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So I'm changing out my wheels and tires for my 2019 G550, to the 463 Industries Wheels and the NITTO Terra Grappler G2 tires (275/55/20). We got that all figured out through a previous post/thread.
I'm not only doing the 4 on the ground, but I'm doing the SPARE in the back as well (I'm going to abandon the rear tire cover). Now the problem.
1. The way it's set up now, the spare wheel faces backwards (and I want the face of the tire facing out).
2. The current bolts are not long enough to put the tire on facing outward.
So my question is has anyone done a spare mount modification to put the spare on (without the cover) facing out? I've seen it in picture, just can't find a modified hardware anywhere on the internet
There is a thread somewhere on one of these forums about someone who had an adapter for the pre-2019 G. It might work on the new one as well. As I pointed out on that thread, the only issue might be the additional cantilevered load from having the wheel center of mass further out my deform the door sheet metal over time. I'd bet money that is why MB mounted it backward to begin with.
Last edited by Floobydust; Sep 21, 2020 at 06:09 PM.
I agree with Floobydust's concern with the increase in cantilever loading on the tailgate mount. However, mounting adapters are being sold for flipping the wheel around, so I'd be interested to know the experiences of those that have done this. Did your OE spare tire match the 4 OE tires mounted on the ground?
Pit26 has a bracket for the previous generation, but I bet it would work for the new model as well. They ran a 37" off the back of their G63 4x4 conversion with no issues, so I would think a 33" or even a 35" would be fine in terms of the leverage it puts on the door. The 911 Motorsports bracket is much cheaper though, and I've seen one on a 2020 G63 with 33" tires, so that's probably the one I would go with.
The previous generation W463 and current generation W463A G-Wagons use totally different mounts that cannot be swapped between the two. We custom built a heavy duty bracket so that the factory wheels can be spun around or an even larger aftermarket wheel/tire combo can be mounted as seen above. Each bracket takes about 1-2 weeks to manufacture from order date. Mention this thread and I will provide special pricing for anyone who purchases - David@WheelsBoutique.com || 786 249 0127 ext. 2109.
Anyone know if the spare tire on a 2019-2020 has a TPMS sensor installed? I’m assuming not, but just curious. Thanks.
My 2019 G550 was equipped with a matching wheel and TPMS sensor, although (as I posted earlier on this forum) the spare tire was a mis-match -- different brand, size and construction. As far as I can tell, MB slipped me this smaller tire so that its leftover tire cover inventory could be used up. The provided tire cover won't close over the OE Pirelli 275/50R20 mounted tires, so they provided a 265/50R20 spare tire with a sticker on it that says "MAX 50 MPH". Regarding the TPMS sensor on the spare, the G550 doesn't include this tire's pressure and temperature on the instrument panel cluster (as does my Lexus that cost 2/3 $ as much). If the G550's spare tire valve faced outward so its pressure could be easily measured and filled, I guess this might be excusable. Maybe MB thinks that since the tire cover doesn't lock and there's no security lug nut on the spare, that pulling the spare off every 6 months to check the pressure is no big deal (ask your wife to do this). Or since there's no security on the cover and spare tire, MB assumes someone will steal them and then you won't need to be concerned about the spare's pressure..
I agree with Floobydust's concern with the increase in cantilever loading on the tailgate mount. However, mounting adapters are being sold for flipping the wheel around, so I'd be interested to know the experiences of those that have done this. Did your OE spare tire match the 4 OE tires mounted on the ground?
No way! Don’t agree. You’re talking about a very minor difference, and the rear door is very solid. It’s mounted backwards to facilitate the spare tire cover. If you see how the spare tire cover mounts, you’ll realize the tire has to be oriented in the way that it is.
My 2019 G550 was equipped with a matching wheel and TPMS sensor, although (as I posted earlier on this forum) the spare tire was a mis-match -- different brand, size and construction. As far as I can tell, MB slipped me this smaller tire so that its leftover tire cover inventory could be used up. The provided tire cover won't close over the OE Pirelli 275/50R20 mounted tires, so they provided a 265/50R20 spare tire with a sticker on it that says "MAX 50 MPH". Regarding the TPMS sensor on the spare, the G550 doesn't include this tire's pressure and temperature on the instrument panel cluster (as does my Lexus that cost 2/3 $ as much). If the G550's spare tire valve faced outward so its pressure could be easily measured and filled, I guess this might be excusable. Maybe MB thinks that since the tire cover doesn't lock and there's no security lug nut on the spare, that pulling the spare off every 6 months to check the pressure is no big deal (ask your wife to do this). Or since there's no security on the cover and spare tire, MB assumes someone will steal them and then you won't need to be concerned about the spare's pressure..
There’s a lot in here - let me try to unpack it:
1) I’ll check the size of my spare, but I suspect it’s the same as yours. The reason why is because the spare tire cover would not fit over a larger tire. It already partially obstructs the rear visibility (we’ve removed ours completely).
2) If there is a TPMS sensor on the spare, you will see the info on the dash. But it takes a while to show up, and the tire has to be mounted on a driving wheel.
3) Not sure why you need to check the pressure of the spare. Just keep an electric pump in the car and inflate it to the proper pressure if you ever use it.
