Full-size Spare Tire Carry Option For Outback Tv And Ci

As an Outback owner (which many of us CI towers are) I was dismayed to find a donut spare in my new 2017, especially when my 2006 Subaru was supplied with a full-size. (Progress?) Not wishing to mess with going great distances in an AWD in (quite possibly) the middle of nowhere with a tire of considerably smaller circumference than the others, and cause damage to my drive-train, I noodled a full-time full-size spare carry solution. (The spare tire well doesn't accommodate a full-size tire by any stretch, BTW. Don't even try.)

This solution doesn't involve elaborate attachment points on the outside of the vehicle, expensive and heavy hitch-mount swing-outs, or off-road roof-top baskets (though they do look cool) that greatly reduce your fuel economy, and create a potential theft issue.

I acquired a custom-sized spare tire carry bag off E-Bay (from a UK seamstress) to keep things neat and clean, and mounted the full-size spare vertically in the rear on the driver's side. It just fits. I found hard connections in the floor, back seat, and behind the tail lamp cover, and did a 4-point 'cage' tie-down with straps and loops. Its not going anywhere in an accident, which was my first concern about attempting this. To access the tire well, without having to remove and replace the spare, which can be pain, I cut the floor board 1/3 2/3 and supported it with a wood 2x3 . The well is where I now keep most of my emergency safety gear and tools; out of sight but easy to get to. First aid and fire extinguisher stay up top and are immediately accessible. The tire, because its directly behind the driver doesn't interfere terribly with the driver's rear view out the back window when you're not towing (maybe -20%), and its certainly better than having a rear-mounted tire on the outside blocking your entire window, a la Jeep Wrangler.

I must confess that I was somewhat hesitant to acquire from CI their under-sized spare for the 560, despite Cary's numerous assurances in person, on the CI site and in this forum, its rating as a bona fide road tire and not being a typical emergency spare. So... being a 'belt and suspenders' type of guy I got an identical full-size trailer tire of the same rating. When towing, the full-size spare for the 560 fits neatly in the Outback spare well, and all my emergency gear gets transferred over to the 4 floor bins under the mattress in the 560. The amount, type and weight of my emergency gear also facilitates fine-tuning the tongue weight of the trailer, by moving things either to the forward or rear bins. Both TV and trailer now have a full-size spare, and I'm far more confident of our ability to get out of an isolated area on our own, and there's nothing ungainly or inefficient attached to the outside of either vehicle. (As an added benefit, the full-size TV spare is also now part of my regular tire rotation, and effectively extends the life of my tire set by 20%. 25%? You do the math. Carefully measure your tread depth differences between the 5 tires to be within spec, BTW. Another topic on another site.)

Be advised that I did ask Cary about a tongue mount for a trailer full-size spare, since a full-size will not fit under the mattress. He explained that the frame, including the tongue, is a uni-body design, and though there would be space to accommodate a mount opposite the wheel jack, the tongue can not tolerate extra full-time weight, and any mod by the owner to the tongue structure (clamp, drilling or otherwise) will void CI's warranty. So I didn't do it.

Moving on... the other benefit to using the rear hatch space in this manner is that two Pelican Space Cases completely and neatly fill the rear cargo area, and the closest one can be opened without taking it out. They are stacking, extremely robust and meant for military and off-road expedition-type applications. Having investigated vehicle accidents in my former career, I make every attempt to reduce the number of loose, floating articles inside the car, as they can become deadly projectiles in a collision. These cases solves that projectile issue, and makes emptying the cargo area, to get at emergency stuff, a 10 second operation. Because they are so well-built, they can also double as extra seating, or a table, and are water-proof with an O-ring. However, they are NOT bear-proof.

For your consideration.

Steve

 

Steve, good solutions regarding your concerns. We also bought a full size spare tire for our CampInn and since I pull it with my truck; I have plenty of room to store it.

 

Thanks. Those with trucks, caps and beds are definitely one up on the 50% of us (according to CI's stats) who tow their CI TDs with Foresters and Outbacks, as they have places to store and haul large, messy, awkward things the rest of us can only dream about taking. However, if you can only have one do-it-all vehicle sitting your the driveway, then a Suby is pretty much a no-brainer as a TV.
But despite its marketed 'adventure' pedigree, an Outback does come with some inherent (but mitigable) limitations with respect to off-the-beaten-path type of travel, and your ability to get back to the beaten path, under your own steam. You just have to be prepared and smart about it.

 

I also forgot to add that (according to their specs and manual) you are limited to ~50 miles of low-speed travel using Subaru's emergency donut, before you start chewing up the drive-train. In addition, you are also advised to not tow a trailer with a donut, since the donut should be placed on the rear, even if one of your front tires blew out; proper steering control requires two full-size tires in the front. Towing a TD with a donut on the rear risks similar loss of control under a variety of driving/braking conditions.
Prudent operation now means ditching your TD wherever you are, crawling to find tire service (if it is indeed even within crawling distance), and heading back to pick up your TD, whenever that may be. Far from an ideal scenario in my books. Carrying a compressor, and having a patch kit and knowing how to use it can work with some minor tire perforations, but certainly not all types of tire damage. Carrying a full-size spare for the TV eliminates all these logistical and safety headaches, whether you're in the middle of nowhere, or even in a relatively well-serviced urban area.

