# Rear wheel carrier - info needed.



## bas (Oct 12, 2005)

Has anyone seen, or got an external rear wheel carrier mounted on their xtrail. I am intending on doing some lenghty trips and don't want to totally unload the back of the exy to get to the spare.

Thanks in advance.


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## LEONGSTER (Apr 9, 2006)

If you do come across one for the X please let me know. The closest I've seen is one for the VW Toureg, which is hinged on one side and swings sideways to allow access to the boot.

________


Thank you, 

Eddie


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## shabalia (Dec 27, 2005)

Just curious...how often would you need to use a spare?? I think I used my spare once and that was with my first car when I had tires that were someone else's castoffs!!


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## aussietrail (Sep 24, 2004)

I have a small confession to make LOL

I have some sort of love affair with the spare tyre (don't get me wrong) I NEVER used the spare tyre in ANY of my previous cars, always run tubeless and if the tyre goes bust, I get it repaired straight away without using the spare.

I used to live in a country that judged the condition of the car, if it's good or not, by the condition of its spare tyre. hahahaha

If the spare is new, the car is a good seller. hahahaha

Come to think of it now, its super funny and ridiculous, but I wasn't in the market then for a car and know what to look for now (apart from a brand new spare)

Its a habit I've been trying to break for 20 years or so LOL 

In summary, I wouldn't need this spare wheel carrier LOL


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## flynn (Jun 23, 2006)

shabalia said:


> Just curious...how often would you need to use a spare?? I think I used my spare once and that was with my first car when I had tires that were someone else's castoffs!!


In a car magazine they are saying the average driver here gets a flat once every six years. I assume they did some sort of survey.

I've had my exy 7 months and got a flat after 4 months, a nail. Glad I've got that out the way for the next six years.


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## shabalia (Dec 27, 2005)

*spare tire*



aussietrail said:


> I used to live in a country that judged the condition of the car, if it's good or not, by the condition of its spare tyre. hahahaha


LOL, that country must have been Canada! When I sold my big ol' car last year, I do remember the ooooh's and ahhhhh's when I opened the trunk. Geez I thought it was the size or condition of the trunk but it must have been that 22yr. old never-been-used doughnut!

I will have to remember that.

FOR SALE
brand new spare tire
(and a car)

shabalia


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## flynn (Jun 23, 2006)

shabalia said:


> LOL, that country must have been Canada! When I sold my big ol' car last year, I do remember the ooooh's and ahhhhh's when I opened the trunk. Geez I thought it was the size or condition of the trunk but it must have been that 22yr. old never-been-used doughnut!
> 
> I will have to remember that.
> 
> ...


Saves the poor old dodgy car-dealers a lot of hassle. Here they have to wind back the odometer. There they just need to fit a new tyre.  

Do they use that tyre paint stuff? All dealers here think shiny tyres sell cars.


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## ValBoo (May 19, 2003)

bas said:


> Has anyone seen, or got an external rear wheel carrier mounted on their xtrail. I am intending on doing some lenghty trips and don't want to totally unload the back of the exy to get to the spare.
> 
> Thanks in advance.



Bla bla bla... ha ha ha... 

Back to the subject:

I was searching the web ... have you seen this one:
New spare wheel Caddy from Opposite Lock adds more space to Suburban (as if it needed it...)  17/8/00

it is not for an x-trail but it looks neat.


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## aussietrail (Sep 24, 2004)

Hey Marc, we're still on the subject, but when it comes time to sell our cars, I would like to compare prices, as my spare is still brand new. hahahaha 

That wheel carrier looks very nice BUT will our factory PLASTIC bumper be able to hold the weight? Have you taken the rear bumper off to see how thin and light it is? I did.


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## ValBoo (May 19, 2003)

Yes you're right ... on both counts


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## LEONGSTER (Apr 9, 2006)

Courtesy of VW Australia.


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## aussietrail (Sep 24, 2004)

Same problem Ed. The tailgate gas struts are not strong enough to hold the weight, but I guess they can be upgraded to tougher gas struts. The number plate would also have to be relocated on the exy, but most important of all, the rear vision and visibility while reversing would be adversely affected. I think it'll be considered a great safety concern and would require an engineering certificate.


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## LEONGSTER (Apr 9, 2006)

Jalal, I share the same view as you. 

Thought I'd post the VW's solution as it is an interesting design. The Touareg's hatch is exactly like ours. But the spare wheel carrier pivots on a hinge that sits on one side of the bumper itself, and swings sideways to allow the hatch to open. 

I believe the bumper is braced underneath with a steel bracket that is bolted to the body sheet metal. Not visible here but in other pictures - the entire upper portion of the bumper is different.


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## aussietrail (Sep 24, 2004)

The only strong place where a swing bracket can be attached at the rear of the exy is the corner of the rear fenders (just above the bumper).

The bracket which Marc has posted is too wide for that corner, it need to be a diagonal one.


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## flynn (Jun 23, 2006)

I'd look at it like this. To mount a wheel on the back is going to me a week seeking out the kit and fitting it. The result might not be too good with unforeseen problems that devalue the car for resale.

If in the event I actually got a puncture it would take at most ten minutes to unload to get access to the spare. 

I've saved myself 6 days, 23 hours and 50 minutes.

As a compromise I'd maybe get a tube of tyre-fix and tape that to the back door. Or I could use the money I saved on the mounting kit to pay someone to unload the back for me while I had a beer.


