Spare tire resolved !!!!

[Boxster1971]

DaveG - thanks for the follow-up. You made the right choice. The Sprinter Body Equipment Guide (BEG) clearly says the weight limit on the high roof (LH2) Sprinter rear door is about 22 lbs. A spare tire on the rear door would clearly exceed the limits recommended by Mercedes engineers.

I know a lot of folks use the Agile, Aluminess, and other tire mounts on rear doors - but I wonder about long term impact on door and hinges.

Attaching copy of the applicable page from BEG attached.

[uncle_bob]

Originally Posted by Boxster1971

DaveG - thanks for the follow-up. You made the right choice. The Sprinter Body Equipment Guide (BEG) clearly says the weight limit on the high roof (LH2) Sprinter rear door is about 22 lbs. A spare tire on the rear door would clearly exceed the limits recommended by Mercedes engineers.

I know a lot of folks use the Agile, Aluminess, and other tire mounts on rear doors - but I wonder about long term impact on door and hinges.

Attaching copy of the applicable page from BEG attached.

Hi

Which is why I'll *risk* a spare tire back there but tossing in a ladder plus a person on it .... nope ....

Bob

[Les77]

Originally Posted by Beemerman

Finally bought correct wheel & tire.....fits in aft cargo area....removed cosmetic bulkhead under bed..... fits fine....

Apologize for my ignorance as I am a complete novice to this Airstream environ. Just picked-up our 2022 19 Saturday and drove home and today I realized there was no spare tire! The photo of the spare tire fix you made - is that on a Interstate 19?

[Les77]

Originally Posted by Beemerman

Finally bought correct wheel & tire.....fits in aft cargo area....removed cosmetic bulkhead under bed..... fits fine....

Beemerman, No after studying the photo of the tire I now see how it is set inside. How do you move the seat belt straps that come directly in the middle of that space? Plus when I measured the tire currently on it was 8" wide and 30 inches across - That space allowed across and the width of the tire was not a problem but it measured not enough room for the tire to fit in directly. How did you work this magic my friend? Appreciate your time and efforts! Cheers, Les

[DaveG]

Originally Posted by Les77

Beemerman, No after studying the photo of the tire I now see how it is set inside. How do you move the seat belt straps that come directly in the middle of that space? Plus when I measured the tire currently on it was 8" wide and 30 inches across - That space allowed across and the width of the tire was not a problem but it measured not enough room for the tire to fit in directly. How did you work this magic my friend? Appreciate your time and efforts! Cheers, Les

-------
Not invited into the conversation so apologies. Offering our experience just for consideration. We didn't remove anything (seatbelts or inner wall). We placed a small carpet under the spare under the seat. We used a bungie to pull the two seat belts together over the spare to help secure it from moving side to side. We placed the wheel rim face down and can put lots of stuff in the center.

[zeekwad]

I nearly bought the Owl spare carrier for my 24X. But quickly realized it wouldn't work with the Yakima EXO swing out I have installed for my 2 bikes and excess cargo. For now, I strapped my spare to the lower cargo rack on the Yakima EXO hitch system.

I don't know about you all, but I am shocked that Airstream is delivering 4x4 "adventure" vans like the 24X with no spare tire, no easy ability to check the pressure on the rear outer tires, plastic valve extensions on the rear inner tires, and of course, no on-board TPMS. What?

I've followed a lot of the other Interstate 24 owners and had a tire pro install metal valve stems and a TireMinder TPMS... but geeze, why do we have to do this ourselves on a $240k "adventure" van? Feels irresponsible to delivery these vans this way. This isn't my first RV or Airstream rodeo, I know there are always things, but the tire situation is the first that felt unsafe.

