Tirya

Sorry about the delay, went home for the holidays!!

I had the 30s on the Jeep from May of '99 to Nov of '00, and put the '31s on
at that point. I moved from Chicago to Dallas in June of '02, so I had some
Chicago winters with both sets, and IMHO I didn't notice an appreciable
difference between them. I keep my tires at about 30psi, I don't know if that
makes enough of a difference. I don't have ABS, so was probably a little more
cautious about the possibility of hydroplaning or sliding while driving, but
the only times that I can remember having a problem were once trying to take a
right hand curve on slush a little too fast (and I couldn't tell you if that
was on the 30s or 31s), and once intentionally doing doughnuts to show my
niece from California what they were (that was definitely on the 31s!).
::grin::

I'm now in Texas, and was totally happy with the way they performed in the
snow we had here last February when we had a couple of days of it. I was
running through the unpacked snow on the roads (as opposed to the ice-bottomed
ruts that everyone else had carved out), and spent a couple of hours on the
drive home from work pushing people up a hill because there was a sheen of ice
on it and they couldn't get up it. =D

As a side note, I'm still on my original set of 31s from 11/00, and they've
still got about 35% tread left on them after three years and around 60K miles.

Tirya
--
TDC Inca Jeeper
A dirty Jeep is a happy Jeep.

"stephjeff" <bag@centurytel.net> wrote in message
news:b15a3f2e.0312230104.1842d931@posting.google.c om...
> That mileage is pretty good. That's about mine with the stock 30"
> goodyears and 3.73 gearing. Do you drive those tires a lot in snow and
> slippery highways? How do they do on slippery highways and snowy
> roads? Are they prone to hydroplane ?
>
> I called NTB today and found out that they no longer offer the return
> policy!!! Bummer. They said they stopped doing the 30 day
> satisfaction a year or so ago. I guess it's my fault for not asking
> up front. Only thing they'll do is give me about 75% credit on what I
> paid as trade in. After only 20 miles!
>
> One thing about the BFG 30" AT's I have right now. They kinda look a
> little smaller than the stock GSA's I had. Probably psychological.
> >
> > Tirya wrote:
> >
> > > I'm running the stock gearing that came with the '99 Sahara (D30 in
front, D35
> > > in back) which would make it 3.73, I think? The only modification I
have on
> > > it is the 31x10.5.15 tires - everything else is stock. I run about 2200
RPM
> > > on the highway, at about 60-70MPH in fifth.
> > >
> > > It's four and a half years old, and has 106K miles on it - I *LOVE* my
Jeep!!!
> > > It's also my daily driver, averages about 16-18 MPG (city/highway mix),
which
> > > was kinda pricey when gas was up around $2/gallon, but I wouldn't trade
it for
> > > anything.
> > >
> > > Tirya
> > > --
> > > TDC Inca Jeeper
> > > A dirty Jeep is a happy Jeep.
> > >
> > > "stephjeff" <bag@centurytel.net> wrote in message
> > > news:b15a3f2e.0312212051.4803845d@posting.google.c om...
> > >
> > >>Tirya, very nice. Now I really want to get the 31's. What kind of
> > >>gearing do you have and what kind of mpg are you getting? Is it
> > >>decent in fifth gear on the highway? I still have to be somewhat
> > >>pratical. It's my only ride.
> > >
> > >
> > >
> >
> > --
> > __________________________________________________ _________
> > tw
> > 03 TJ Rubicon
> > 01 XJ Sport
> >
> > "Reports that say that something hasn't happened are always interesting
> > to me, because as we know, there are known knowns, there are things
> > we know we know. We also know there are known unknowns; that is to
> > say we know there are some things we do not know. But there are also
> > unknown unknowns — the ones we don't know we don't know."
> > -- Donald Rumsfeld (2003)
> >
> > "I think that gay marriage is something that should be between a man and
> > a woman."
> > -- Arnold Schwarzenegger (2003)
> >
> > __________________________________________________ _________

stephjeff

Oh that's O.K. I'm glad you wrote back. That's great news about the
snow handling. That was my main concern. I ended up taking back the
30's and went with 31's! The NTB guy gave me full credit after all.
Even without me asking for it. Wow. I love the look of 31's, fill
out the wheel well- perfect for the tj. I don't think I'm gonna get
the mpg you're getting though. I do have 3.73 gears so I still have
decent pickup and a fifth gear. I had a little trouble with the spare
fitting, so I shaved the bumper thingies down. Mounted yesterday, and
fit great.

