ZR2 Spare Tire Carrier (ugly!)
 

My 2000 ZR2 has a spare tire carrier, factory. It sits on the back of the truck and does not look at all aesthetic.
I want to remove it totally, but there will be a problem: the tire will not fit anywhere! Can I just get a regular tire and mount it on the 15" factory rim, and use that as a spare? That way I could just put the new spare inside the truck, because my guess is the ZR2 does not have the hardware to undermount it, unless that is a possibility?

Roof rack? and send the old rack to me? lolz

Well real Strange right? You want to get rid of the tire Carrier and others would Love to have it ? I had a Black 2000 ZR2 with the Carrier, it was a Pain in the butt to see to back-up and and see out the back glass for me, Is it an aesthetic or just hard to see with the tire in the WAY ? Good Luck T.J.

I love the look of a tire carrier on a 2 door, IMO they don't look right without the carrier. But I'll admit that backing up is made harder by them (and the huge c-pillar doesn't help)

You're one of the few that wants to get rid of the spare tire carrier as mentioned above. It's a very desired feature for many (and a lot of 4dr owners which is wasn't available on). I have a 2dr with it too, so I can understand your annoyances with it. It incrediby hinders your rear view and makes it almost impossible to see behind you, and the worse part is the glass won't open with the spare tire carrier closed (on of my pet peeves).
Anyway, if you are set on removing it you can. The 2drs aren't made for undermounted spares, but in all honestly you wouldn't want an undermounted spare. They are a terrible idea and a real PITA if you ever get a flat. That leaves the roof or inside as an option. A lot of 2dr's (those without the spare tire carrier on the back) have them mounted inside. The only disadvantage is you lose a serious amount of trunk space (nearly 50%). If this isn't an issue for you though I'm sure you could pick up a mount for one fairly cheap at a junk yard or something and put your spare inside. The other option is the roof. This would be my choice. Not only does it look bad ass, but it's easily accessible and very easy to do. You just need some straps. You can mount it to the roof rack, but a basket would be ideal.

As for your question about tires and it not fitting...I don't really understand your question? You're saying you don't want to use the spare rim?

There are items on ebay that lower the spare so you can see....

Hummmmmmmm, Never Seen that Item to lower the Spare? As My Father-in-Law Has my Ole Black 2000 ZR2, We did some horse trading and He now owns it, But also HATES the Spare Tire in the Way also. But We LOVE the Look. Got to find that kit for Him ? Thanks for the Info.

Link?

The only issue with lowering the spare is that it will block your license plate, which is illegal everywhere. You'd either have to relocate your plate, or get pulled over frequently.

i think he was talking about mounting a smaller tire, like the non-ZR trucks 235/75/R15 size, so that it'll fit inside easier/better.

personally, i'd mount it to the roof, like i did on my '92 4 door (God i sooooo hated that spare carrier out back!). i just made up a couple of cross bars, drilled & bolted to the side bars, with another bar running front to back between them (kinda like a big capital "I"), and just welded the actual mounting bracket from the rear carrier to it. this way it was bolted down secure, and could have one of the matched lock nuts on it so it couldn't "wander away".

wow... x2 on the only one to hate it. most want to fit it to theirs... :icon_really:

x15 on roof rack it then...

also for like $68 there is a "plate" that "moves" your mounting point down a few inches...

with a drill, 3 bolts, 6 nuts, and a chunk of steel, and some flat black spray paint, you could do the same thing with like an hour or your time :p

i droped my spare 3 inches and have never been talked to once by the police when i get pulled over of it covering your licence plate, although all the cops i had run ins with were cars. but i do know that with the drop you cant get a photo radar cause it covers the licence plate... my :icon_twocents:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/BLAZE...Q5fAccessories

if your a member on zr2usa.com, since you have a z, you may get a discount, but idk good luck with your choice

ps. the drop makes you able to open your rear window without opening the tire carier too. :)

yes thats what i had in mind
 

Mounting the old rim with a new smaller tire is what I had in mind. I don't live in God's country, I live in the city, and it is not as useful to have such big tires. I feel great having such a durable truck but unless the ground opens up and swallows the highway, it is just a novelty. While sitting in traffic, I find myself daydreaming about shifting into 4x4, punching the gas, throwing it into first and just running over the hyundais and lowered civics to get to point B.

And I can't lower the tire if they will pull me over every two seconds. NYS cops have a chip on their damn shoulder, I just don't know who put it there. Going safari-style also doesn't sound likely, since I have trouble pulling into my parking garage as-is! (Plus it seems like too much trouble, anyway) I guess I will leave it alone :-\

Why not mount it inside? And what size tire do you have on it now? If it's stock size it will fit inside. You must have a bigger tire on the back?

And Chris...I really like that idea of using the stock mounting piece off the spare tire carrier and just welding it to crossmembers on the roof. Good thinking! If I ever move my spare to the roof thats what I'm doing.

And element...I guess it all depends on where you are. I'd be pulled over in 10 seconds here if my plate was covered. That's a major no-no lol.

you know, it's kinda funny, all this talk about your tire carrier..........

i saw a ZR on the way home tonight-and he had removed the rack out back.

ripped everything off, and just screwed the bolts back in. kinda looked funny.........black bolts on a silver truck.......

and swizznuker, i've gotta ask, "throwing it into first and just running over (fill in Import of choice here)", what was that comment about? are you lucky enough to have a stick in your ZR?

