Jeep JK spare tire bump stop extensions

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Jeep JK spare tire bump stop extensionsOne of the most common upgrades a lot of jeep owners do is a set of new wheels and tires. Once you upgrade your wheels to ones with less backspacing, and you still install your spare tire on your factory tailgate carrier, you’ll notice that your factory rubber bump stops no longer touch your tire and therefore do not protect your tailgate from vibrations caused by the spare tire. This vibration can potentially lead to damage to your tailgate and the hinges.
The solution to this problem is to extend the spare tire bump stops to push against the tire and stop it from vibrating. You might only need an extra 1″ if you’re only getting new wheels and keeping stock tires. Once you upgrade your tires as well, switching to 35’s for example, and still using the factory spare tire mount on the tail gate, you might need to install a wheel spacer or relocation bracket on the carrier to fit the new wheel/tire and clearing the rear bumper. That means that now you might need at least a 2-3″ bump stop extension.
There are two ways you can go about extending your spare tire bump stops. You can purchase aftermarket ones or you can go the DIY way. You have a couple of options for aftermarket bump stops, the most popular are bump stops made by Daystar, and another option is a set by Energy Suspension. The only thing you need to remember is that the Energy Suspension bump stops are 4″ long and the Daystar ones are 4.5″ long.

Going the DIY direction gives you more flexibility in regards to length. I’ve spent way too much time researching this online and from what I can tell, depending on how much you need to extend the bump stops, you could:

1. install a 1-1/2 in. x 1-1/4 in. flexible PVC coupling over the factory bump stop

2. install a radiator hose over the stock bump stops and cut to length

3. insert a 1-1/4 in. garbage disposal air gap rubber hose, cut to length

4. install a hockey puck under you stock bump stop

 

OPTION 1. You can install this 1-1/2 in. x 1-1/4 in. flexible PVC coupling over the factory bump stop if you only need an extension of about 1.5″. The coupling is made out of thick and sturdy rubber and can be secured with provided clamp.

Jeep JK spare tire bump stop extensions

Jeep JK spare tire bump stop extensions

Jeep JK spare tire bump stop extensions

 

OPTION 2. You can install a section of a radiator hose over the stock bump stops.

Jeep JK spare tire bump stop extensions

Jeep JK spare tire bump stop extensions

 

OPTION 3. You can insert this 1-1/4 in. garbage disposal air gap rubber hose into the stock bump stops and cut it to exact length needed. It comes as a 2′ long straight piece. This hose is made out of very thick and sturdy rubber/PVC material and should stay in place securely.

Jeep JK spare tire bump stop extensions

Jeep JK spare tire bump stop extensions

Jeep JK spare tire bump stop extensions

 

OPTION 4. You can install a hockey puck under you stock bump stop. Check out this write-up put together by Eddie at wayalife.com

Jeep JK spare tire bump stop extensions

 

OPTION 5. You can purchase a set of aftermarket bump stops, like these ones made by Daystar. They are 4.5″ long and you can trim them to the desired length. Some people say that they break easily. I’ve had mine for over three years now and they survived extreme Arizona temperatures and direct sun without any problems. I recently removed them for a little bit and they did not break on me, but I was being very careful.

Jeep JK spare tire bump stop extensions

Jeep JK spare tire bump stop extensions

 

 

If you have any other ideas or you are already using a different DIY solution, feel free to comment below.

 

 

August 6, 2017 |

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