One bummer is that I've been rubbing a lot. Just normal driving
yesterday, I find I have to take wide turns instead of those quick
cuts and U turns. Just pulling into parking spaces!! That kinda sucks.
I have to do the washer thing, but I don't like losing all that turn
angle. I've had my tj for over six years now, and it's hard to break
old habits, I'm just used to those turns. I gotta do the washer trick.
Overall I'm happier with the 31's. Look and ride. Thanks for all
the help and support!

Jeff

"Tirya" <Tirya@spamfree.addy> wrote in message news:<3CqIb.175728$8y1.536144@attbi_s52>...
> Sorry about the delay, went home for the holidays!!
>
> I had the 30s on the Jeep from May of '99 to Nov of '00, and put the '31s on
> at that point. I moved from Chicago to Dallas in June of '02, so I had some
> Chicago winters with both sets, and IMHO I didn't notice an appreciable
> difference between them. I keep my tires at about 30psi, I don't know if that
> makes enough of a difference. I don't have ABS, so was probably a little more
> cautious about the possibility of hydroplaning or sliding while driving, but
> the only times that I can remember having a problem were once trying to take a
> right hand curve on slush a little too fast (and I couldn't tell you if that
> was on the 30s or 31s), and once intentionally doing doughnuts to show my
> niece from California what they were (that was definitely on the 31s!).
> ::grin::
>
> I'm now in Texas, and was totally happy with the way they performed in the
> snow we had here last February when we had a couple of days of it. I was
> running through the unpacked snow on the roads (as opposed to the ice-bottomed
> ruts that everyone else had carved out), and spent a couple of hours on the
> drive home from work pushing people up a hill because there was a sheen of ice
> on it and they couldn't get up it. =D
>
> As a side note, I'm still on my original set of 31s from 11/00, and they've
> still got about 35% tread left on them after three years and around 60K miles.
>
> Tirya
> --
> TDC Inca Jeeper
> A dirty Jeep is a happy Jeep.
>
> "stephjeff" <bag@centurytel.net> wrote in message
> news:b15a3f2e.0312230104.1842d931@posting.google.c om...
> > That mileage is pretty good. That's about mine with the stock 30"
> > goodyears and 3.73 gearing. Do you drive those tires a lot in snow and
> > slippery highways? How do they do on slippery highways and snowy
> > roads? Are they prone to hydroplane ?
> >
> > I called NTB today and found out that they no longer offer the return
> > policy!!! Bummer. They said they stopped doing the 30 day
> > satisfaction a year or so ago. I guess it's my fault for not asking
> > up front. Only thing they'll do is give me about 75% credit on what I
> > paid as trade in. After only 20 miles!
> >
> > One thing about the BFG 30" AT's I have right now. They kinda look a
> > little smaller than the stock GSA's I had. Probably psychological.
> > >
> > > Tirya wrote:
> > >
> > > > I'm running the stock gearing that came with the '99 Sahara (D30 in
> front, D35
> > > > in back) which would make it 3.73, I think? The only modification I
> have on
> > > > it is the 31x10.5.15 tires - everything else is stock. I run about 2200
> RPM
> > > > on the highway, at about 60-70MPH in fifth.
> > > >
> > > > It's four and a half years old, and has 106K miles on it - I *LOVE* my
> Jeep!!!
> > > > It's also my daily driver, averages about 16-18 MPG (city/highway mix),
> which
> > > > was kinda pricey when gas was up around $2/gallon, but I wouldn't trade
> it for
> > > > anything.
> > > >
> > > > Tirya
> > > > --
> > > > TDC Inca Jeeper
> > > > A dirty Jeep is a happy Jeep.
> > > >
> > > > "stephjeff" <bag@centurytel.net> wrote in message
> > > > news:b15a3f2e.0312212051.4803845d@posting.google.c om...
> > > >
> > > >>Tirya, very nice. Now I really want to get the 31's. What kind of
> > > >>gearing do you have and what kind of mpg are you getting? Is it
> > > >>decent in fifth gear on the highway? I still have to be somewhat
> > > >>pratical. It's my only ride.
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > >
> > > --
> > > __________________________________________________ _________
> > > tw
> > > 03 TJ Rubicon
> > > 01 XJ Sport
> > >
> > > "Reports that say that something hasn't happened are always interesting
> > > to me, because as we know, there are known knowns, there are things
> > > we know we know. We also know there are known unknowns; that is to
> > > say we know there are some things we do not know. But there are also
> > > unknown unknowns ? the ones we don't know we don't know."
> > > -- Donald Rumsfeld (2003)
> > >
> > > "I think that gay marriage is something that should be between a man and
> > > a woman."
> > > -- Arnold Schwarzenegger (2003)
> > >
> > > __________________________________________________ _________

