Off-roading opinions wanted. Put Tyre on roof?

The next time your tired and wet, try lifting the spare off the roof and then putting the flat one back up there...

Unless you're The Hulk you'll soon realise the roof is not the best place!!

During stardate Mon, 31 Oct 2005 13:51:08 -0000, "ray newport" uttered the imortal words:

It's alot simpler to fit a new back door than a roof ;0)

I'd leave it where it is. There is a fair bit of weight in that one lump. I am personally much more comfortable with such weights as low down as feasible , escpecially if off roading as Centre of gravity could make the difference between life and death.

I've had this dilema with my 101 But mounted it infront of the grill but a 101 is a different Kettle of fish and the radiator is fixed alot further back from the grill than on a Disco.

I would howeve be a little more comfortable with storing just a tyre on the roof rack and this may save the day if you're accomplished with beating the living daylights out of bit of rubber.

Lee D

-- "I'm all in favor of keeping dangerous weapons out of the hands of fools. Let's start with typewriters."

- Frank Lloyd Wright (1868-1959)

Ray Hi,

if you are travelling with just a co-driver then it would maybe be best to remove the rear seats, free up a lot of space and fit the spare tyre inside the car. The rear door can take a LOT of abuse with the spare wheel fitted to it.

Fitting the spare on the roof on the other hand will put a lot of straing on the roof rack and its points of contact on the roof. It will also increase the position of your vehicle's center of gravity and make it more unstable.

Also, as already quoted, it is a real pain in the proverbial to use it if you have to lower it down and then lift the damaged wheel it will replace up on the roof.

Take care Pantelis

Also, a spare on the roof represents a fair chunk of the max load allowed on a roof rack - which is not as much as you may think (havn't got the figure to hand ineviatabely).

A 101 and a hi-lift lack makes a very good (if somewhat dangerous) bead breaker.

Richard

Let's start with typewriters."

Not very much really.

If it's a long, serious overland trip you'll prolly want 2 spares!

How much does a 101 wheel with tyre weigh?

Just after reading this thread i watched the eastnor video off Martyn's site and noticed that he has a storage box on the roof of grumble.

Do you notice this affecting the truck Martyn? Or do you only keep light stuff in it?

Has anybody spoken to the owners of Dutch Cheddar

There is a knack which unfortunately I did not know the first time I tried this, right now I am thinking of moving it down to the bonnet.

Ok the trick is to lift it onto the bonnet first, and then stand on the bonnet to load it on the roof,

...and Tim Hobbs spake unto the tribes of Usenet, saying...

Especially as it includes the weight of the rack itself.

People load em up with tons more than this - I reckon it's just LR protecting their bottoms against breakage claims.

On or around Mon, 31 Oct 2005 13:51:08 -0000, "ray newport" enlightened us thusly:

Bonnet. You may need to modify it a touch.

On or around Tue, 01 Nov 2005 08:05:26 +1300, EMB enlightened us thusly:

OK, one on the bonnet and one on a spare wheel carrier on the back. Spare carrier will stop the door getting buggered.

That sounds about the best solution.

Austin Shackles uttered summat worrerz funny about:

Init going to bugger what ever you bolt it to? Not much heavy metal on the disco to bolt to.

Bunging a wheel on the bonnet would prove interesting on a Disco, those ex-military periscopes could come in useful too ;) More effort than fixing a knackered door that may never get knackered.

Lee D

On or around Thu, 3 Nov 2005 01:09:01 -0000, "Lee_D" enlightened us thusly:

I believe you can get rear wheel-carriers. Perhaps not. and besides, talking about things that are bolted to what, have you looked at the standard spare mount on the door?

You'd have to reinforce the bonnet to take the weight, obviously. but it'd be better from the CoG point of view than on the roof. I doubt the bonnet problem is much worse than on a series or defender though...

Yep, but it's hardly ever surfaced here as being an issue even allowing for peeps swinging bikes and alsorts from them.

I like the look of the bonnet mounted spares on series vehicles, they add that certain character. But remember this is the equivalent of a 205 or narrower tyre. Disco's are looking at 235 Upwards with no recess in the bonnet to start with. I also think Insurance assesors and Accident Investigation assesors (worest case scenario I know) would have pleanty to say about such a modification purely based on reduced visability. You are right about the COG benefits though. Personally I don't think it would be on my list of places to bung a wheel & tyre.

Lee D

On or around Thu, 3 Nov 2005 13:11:40 -0000, "Lee_D" enlightened us thusly:

Most of the modern defenders are on 235/85s.

I may be wrong but I thought someone was doing a bonnet for a disco with wheel mount. Perhaps that was a defender one.