift and fitting larger diameter tyres so not sure how much of an effect they will have as a spare on the bonnet.

The whole insurance thing is a different issue and I will be taking advice on that when the times comes - In my opinion there are very few non modified 4x4's actually on the road - expedition vehicles in particular are all heavily modified so this would be just one more modification on the list.
if the wheel on the bonnet is a non runner for some particular reason then so be it - but I definitely do not want it up on a roof rack as this weight only adds to the top heavy situation.

Regards

Bill

 

[Dieseldragon]

If one goes with a sturdy RR, one could build a bracket that drops down from the roof line on the rear quarter panel & somehow is supported in the bottom through the wing or underneith the rear window.
To this bracket one could attach a spare wheel. Others tend to fit jerrycans etc on it.I often see 2 jerrycans which on weight should be "roundabout" what a descent spare wheel weights.
U will find many such setups on Land Rover Defender overlanders.
Have a look around!

& for argument sake; We had the 200Tdi Defender spare on the bonnet all over Africa for years. All well!
Land Rover moved the spare wheel among others due to clearence underneight the bonnet. Thats why the turbo on a Defender 200Tdi sits different than on a Range Rover or Discovery1.

I know a bit off topic, but the reason that the turbo is in different places is poor planning. The engine was originally developed for the disco. When it came round to putting it in the defender all good.... until they found that it fouled the steering shaft on the LHD defenders. Hence the different turbo locations. For the 300tdi the position of the turbo was standardised so it fit in the disco rr and defender.

 

[priffe]

The LC 80 is a streamlined car; the LR is not. Would look hideous with the wheel on the bonnet.
+ it was not designed for it
+ fuel consumption, noice
+ insurance, MOT, lowered value etc considerations

You can fit two wheels on the rear. That is the way to go if there is no space underneath, if you have a long range tank.
If you really want it to look like a LR buy a LR

 

[Rockall]

The LC 80 is a streamlined car; the LR is not. Would look hideous with the wheel on the bonnet.
+ it was not designed for it
+ fuel consumption, noice
+ insurance, MOT, lowered value etc considerations

You can fit two wheels on the rear. That is the way to go if there is no space underneath, if you have a long range tank.
If you really want it to look like a LR buy a LR

Priffe

Thank you for your views.
My Landcruiser is a 95 model not an 80.
Frankly if doing an overland expedition, which I will be - I am not very interested in what something looks like - practicality is way more important to me.
I have already explained, in my mails above, my thinking and reasoning for wanting to free up my back door, and the DOE ( our MOT), insurance aspects etc.
I would love to put the wheel underneath but that is not possible on a 95 and either way I will be fitting a longitudinal auxiliary fuel tank in the space between chassis rail and prop shaft.
Many years ago I had a LR and, at the time, it was really all that was available and I must admit it was worked really hard and did what was required from it.
But let's say I have moved on since then!

Regards

Bill

 

[Rockall]

Good afternoon
As a update on this thread - only two days ago, I borrowed a larger tyre fitted on a 16" wheel - 285x75x16 - which is more or less the size I will be going for once I have done the small body lift. Yes, I have to state that it does start to impair my vision whereas I was quite happy with the standard tyre size on my bonnet.
So, solely, for this reason - lack of vision with larger tyre - I am shelving the idea.
A big thank you to everybody who commented and gave so freely of their views - much appreciated.
So back to the drawing board !!

Regards
Bill

 

[Julian T]

Rereading this I was struck by a thought, you could perhaps side mount the spare like the WW2 willys jeep did?

 

[Rockall]

Rereading this I was struck by a thought, you could perhaps side mount the spare like the WW2 willys jeep did?

Or even on the front bullbars like some 'Zombie apocalypse' vehicle.

 

[Shayne]

I have i body lift and 285/75's on my swb 90 and have looked at possibilities for exterior storage . The best i could come up with is to remove the rear door numberplate stuff , fit a dry box, and then bolt the numberplate and light to it .

Idle dreams i have a trailer and i need to start using it .

A steel bumper with a wheel carrier could free up the rear door they usually keep the wheel flush with bodywork but they don't need to and there's no rule that i'm aware of saying the spare can't be mounted 2ft behind your truck .

 

[Rockall]

I have i body lift and 285/75's on my swb 90 and have looked at possibilities for exterior storage . The best i could come up with is to remove the rear door numberplate stuff , fit a dry box, and then bolt the numberplate and light to it .

Idle dreams i have a trailer and i need to start using it .

A steel bumper with a wheel carrier could free up the rear door they usually keep the wheel flush with bodywork but they don't need to and there's no rule that i'm aware of saying the spare can't be mounted 2ft behind your truck .

Thanks Shayne

Indeed I see 4x4 with up to three bicycles mounted on the rear and protruding more than a spare wheel would.
Going slightly off topic here
I am still in the planning stage - one option I am looking at it is a steel rear bumper , slightly larger/protruding than the existing which will also be an extra fuel or indeed water tank - not large but every bit helps and for an expedition you need plenty of water and fuel.
With the slightly larger bumper/tank I can possibly still use the rear door for storage and have my wheel mounted on a swing away frame.
There is nothing to stop fabricating the same - a steel front bumper/tank - even after allowing for a winch aperture, there is plenty of room each side to fabricate two small interlinked tanks.
My aim is to have approx 200 litres of fuel and up to 100 of water. All the tanks dont' need to be filled at every stop, but, for longer stretches it is a decent safety factor. I am not a fan of jerry cans and do not want them on board
Indeed I have seen advertised somewhere, cant find it now - longitudinal side steps in steel which were in fact tanks. They will not be difficult to fabricate as tanks and add some heavier brackets for bolting up with.
I am determined to keep as much weight as possible down low on the 95

Regards

Bill

 

[Shayne]

At a glance without giving it much thought and recognizing your want to keep what will be considerable weight gain down low i do wonder if a significant body lift might ultimately be the answer .