stephjeff

Oh that's O.K. I'm glad you wrote back. That's great news about the
snow handling. That was my main concern. I ended up taking back the
30's and went with 31's! The NTB guy gave me full credit after all.
Even without me asking for it. Wow. I love the look of 31's, fill
out the wheel well- perfect for the tj. I don't think I'm gonna get
the mpg you're getting though. I do have 3.73 gears so I still have
decent pickup and a fifth gear. I had a little trouble with the spare
fitting, so I shaved the bumper thingies down. Mounted yesterday, and
fit great.

One bummer is that I've been rubbing a lot. Just normal driving
yesterday, I find I have to take wide turns instead of those quick
cuts and U turns. Just pulling into parking spaces!! That kinda sucks.
I have to do the washer thing, but I don't like losing all that turn
angle. I've had my tj for over six years now, and it's hard to break
old habits, I'm just used to those turns. I gotta do the washer trick.
Overall I'm happier with the 31's. Look and ride. Thanks for all
the help and support!

Jeff

"Tirya" <Tirya@spamfree.addy> wrote in message news:<3CqIb.175728$8y1.536144@attbi_s52>...
> Sorry about the delay, went home for the holidays!!
>
> I had the 30s on the Jeep from May of '99 to Nov of '00, and put the '31s on
> at that point. I moved from Chicago to Dallas in June of '02, so I had some
> Chicago winters with both sets, and IMHO I didn't notice an appreciable
> difference between them. I keep my tires at about 30psi, I don't know if that
> makes enough of a difference. I don't have ABS, so was probably a little more
> cautious about the possibility of hydroplaning or sliding while driving, but
> the only times that I can remember having a problem were once trying to take a
> right hand curve on slush a little too fast (and I couldn't tell you if that
> was on the 30s or 31s), and once intentionally doing doughnuts to show my
> niece from California what they were (that was definitely on the 31s!).
> ::grin::
>
> I'm now in Texas, and was totally happy with the way they performed in the
> snow we had here last February when we had a couple of days of it. I was
> running through the unpacked snow on the roads (as opposed to the ice-bottomed
> ruts that everyone else had carved out), and spent a couple of hours on the
> drive home from work pushing people up a hill because there was a sheen of ice
> on it and they couldn't get up it. =D
>
> As a side note, I'm still on my original set of 31s from 11/00, and they've
> still got about 35% tread left on them after three years and around 60K miles.
>
> Tirya
> --
> TDC Inca Jeeper
> A dirty Jeep is a happy Jeep.
>
> "stephjeff" <bag@centurytel.net> wrote in message
> news:b15a3f2e.0312230104.1842d931@posting.google.c om...
> > That mileage is pretty good. That's about mine with the stock 30"
> > goodyears and 3.73 gearing. Do you drive those tires a lot in snow and
> > slippery highways? How do they do on slippery highways and snowy
> > roads? Are they prone to hydroplane ?
> >
> > I called NTB today and found out that they no longer offer the return
> > policy!!! Bummer. They said they stopped doing the 30 day
> > satisfaction a year or so ago. I guess it's my fault for not asking
> > up front. Only thing they'll do is give me about 75% credit on what I
> > paid as trade in. After only 20 miles!
> >
> > One thing about the BFG 30" AT's I have right now. They kinda look a
> > little smaller than the stock GSA's I had. Probably psychological.
> > >
> > > Tirya wrote:
> > >
> > > > I'm running the stock gearing that came with the '99 Sahara (D30 in
> front, D35
> > > > in back) which would make it 3.73, I think? The only modification I
> have on
> > > > it is the 31x10.5.15 tires - everything else is stock. I run about 2200
> RPM
> > > > on the highway, at about 60-70MPH in fifth.
> > > >
> > > > It's four and a half years old, and has 106K miles on it - I *LOVE* my
> Jeep!!!
> > > > It's also my daily driver, averages about 16-18 MPG (city/highway mix),
> which
> > > > was kinda pricey when gas was up around $2/gallon, but I wouldn't trade
> it for
> > > > anything.
> > > >
> > > > Tirya
> > > > --
> > > > TDC Inca Jeeper
> > > > A dirty Jeep is a happy Jeep.
> > > >
> > > > "stephjeff" <bag@centurytel.net> wrote in message
> > > > news:b15a3f2e.0312212051.4803845d@posting.google.c om...
> > > >
> > > >>Tirya, very nice. Now I really want to get the 31's. What kind of
> > > >>gearing do you have and what kind of mpg are you getting? Is it
> > > >>decent in fifth gear on the highway? I still have to be somewhat
> > > >>pratical. It's my only ride.
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > >
> > > --
> > > __________________________________________________ _________
> > > tw
> > > 03 TJ Rubicon
> > > 01 XJ Sport
> > >
> > > "Reports that say that something hasn't happened are always interesting
> > > to me, because as we know, there are known knowns, there are things
> > > we know we know. We also know there are known unknowns; that is to
> > > say we know there are some things we do not know. But there are also
> > > unknown unknowns ? the ones we don't know we don't know."
> > > -- Donald Rumsfeld (2003)
> > >
> > > "I think that gay marriage is something that should be between a man and
> > > a woman."
> > > -- Arnold Schwarzenegger (2003)
> > >
> > > __________________________________________________ _________