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## aussietrail (Sep 24, 2004)

flynn, I think it'll take a bit more than 10 minutes to unload the back of an exy if you have the back full with camping gear, fridge and a couple of beer cartons LOL


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## flynn (Jun 23, 2006)

aussietrail said:


> flynn, I think it'll take a bit more than 10 minutes to unload the back of an exy if you have the back full with camping gear, fridge and a couple of beer cartons LOL


That's true Jalal, need to take extra care with those beer cartons 

You're still likely to save 6 days, 23 hours and 45 minutes of your life over fitting a rear carrier. If I had a carrier I'd probably forget and put the jack and brace in the spare wheel well anyway. 

Maybe the other question is if a carrier costs $200, are you happy to pay that for the 10-20 minutes unloading the boot might take on the off-chance you have a puncture? That's way more than I usually get paid for 20 minutes work.


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## aussietrail (Sep 24, 2004)

If you calculate it like that you wont get far with any modification to your exy LOL  Spending money on your ride for your OWN joy and comfort is priceless  but I agree that the money spent on this particular mod would be better placed elsewhere, maybe that VW with a spare wheel at the back. hahahaha


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## bas (Oct 12, 2005)

Ok, I've just sat back and read all your comments regarding this mod and why it shouldn't be done. Including no need, 1 puncture each 6 years, never having a puncture, only taking 10 minutes to unload etc etc etc.

Well, some people like getting off the beaten track and see the necessity to build a rear storage area to fit the large amount of gear such a trip requires. You dont need a massive landcruiser of patrol to explore the country.

On such trips, the packing includes fridge, camping gear, recovery equipment, spares, bedding and the like. Often the entire back section is full to the roof line and the storage compartment is constructed of solid marine ply as an added safety aspect. The result of a flat is a very long and exhaustive process of removing each and every item to get to the spare. The theory of that it is only a 1 in 6 year occurance is fine, but Murphys Law dictates that when you are least expecting something to go wrong, it will. Why do people see the need to carry extra fuel, oil, filters, fan belts etc when on a trip. JUST IN CASE THEY ARE REQUIRED. There is not always a repair shop nearby.

So, my question was whether anyone had installed a rear wheel carrier, or knew of such a product. You may not have a need for one, but I do. I have no need for a lowering kit, CAI or 20" rims, but I generally reserve my opinion of such mods. This is why we call it 'customizing'.

Some of the info is appreciated, especially the pic of the VW. The door appears to be the same design as the exy, in that it is hinged to open up. So, there must be a way of upgrading the door struts to hold the extra weight. This may be only the first step, but it has given me an idea. Thanks.


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## LEONGSTER (Apr 9, 2006)

Bas, you've probably noted the VW's spare wheel carrier is not bolted to the rear hatch itself but to the bodywork. I've toyed with this for some time and decided the rear hatch would not take the weight of a full-size spare, so gave up on that particular idea. 

I've seen a solution on the mercedes ML350 that consists of a carrier that's bolted to the bottom of the rear unibody (possibly where a tow bar would be attached). 

It looks like a bumper bar with a spare attached to it. Only in this case the entire upper portion can be unlocked and lifted out to make way for the hatch to open.


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## aussietrail (Sep 24, 2004)

Brett, please don't let some of our comments discourage you from finding a way to do this mod. If you feel this is what you really want, do whatever it takes to have it done. It just that some of us see no immediate appreciation of this mod when done to the exy and you'd be driving around the city (which is where your exy lives most of the time) looking at this wheel carrier at the back of the exy and sometime cursing that its there in they way of the tailgate (when you go shopping) and think.....did I really need to go through all this trouble and expense to be able to use it once in a blue moon?

Having said that and if you're serious about it, you may want to consider a hinge and tyre carrier that is removable and can only be slotted in place for when you go camping.

When I compare the level of appreciation and immediate enjoyment of this mod to others, like a CAI...etc, etc I can see what will bring me immediate and long lasting satisfaction, but hey...that's just me 

I sincerely wish you will find what you're looking for with this mod and I won't go anywhere off-road without you by my side. hehehehe (just kidding mate)


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## aussietrail (Sep 24, 2004)

LEONGSTER said:


> I've seen a solution on the mercedes ML350 that consists of a carrier that's bolted to the bottom of the rear unibody (possibly where a tow bar would be attached).
> 
> It looks like a bumper bar with a spare attached to it. Only in this case the entire upper portion can be unlocked and lifted out to make way for the hatch to open.


Good thinking there Ed.

Brett, am not sure if you've seen this before but Thule make bike racks that get attached to the towbar hitch receiver and are swingable



Am sure you can modify this bike rack to carry a spare tyre instead and the good thing about it, is that you can store it away when not need without the need to drill a signle hole in the exy 

How about that mate? I think you're getting closer to the solution by the minute 

You only need to calculate the weight this bike-carrier can carry, not sure how heavy will 4 adult size bikes would be, but I reckon it'll be more than 25Kg which is the approx. weight of the tyre and rim, so you should be fine.


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## flynn (Jun 23, 2006)

Bas, I don't think anyone is trying to dictate what you do to your car. They've been looking at the possibilities and I think some of the possible problems mentioned and looking at cost v. benefit should be helpful. The millionaire Alan Sugar when asked how he does it says knowing the upside is handy but he always double-checks the downside.

As I see it almost any solution that puts the wheel in front of the hatch is going to be to some extent problematic and I certainly open the hatch more often than I get punctures. Any space gained in the spare-wheel well isn't likely to be very useful as extra storage unless what you put there is needed even less often than the spare.

If I really needed instant access to a spare for a camping trip I'd just put it on a couple of roof-bars. I could fit those in 10 minutes, job done. Might even consider a Thule roof box or MOAB (link).


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