 

Now isn't that food for thought! I suppose that it only makes sense that an undersized tire isn't much fun on the front of your TV, and could really heat up your differential on any drive wheels... on any car! (2WD or 4WD/AWD!)

That would take the adventure out of your adventure pretty darn fast. Ouch!

 

True on all counts. Re. 2WD/4WD/AWD.

I also wish to clarify that I’m not disputing CI’s claim that their spare has identical load and speed ratings to the OEM tire, and will perform more than adequately to get you out of a pickle... and then some. Its just that my OCD simply will not allow me pull a trailer that’s not riding level on the roadway, for any distance. Also... I confess to being very new to using trailer brakes, their nuances, set-up and maintenance. In the absence of acquired experience, I don’t wish to find out that the brakes’ bilateral performance (and quite possibly the resultant control of the trailer) was compromised by having two tires of differing size, and maybe differing friction coefficients, exacerbated by a tilty trailer. I could be way off-base on this assumption and am imagining issues that don’t exist. But if I can easily carry a full-size trailer spare identical to the OEM, with zero concessions, then its a simple decision to make, and one more thing I no longer have to be concerned about.

 

I think your assessment of driving with an undersized spare is accurate. My solution, while it works for me, might not work for everyone. In general I don't tow off-road or in remote places and I simply carry AAA. If I have a flat I call them.

I do like how resolved the Outback spare and if I felt I needed a full size spare that is how I would do mine.

 

For Van/Terri, or anyone looking at this. One of my regular tires has a bit more corrosion/loss of plating than I would like. Wondering if your spare is an identical match? Or only matches size?


I would like to acquire an exact matching full size replacement tire, swap out the one with corrosion/plating loss, then move the old wheel to full-sized-spare status.

thank you,

 

Our spare is not an identical match. So far, never had to use it.

 

Thank you for your reply.

Probably more than anything, I am fishing for whether you needed to reach out to Cary/Camp-Inn, or if you had a direct source?

Probably my answer is to purchase a replacement from Camp-Inn, but I was fishing to see if there are direct sources.

FWIW, I'm a new (to me) 550 owner, and hope not to wear my welcome thing with Cary. I have lots of questions.

 

Thank you for the upvote Eve, I'd all but forgotten about this post. FWIW, Cary gave me an online link for a source for a new rim + hub cap.

I'm just going to purchase an identical replica for what's on their now. I see the comments about the space saver spare being OK in the forum archives, but I honestly feel better having the full sized spare.

 

follow up on my earlier post. As commented earlier, Cary gave me a URL for replacement wheels. I replaced my wheel that didn't look the best, and I also purchased a 2nd wheel as a full sized spare.

If you've got room, at least for me the full size spare brings a lot of piece of mind. Just came back from a trip up in the mountains in New Mexico and southern Colorado, with lots of off road (just off road, not rock crawling or anything extreme). My 550 did just fine.

 

Jerry: With your Scout TV, location, and off-road destinations, you're probably in the minority who truly need to go equipped ready for anything. A full-size spare for both the TV and trailer can't be wasted time effort, money and space. Especially when it contributes to the 'peace of mind" part. Peace of mind is why we do this in the first place.

I hope to start exploring/boondocking like that soon, when we can work our way out west. Feel free to post your route/sites/pics in the Adventures sections. I, and probably some others who once in a while want to get away from everyone... or at least the Big Trailer Crowd, would like some ideas for that part of the country.

 

Thanks for the comments - this is one of the areas we spent a couple of days exploring. The pics really do not do the area justice, but if you have the opportunity, I promise that there are some beautiful views.

Davis Willow

We drove 17 miles back into the mountains here. Aired tires down to about 15-17 lbs of air, and things were still pretty rough in many spots. Supposedly there is a turn off on the trail somewhere to exit to a town, but we never found it, so we ended up having to turn around and drive the 17 miles back out or 34 miles total.

 

Thanks Jerry. The link says: " A less-improved campground..." which is just what we need to throw in to the itinerary every now and again. In between places with a hot shower and 120V.

Our CI's aren't marketed up against the dedicated off-road TD's such are Oregon, but Cary assures that a CI will go many of the places that those rigs end up spending much of their time. Not rock-crawling, as you say, but in places like this one, where you need to search it out on the map, in first and second gear.

 

Less improved campground is an understatement.

If you visit, you'll want to bring a shovel to bury any waste. There are no designated actual camp ground, just nice flat spots where others have set up camp. We were there in mid September, and per comments, middle of deer season, last day of moose season, so there was fire arm discharge. I'm fine with that, but I suspect that there are others here who aren't. Also, If I recall correctly, our elevation was between 9000' to 11500'. Night time was high 30's to low 40's and daytime in the mid 70's.

We had a great time and I will probably make one more trip to that area before the end of the year, snow permitting.

 

Yep ---- I'm replying to my own post. Specifically in regards to the Davis Willow trail URL/link I had shared above. The owner of that domain/web site has chosen to eliminate the Davis Willow page that I had provided a link to (above). Its their site, and it is certainly their right to do so.

I've been back there only one more time since my original post. If it isn't obvious, I'm very fond of that site, the long, slow drive into the mountains. Although I still have/still use my Camp Inn, I'm dealing with some health issue and chances are strong I probably won't be able to return. But enough about me and my rambling.

I found a copy of that URL in the Wayback Machine. Thanks for looking.

Davis Willow