stephjeff

Oh that's O.K. I'm glad you wrote back. That's great news about the
snow handling. That was my main concern. I ended up taking back the
30's and went with 31's! The NTB guy gave me full credit after all.
Even without me asking for it. Wow. I love the look of 31's, fill
out the wheel well- perfect for the tj. I don't think I'm gonna get
the mpg you're getting though. I do have 3.73 gears so I still have
decent pickup and a fifth gear. I had a little trouble with the spare
fitting, so I shaved the bumper thingies down. Mounted yesterday, and
fit great.

One bummer is that I've been rubbing a lot. Just normal driving
yesterday, I find I have to take wide turns instead of those quick
cuts and U turns. Just pulling into parking spaces!! That kinda sucks.
I have to do the washer thing, but I don't like losing all that turn
angle. I've had my tj for over six years now, and it's hard to break
old habits, I'm just used to those turns. I gotta do the washer trick.
Overall I'm happier with the 31's. Look and ride. Thanks for all
the help and support!

Jeff

"Tirya" <Tirya@spamfree.addy> wrote in message news:<3CqIb.175728$8y1.536144@attbi_s52>...
> Sorry about the delay, went home for the holidays!!
>
> I had the 30s on the Jeep from May of '99 to Nov of '00, and put the '31s on
> at that point. I moved from Chicago to Dallas in June of '02, so I had some
> Chicago winters with both sets, and IMHO I didn't notice an appreciable
> difference between them. I keep my tires at about 30psi, I don't know if that
> makes enough of a difference. I don't have ABS, so was probably a little more
> cautious about the possibility of hydroplaning or sliding while driving, but
> the only times that I can remember having a problem were once trying to take a
> right hand curve on slush a little too fast (and I couldn't tell you if that
> was on the 30s or 31s), and once intentionally doing doughnuts to show my
> niece from California what they were (that was definitely on the 31s!).
> ::grin::
>
> I'm now in Texas, and was totally happy with the way they performed in the
> snow we had here last February when we had a couple of days of it. I was
> running through the unpacked snow on the roads (as opposed to the ice-bottomed
> ruts that everyone else had carved out), and spent a couple of hours on the
> drive home from work pushing people up a hill because there was a sheen of ice
> on it and they couldn't get up it. =D
>
> As a side note, I'm still on my original set of 31s from 11/00, and they've
> still got about 35% tread left on them after three years and around 60K miles.
>
> Tirya
> --
> TDC Inca Jeeper
> A dirty Jeep is a happy Jeep.
>
> "stephjeff" <bag@centurytel.net> wrote in message
> news:b15a3f2e.0312230104.1842d931@posting.google.c om...
> > That mileage is pretty good. That's about mine with the stock 30"
> > goodyears and 3.73 gearing. Do you drive those tires a lot in snow and
> > slippery highways? How do they do on slippery highways and snowy
> > roads? Are they prone to hydroplane ?
> >
> > I called NTB today and found out that they no longer offer the return
> > policy!!! Bummer. They said they stopped doing the 30 day
> > satisfaction a year or so ago. I guess it's my fault for not asking
> > up front. Only thing they'll do is give me about 75% credit on what I
> > paid as trade in. After only 20 miles!
> >
> > One thing about the BFG 30" AT's I have right now. They kinda look a
