Extra, Extra....Read All About It!

[maynard]

It is also an entirely predictable concern, as I know because when I bought my Scout it had a very heavy duty swing away tire carrier mounted on the rear bumper. I eventually had the tire carrier cut off, because the latch mechanism was cheap, and I immediately discovered the benefits of not having the tire carrier in the way all the time when I wanted to access the truck bed, and at the same time the drawbacks of putting just a 31x10.5 tire in the truck bed.

The obvious solution for me is a hitch mounted swing away tire carrier like the ones sold by Rigd, unfortunately, due to my unique bumper those don't fit my truck right and if I put that particular hitch mounted tire carrier on my rear hitch, I'm not able to open the tailgate without damaging it. That is a problem specific to me.

Hopefully Scout Motors comes up with a good alternative for people who don't want the rear mounted spare tire carrier. An option to put the spare tire in the location it seems they are going to put the gas generator in the EREV model seems like a decent compromise, keep the full size spare, but hide it out of sight and out of the way under the rear floor, and accessible by dropping it from the frame instead of needing to lift it out of the rear cargo area (which was what my Subaru Outback required and meant if I ever needed to access the spare I had to unload practically the whole cargo area. Ugh). This is probably not the best for off roading though, so again, no location for the spare is perfect and if possible different options allowing the spare to be placed where it works best for each individual buyer is the best I can suggest, assuming that can be handled without adding too much cost.

Edit: can the spare tire go in the frunk? The frunk on the Ioniq 5 is pretty much useless, and that hasn't been a problem for me.

I think it was already confirmed the spare won’t fit in the frunk…

 

[jeremydunworth]

As much as I like how the spare on the rear looks, I’m starting to think that if it’s not removable I’ll just carry the spare when I want to…. I doubt I’ll be off roading a 60k+ vehicle for quite a while and I can’t think of the last time I needed a spare tire…

The second part about when was the last time you needed a spare is a good point. I actually remember the last time I needed a spare, it was around 2005 when my Toyota, I don't remember how, had a flat in the REI parking lot.

Around 2015, I got a bolt in one of the front tires of my Subaru Outback coming in to Santa Fe. The next morning a tow company came, aired up the tired, and I drove it (or got it flat bed towed I don't remember) to the nearest Discount Tire where they patched the tire. I didn't even unload the full size spare I drove around with for all the years I owned the vehicle.

I love the idea of a full size spare. The reality is the only case I can see for needing one is offroading when you are some distance from a service station. I suppose for some folks in less populated areas they might often be some distance from a tire shop, and they also probably aren't regularly parking in tight city spots where the swing away tire carrier is a space issue.

 

[Scout_Lookout]

It's a valid concern. A jogging stroller, for example, won't fit in the frunk. A wheelchair won't fit in the frunk. Hockey sticks, bicycles, lumber... Lots of things that are needed in daily life won't fit in the frunk.

Unless the carrier is entirely optional, separate from all trims, options, and packages, then the trims/packages that include/require it become only for people who don't use the trunk in a place they might have to regularly parallel park or back into a parking space.

Also, it's going to be a huge PITA when charging. The combination of the very long swing gate, the rear charging port, and short charging cables on supercharges and some other chargers means many DCFC charger stations could block the spare tire gate from opening. And even when the cable isn't too short, if you want to get into the trunk, you'll have to park so that the charging pod is 3+ feet away from the rear of the vehicle, which could mean the vehicle sticks into the traffic lanes, depending on the specific geometry.

I did not even think of the PITA that could result in having a rear swing arm when charging. I would be very curious to know if Hummer EV SUV owners have had a similar problem as they have pretty much the same setup as the Traveler with a spare tire carrier will have. Of course the simplest solution would be just to pack accordingly and put the needed quick access items in the frunk before a trip is started.

As far as the parallel city parking goes with a spare tire carrier that is going to be tough. But I cannot see SM designing it to where it is not removable if there is also the ability to have the "back pack" instead of the spare tire. In fact, now I will be going back and studying the Traveler back pack models, vs the spare tire models to see if I can spot any differences.

 

[speedrye]

@Jamie@ScoutMotors https://www.reddit.com/r/Scout/s/AhFkvnZMzh

Do you know anything about this? Maybe you can pop on and easy the topic.

It's not just a concern when parallel parking. My spare is mounted to my swing-out rear door, but the result is the same, you need room behind the vehicle to swing the door open. The bigger issue is in standard parking lots. Pull your vehicle in nose-first, and you're okay, but I prefer pulling through so I'm nose out, ready to leave without backing up (I find it safer due to rear blind spots). If someone pulls in behind me, I can't open my rear door. In my scenario though, I can open the rear door a foot or two to put whatever in there and close it again. With the swing-out, you have to open it all the way before being able to access trunk space.

As for the last time I needed a spare- about two months ago. Small metal debris sliced a tire wide open and I lost all 34psi in about a half mile. Full-size spare to the rescue. 5 minutes later, I'm back on the road. Admittedly, this was in my car, not my SUV with its 100-lb spare.

 

[cyure]

It's not just a concern when parallel parking. My spare is mounted to my swing-out rear door, but the result is the same, you need room behind the vehicle to swing the door open. The bigger issue is in standard parking lots. Pull your vehicle in nose-first, and you're okay, but I prefer pulling through so I'm nose out, ready to leave without backing up (I find it safer due to rear blind spots). If someone pulls in behind me, I can't open my rear door. In my scenario though, I can open the rear door a foot or two to put whatever in there and close it again. With the swing-out, you have to open it all the way before being able to access trunk space.

As for the last time I needed a spare- about two months ago. Small metal debris sliced a tire wide open and I lost all 34psi in about a half mile. Full-size spare to the rescue. 5 minutes later, I'm back on the road. Admittedly, this was in my car, not my SUV with its 100-lb spare.

If you want to pull through in a parking lot and be nose out then just put your stuff in the frunk.

I have never had an issue in my Wrangler parking and not being able to get into the back. I’m just so used to having it I dont even think about it anymore.