I personally like the look of the tire carrier. But I do leave my headrests down so I can see better and have considered the drop kit. But if you really dont like the look then I would go with the roof basket route.

To answer your question Old Skool -- yes I have been lucky enough to stumble upon a 5 speed.. and let me tell you it is fun as hell to drive this truck on stick!

And your question Sisk -- I bought the truck with 31 inchers all around, and I am not sure whether or not they are the OEM size tires. Thats why I was wondering if it would fit inside or not. I am pondering a small subwoofer so I am not sure how it would work out if I do choose to stick it inside.

I also have the original tire cap which I still did not remove. It is vinyl and has seen much better days. To the touch it feels like it would crumble into ash should I choose to remove it, but its gotta go. I am now sure the truck will be more attractive without it.

31's are not stock size, so that explains it. If you want you can remove the 31 off the spare and put a stock size back on it, but keep in mind if you happen to need your spare some day and throw the way smaller size tire on you won't be able to use your 4x4 while that spare is on your truck. You have to have the same size tires when using 4x4.

you could always mount it to the front end lol. I wish I had the spare tire mount in the back... I hate my spare tire underneath

Since your Blazer is a ZR2, 31's are the OEM size. A 31 will take up a lot of the storage space inside (as mentioned earlier). With a roof rack not being an option, the only other thing I can think of is removing the spare and relying on AAA if you get a flat. Personally, I hate relying (and waiting) on someone else in situations like that.

I just simply never use the back window except for when backing up close to something. Just use side mirrors for 100% of driving. Maybe not the safest approach, but I'm used to it now and don't have any problems.

Would be nice to be able to see out back though. When I drive other peoples vehicles it blows my mind when I notice I can see things directly behind me.

Funny thing, I just removed the spare tire carrier off my Blazer yesterday. I like the look without the carrier. I pulled off the latch plate on the swingdown door and just put the screw back in but the hinge screws stick out too far without the hinges there. Anyone have any ideas on something to fill the six hinge screw holes ?

I have a 99 ZR2 and my tailgate was smashed in when i got it so I picked one up at Pick and Pull painted it and then went to transfer the spare tire mount and it will not bolt up the inside plate that it bolts to is only in the blazers with a factory outside spare and without cutting the new one open you can not fit it in the tailgate. I went to pick and pull and got the inside spare hardware (you are right there is none of the mounting stuff in the trucks with outside carrier)and i am going to put mine inside for now. the brackets are still on the body cause i have not figured out how to make them look good yet but i will. also the 31 inch tire will not fit inside you have to go smaller and if you get a flat on the rear you will have to rotate the spare to the front the ZR2's have limited slip rearends.If you go inside get the jack cover from one with a inside carrier your other one is different.before i did this I made my own drop bracket for my spare and it was easy cost about 10 bucks and lowered the tire 4 inchs it blocks a little of my plate but not enough to get a ticket.

Pre-runner bar with a tire mount? Thats what I want. It would look BAAAAD-ASSSSSS

I shaved my spare tire carried on the back of my old Jimmy and carried a spare in the trunk.

yeah...........a welder, some sheet metal, and a little cheese.

take your time with the sheet metal, and you'll be able to go easy on the cheese.

http://www.autozone.com/autozone/acc...er=552885_0_0_

I used this stuff, shaving the entire truck. It worked well for the bolt holes left by the tire carrier. I wacked the hell out of it with a body hammer ( I was already doing body work there) held like a champ. When I sanded it, it was just like steel. Used my filler and than paint it looks beautiful, I'll be posting pics of it on my build tomorrow if you wanna see.

If you have the capability of painting your truck well, then thats the best idea Wreckhur..

But I will lose that luster that the truck has, never having any bodywork done to it. No one seems to know how to do any bondo or painting around here, and most people that get into accidents or buy salvaged vehicles can be spotted from a distance. Plus, unless the whole truck gets painted, you could tell which parts have original paint and which parts were repainted.

Hahaha or you can use bedliner like i did and than paint it, looks good, totally custom and easy to do for a first timer. Like me.

Im having the same issue, I want to remove the rear carrier, I have a 2dr ZR2. Is it easy to remove and can you plug the holes? I will probably mount my spare inside for day to day driving and remove it and take my chances on those rare ocassions when I need the room to transport something in the back.

A friend of mine installed a new stereo in his F 250, it's got a GPS and a backup camera!

I have a 2001 Jimmy with the rear mount spare tire carrier I hate that I can't look out the back but love the way it looks. All I did was remove the rearview mirror and mounted a small camera to the back that I got from a wrecked motor home and snagged the screen for it from inside as well and put that in it's place. It works great and I can see a whole lot better in real time out the back. Kind of a bear to install seeing how it was all custom but I like how it worked out.

i ended up making my own piece to drop my rear tire on my Zr2. all you need are 3 new studs and 3 4" pieces of sturdy metal. i dropped mine 4 inches and it covers the top of my plate so that you cant see the registration tags unless your 50ft back or so and i've never once been pulled over and questoned about it

Same here...have driven >100k miles with it, been pulled over a couple times for various transgressions, never a word from the po-po about the tire.

ZR2 spare tire carrier WANTED
 

I would happily trade an INSIDE spare tire bracket system for the OUTSIDE ZR2 spare tire bracket set up. ANYONE? I am in Florida. We'll both pay our own shipping and do an even trade. let me know.... I have a custom stereo system and NEED the space back there. EMAIL ME: [email protected] Thanks guys!