> > little smaller than the stock GSA's I had. Probably psychological.
> > >
> > > Tirya wrote:
> > >
> > > > I'm running the stock gearing that came with the '99 Sahara (D30 in
> front, D35
> > > > in back) which would make it 3.73, I think? The only modification I
> have on
> > > > it is the 31x10.5.15 tires - everything else is stock. I run about 2200
> RPM
> > > > on the highway, at about 60-70MPH in fifth.
> > > >
> > > > It's four and a half years old, and has 106K miles on it - I *LOVE* my
> Jeep!!!
> > > > It's also my daily driver, averages about 16-18 MPG (city/highway mix),
> which
> > > > was kinda pricey when gas was up around $2/gallon, but I wouldn't trade
> it for
> > > > anything.
> > > >
> > > > Tirya
> > > > --
> > > > TDC Inca Jeeper
> > > > A dirty Jeep is a happy Jeep.
> > > >
> > > > "stephjeff" <bag@centurytel.net> wrote in message
> > > > news:b15a3f2e.0312212051.4803845d@posting.google.c om...
> > > >
> > > >>Tirya, very nice. Now I really want to get the 31's. What kind of
> > > >>gearing do you have and what kind of mpg are you getting? Is it
> > > >>decent in fifth gear on the highway? I still have to be somewhat
> > > >>pratical. It's my only ride.
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > >
> > > --
> > > __________________________________________________ _________
> > > tw
> > > 03 TJ Rubicon
> > > 01 XJ Sport
> > >
> > > "Reports that say that something hasn't happened are always interesting
> > > to me, because as we know, there are known knowns, there are things
> > > we know we know. We also know there are known unknowns; that is to
> > > say we know there are some things we do not know. But there are also
> > > unknown unknowns ? the ones we don't know we don't know."
> > > -- Donald Rumsfeld (2003)
> > >
> > > "I think that gay marriage is something that should be between a man and
> > > a woman."
> > > -- Arnold Schwarzenegger (2003)
> > >
> > > __________________________________________________ _________

Tirya

"stephjeff" <bag@centurytel.net> wrote in message
news:b15a3f2e.0312310826.22f76efa@posting.google.c om...
> Oh that's O.K. I'm glad you wrote back. That's great news about the
> snow handling. That was my main concern. I ended up taking back the
> 30's and went with 31's! The NTB guy gave me full credit after all.
> Even without me asking for it. Wow. I love the look of 31's, fill
> out the wheel well- perfect for the tj. I don't think I'm gonna get
> the mpg you're getting though. I do have 3.73 gears so I still have
> decent pickup and a fifth gear. I had a little trouble with the spare
> fitting, so I shaved the bumper thingies down. Mounted yesterday, and
> fit great.

I removed all of the rubber bumpers on the tailgate - fits perfectly now, and
the rubber of the tire itself takes care of protecting the gate.

> One bummer is that I've been rubbing a lot. Just normal driving
> yesterday, I find I have to take wide turns instead of those quick
> cuts and U turns. Just pulling into parking spaces!! That kinda sucks.
> I have to do the washer thing, but I don't like losing all that turn
> angle. I've had my tj for over six years now, and it's hard to break
> old habits, I'm just used to those turns. I gotta do the washer trick.
> Overall I'm happier with the 31's. Look and ride. Thanks for all
> the help and support

Yeah, you do lose a little bit of the radius, but it still turns REAL nice...
=D

So... when do we get to see pics?

Tirya
--
TDC Inca Jeeper
A dirty Jeep is a happy Jeep.