Don't get my started on the unprotected, zip tied, battery cabling underneath said adventure van

[Les77]

Originally Posted by DaveG

Follow up on the tire carrier: Talked with Discount Tire, Agile Offroad, Aluminess, Mercedes Sprinter service advisor, and Boomerang Enterprises. Aluminess failed to get back to me but may be good, just didn't hear from them. I ordered a new wheel from Mercedes after researching alternatives. Could have purchased a steel wheel for less but it requires different lug bolts (not a big deal but went with the same as on the van). Discount tire was great and put the exact same tire on the new wheel as the van has (could have purchased a less expensive tire from them which was the exact same size). Agile provided a quote which included door reinforcement hardware (a metal bracket bolted on & hidden behind the door panel). They would do exact color match for additional cost (reasonable). Boomerang will color match with no promise it will be more than close. They sell a good continental kit. Presented the plan to a Mercedes service advisor. He said he has seen a few vans with the external carrier and has not heard of problems, but..... So, we talked about the back door. Agile offering the door reinforcement makes sense as the door is large and to keep weight down it is not over built. It can easily warp enough to not close completely. Any kind of bump will exaggerate stress on the door and hardware. The service advisor advised against. I left pondering the pros and cons. For now the tire is inside the back of the van. I purchased a small throw rug and laid it down under the back bench seat. No alteration to the van and the tire fit perfectly. Placed face down, many items fit within the wheel. If seatbelts are needed they come right between the wheel spokes. If not needed they can help hold the tire in place. I think until I can talk myself into feeling completely comfortable with the outside spare carrier the spare tire will remain inside the van. Didn't lose all that much storage space and having a spare has added peace of mind! Worth the investment!

Dave, More than welcomed to join in the conversation as my head is hurting in deciding what to do to address. Immediate response is as you said, place under seat but I am still a bit confused as my seat belts come together right and are connected to the floor in the middle of the space under the seat so how did you get the tire around them? I would love to see a photo. Plus I believe I measured the tire as 30 inches across and when I measured and did not think I had enough room to fit even if I could figure out how to get the tire passed the seat belt connection. If possible, if you have a photo of your set up that would be most appreciated so I can actually see how you got the tire in the space. I have a 2022 Airstream Interstate 19 and I know it is on a 2021 chassis so I don’t know if that makes a difference in regards to where the seat belts are connected to the floor. If I can get the tire under there like you and B-Man, then that will be most helpful and provide me with the same “time” to sort out if I want to put a holder on the outside or just leave it under the seat! Appreciate your time and efforts! Cheers, Les

[DaveG]

Hi Les, I will try to get a picture loaded later today. We do not need the seat belts so we just pulled them back through into the rear area and laid them flat out one to each side. We picked up a scatter rug from Costco and placed it over the seat belts. We then slid the mounted tire in on top of the rug. We then pulled each of the seat belts up over the tire (opposite each other) and connected them together with a bungie cord. If the rear seat belts are needed it may be possible to put them up through the center of the rim and back in place? This would make storage in the rim a bit more difficult. I have to master the challenge of loading a photo Will try to do this afternoon or evening.

[Les77]

Originally Posted by DaveG

Hi Les, I will try to get a picture loaded later today. We do not need the seat belts so we just pulled them back through into the rear area and laid them flat out one to each side. We picked up a scatter rug from Costco and placed it over the seat belts. We then slid the mounted tire in on top of the rug. We then pulled each of the seat belts up over the tire (opposite each other) and connected them together with a bungie cord. If the rear seat belts are needed it may be possible to put them up through the center of the rim and back in place? This would make storage in the rim a bit more difficult. I have to master the challenge of loading a photo Will try to do this afternoon or evening.

Dave, First and foremost, thanks ever so much for the explanation, it is appreciated very much. Now understand how you got past the seat belt anchor situation in the middle of the space. I should have had my thinking cap on and figured the solution out myself but I was transfixed on the center anchor and did not think of how you solved the issue! I am going to go to Discount tire to order a tire and rim for the spare. Also have to purchase appropriate tools and jack to perform a flat tire change in case of an emergency where roadside assistance may not be readily available. Hopefully I will be able to fit the tire in the space like you did rather than taking down the facade like B-Man did. Don’t worry about the photo if it becomes too much of a hassle to load up. Would appreciate but please don’t worry if it is a pain in the butt to load up. You have been more than helpful and again, we appreciate all your time and efforts! Cheers, Les

[DaveG]

Great! Just let me know if you want to see a pic. (I really should learn how to load one someday)
I haven't yet gotten the tools to change the tire. Space is so precious. We have AAA and Coach insurance. Stories about not finding a good wheel or correct tire were our motivation. We were in a short stretch of highway with no cell and little traffic recently and that does cause thought.