4) You can easily add a lock to the spare tire cover.
No way! Don’t agree. You’re talking about a very minor difference, and the rear door is very solid. It’s mounted backwards to facilitate the spare tire cover. If you see how the spare tire cover mounts, you’ll realize the tire has to be oriented in the way that it is.
Cantilever weight is significant and this is why the wheel reversing brackets are made beefy and cost $650. Otherwise, it would be a simple and inexpensive solution to install longer stud bolts onto the OE mounting bracket and suspend the spare outward an additional 10" on three 14mm studs. I agree the rear door is solid, but I imagine the manufacturers of these aftermarket brackets specify some weight limit. Reverse mounting an oversize wheel/tire combo weighing 10-20 lbs more that the OE spare and hitting a 6" pot hole on the Long Island Expressway could be difficult to survive with the rear door intact.
My spare tire cover has only a tube that inserts through the wheel hub into a receptacle in the mounting bracket and this all seems independent of which way the wheel is oriented. I don't think the MB spare tire cover design department dictates to the body design department how to mount the spare tire in order to accommodate the tire cover that it intends to provide.
There’s a lot in here - let me try to unpack it:
1) I’ll check the size of my spare, but I suspect it’s the same as yours. The reason why is because the spare tire cover would not fit over a larger tire. It already partially obstructs the rear visibility (we’ve removed ours completely).
2) If there is a TPMS sensor on the spare, you will see the info on the dash. But it takes a while to show up, and the tire has to be mounted on a driving wheel.
3) Not sure why you need to check the pressure of the spare. Just keep an electric pump in the car and inflate it to the proper pressure if you ever use it.
4) You can easily add a lock to the spare tire cover.
1) I would like to hear from MB regarding the under-size spare (they have not responded to my customer service inquiry), and why a larger cover was not manufactured. I've mounted a full-size 275/55R20 spare to match my other 4 tires and have installed an aftermarket hard cover. This larger spare is only 1/2" larger in diameter and does not interfere with the backup camera or add noticeably to obstructing the rear window view. (BTW, where is your spare now?) If your spare does match your other 4 tires, would you check the MB p/n on the tire cover ring and face? My p/n's are A463 890 1000 (ring) and A463 898 1700 (face).
2) TPMS systems do require a few miles of driving to collect data. My Lexus instrument panel shows the vehicle outline with 5 tire locations. Dashes appear instead of data in all 5 locations until pressure data is acquired. The G550 never shows any 5th tire location or data.
3) Spare tires always look fully inflated until mounted and the vehicle weight is dropped off the jack. Small compressors are a solution albeit very slow, and just another bother in bad weather or at night.
4) The aftermarket tire cover I purchased came with a lock. I already had installed security lug nuts on the spare wheel mount.
1) I would like to hear from MB regarding the under-size spare (they have not responded to my customer service inquiry), and why a larger cover was not manufactured. I've mounted a full-size 275/55R20 spare to match my other 4 tires and have installed an aftermarket hard cover. This larger spare is only 1/2" larger in diameter and does not interfere with the backup camera or add noticeably to obstructing the rear window view. (BTW, where is your spare now?) If your spare does match your other 4 tires, would you check the MB p/n on the tire cover ring and face? My p/n's are A463 890 1000 (ring) and A463 898 1700 (face).
2) TPMS systems do require a few miles of driving to collect data. My Lexus instrument panel shows the vehicle outline with 5 tire locations. Dashes appear instead of data in all 5 locations until pressure data is acquired. The G550 never shows any 5th tire location or data.
3) Spare tires always look fully inflated until mounted and the vehicle weight is dropped off the jack. Small compressors are a solution albeit very slow, and just another bother in bad weather or at night.
4) The aftermarket tire cover I purchased came with a lock. I already had installed security lug nuts on the spare wheel mount.
Thanks for the update. I will check the size of my spare in the next few weeks.
Re: (2), the MB TPMS sensors are only active when the wheel is turning. So you won't get a reading unless the wheel is rotating.
Hi all,
It has been several months since we last posted on the forums - I hope you have all been well. We appreciate the mentions above and periodically throughout the forums. It is always an honor to see our name mentioned in discussion and we take great pride in that. Thank you.
As Sarlox mentioned above, after months of preparation, 911Motorsports has officially gone live with their reverse spare mount. We have also launched it on our site to be added to your next bundle of G Wagon upgrades and are ready to get these going.
With this generation's version (W463A), at least for the time being, there are three options to choose from based on your wheel/tire backspacing. We have instructions on our page to take the appropriate measurement to determine which size is best for you. The goal was to accommodate the widest tire without rubbing (currently ~12.5) and also minimize the distance the tire/wheel center of gravity stuck out from the vehicle.
You can find it here on our website: 911Motorsports Reverse Spare Mount (via Jack Wagon Overlanding)
or you can order directly from Casey at 911Motorsports.net .
Thank y'all!
Hey everyone, quick question. I have a 2020 obsidian black G550 with the night package. Does anybody have a spare tire cover that they want to sell? We recently had some damage to mine. The ring part of it is fine. It’s just the flat rear part with the Mercedes emblem.
Thanks!
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