Tirya

"stephjeff" <bag@centurytel.net> wrote in message
news:b15a3f2e.0312310826.22f76efa@posting.google.c om...
> Oh that's O.K. I'm glad you wrote back. That's great news about the
> snow handling. That was my main concern. I ended up taking back the
> 30's and went with 31's! The NTB guy gave me full credit after all.
> Even without me asking for it. Wow. I love the look of 31's, fill
> out the wheel well- perfect for the tj. I don't think I'm gonna get
> the mpg you're getting though. I do have 3.73 gears so I still have
> decent pickup and a fifth gear. I had a little trouble with the spare
> fitting, so I shaved the bumper thingies down. Mounted yesterday, and
> fit great.

I removed all of the rubber bumpers on the tailgate - fits perfectly now, and
the rubber of the tire itself takes care of protecting the gate.

> One bummer is that I've been rubbing a lot. Just normal driving
> yesterday, I find I have to take wide turns instead of those quick
> cuts and U turns. Just pulling into parking spaces!! That kinda sucks.
> I have to do the washer thing, but I don't like losing all that turn
> angle. I've had my tj for over six years now, and it's hard to break
> old habits, I'm just used to those turns. I gotta do the washer trick.
> Overall I'm happier with the 31's. Look and ride. Thanks for all
> the help and support

Yeah, you do lose a little bit of the radius, but it still turns REAL nice...
=D

So... when do we get to see pics?

Tirya
--
TDC Inca Jeeper
A dirty Jeep is a happy Jeep.

Tirya

"stephjeff" <bag@centurytel.net> wrote in message
news:b15a3f2e.0312310826.22f76efa@posting.google.c om...
> Oh that's O.K. I'm glad you wrote back. That's great news about the
> snow handling. That was my main concern. I ended up taking back the
> 30's and went with 31's! The NTB guy gave me full credit after all.
> Even without me asking for it. Wow. I love the look of 31's, fill
> out the wheel well- perfect for the tj. I don't think I'm gonna get
> the mpg you're getting though. I do have 3.73 gears so I still have
> decent pickup and a fifth gear. I had a little trouble with the spare
> fitting, so I shaved the bumper thingies down. Mounted yesterday, and
> fit great.

I removed all of the rubber bumpers on the tailgate - fits perfectly now, and
the rubber of the tire itself takes care of protecting the gate.

> One bummer is that I've been rubbing a lot. Just normal driving
> yesterday, I find I have to take wide turns instead of those quick
> cuts and U turns. Just pulling into parking spaces!! That kinda sucks.
> I have to do the washer thing, but I don't like losing all that turn
> angle. I've had my tj for over six years now, and it's hard to break
> old habits, I'm just used to those turns. I gotta do the washer trick.
> Overall I'm happier with the 31's. Look and ride. Thanks for all
> the help and support

Yeah, you do lose a little bit of the radius, but it still turns REAL nice...
=D

So... when do we get to see pics?

Tirya
--
TDC Inca Jeeper
A dirty Jeep is a happy Jeep.

David C. Moller

On Thu, 01 Jan 2004 02:35:04 GMT, "Tirya" <Tirya@spamfree.addy> wrote:

>I removed all of the rubber bumpers on the tailgate - fits perfectly now, and
>the rubber of the tire itself takes care of protecting the gate.

It's not about protecting the gate... it's about giving the spare
enough support to keep its weight from bending something. If the only
thing supporting your spare is the center hub area of the wheel,
something is going to give eventually.

Dave
http://mysite.verizon.net/res0p2es/david/index.htm

David C. Moller

On Thu, 01 Jan 2004 02:35:04 GMT, "Tirya" <Tirya@spamfree.addy> wrote:

>I removed all of the rubber bumpers on the tailgate - fits perfectly now, and
>the rubber of the tire itself takes care of protecting the gate.

It's not about protecting the gate... it's about giving the spare
enough support to keep its weight from bending something. If the only
thing supporting your spare is the center hub area of the wheel,
something is going to give eventually.

Dave
http://mysite.verizon.net/res0p2es/david/index.htm

David C. Moller

On Thu, 01 Jan 2004 02:35:04 GMT, "Tirya" <Tirya@spamfree.addy> wrote:

>I removed all of the rubber bumpers on the tailgate - fits perfectly now, and
>the rubber of the tire itself takes care of protecting the gate.

It's not about protecting the gate... it's about giving the spare
enough support to keep its weight from bending something. If the only
thing supporting your spare is the center hub area of the wheel,
something is going to give eventually.

Dave
http://mysite.verizon.net/res0p2es/david/index.htm