Steve and Karen
Ranger
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
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
