Thule 963PRO Spare Me 2 Bike Spare Tire Bike Carrier, One Color, One Size

Just put on my Jeep Wrangler. I have I think about 33 inch tires and about 12 inches or so deep. I just used the tools that were already on the rack. It looks like it was deep enough for it, well I hope so. If not I will add the extensions. I thought it wasnt at first bc the part that you put the bikes on wasnt fully flush when down. I took off and it was the same way off the Jeep as it was on. I think it has to do with the black pieces that hold the bike frame. It went on rather easy and I dont excel in hands on stuff. The instructions said to use the straps for tires bigger than stock size but I dont want bright blue straps on the back of my jeep flying around or just looking ugly to me. I suppose I could just use them when I actually go bike riding but the point I wanted is less hassle. Just throw my bike on and leave.A few things that are pretty cool. It has a built in lock to lock your bike onto the rack itself. It just comes out of one of the end pieces and locks onto another piece. Thats pretty ingenious. I dont have to bring my bike lock mechanism with me if I happen to stop at a store on the way home. Also it has a lock to lock the actual rack so that people just cant steal the whole thing off of your car. Both keys work for each of the locks. Once you lock it the screw on piece just spins so people cant take off the rack. Im not sure how heavy duty the lock is that locks the bike on. But its a deterrent and better than nothing. Im sure someone with bolt cutters could cut it off in time but they would have to have that on them walking around a parking lot.The extra cushion rubber pieces work well. It keeps the rack from digging into the tire and there are 4 pieces. My tire didnt fit like the instructions so I put each on on point of contact on my tire.Its also nice to have anti sway straps. On my other rack for my Subaru Outback it just sways ever time and the handle bar swings but Thule has anti sway to keep that from happening. I just have to figure out how to do it when I put my bike on it. There is a pic on the box that shows how it goes.I was a little concerned the actual rack would take away from the Jeep look but have to make a sacrifice. It doesnt look too bad though. Its fairly flush and matches pretty well with my black tires. I have to ride my bike and Im taking my Jeep so need something to get it done and not may bike racks out there for Jeeps.I havent put my bike on yet. Im going to do that tomorrow. Will update if something doesnt work right.

I've owned Thule car rack products in the past and found them to be very well made, durable, and functional, so I had no problem ordering this unit over other cheaper products as I truly believe in the adage that one gets what one pays for.I mounted this rack on the back of a 2005 Jeep Wrangler and the install was straightforward and the instructions are fairly good. The package comes with the appropriate hardware to adjust to the width of different spare tires, but you'll likely need two or more installation attempts with different combinations of hardware to get the correct setup.The rack holds two bikes and has mounting cups with tracks to accommodate gear and brake cables, which is a very nice touch. This prevents the top tube from rubbing against cables obviating damage to the finish of the bicycle. The rubber straps which strap the bike to the rack are thick, of good quality, and held up under the stress of stretching them around the appropriate tube of the bicycle. Because the unit mounts to the spare tire, or more correctly, the spare tire rack, my rear gate is fully functional and can open through its full range of motion. (I did check out hitch receiver mounted bicycle racks, but I couldn't find any that allowed full use of the rear gate without at least partial disassembly or removal.)It also comes with a locking system to lock the unit to the spare tire and a cable lock system to secure the bikes to the rack. Both locks use the same key. However, the cable is only long enough to secure the frame and not not long enough to stretch through the wheels. If you're concerned about theft of quick release wheels, you'll need to purchase a second cable lock to secure them.The rack arms that extend outward to hold the bicycles flip downward when the rack is not in use. This is handy as the rack consumes less space in this orientation and is less likely to injure a klutz like me who'd otherwise walk into them. I haven't yet gotten the hang of flipping the arms into the storage position yet and they are hard to move out of the usage position. On the other hand, this bodes well for the unit remaining sturdy over long-term use.On the downside, the unit does have a bit of a rattle to it when in the storage position even though it's tight against the tire and the arms are securely locked. This won't be a big deal for anyone with a hard top or soft top on their vehicle, but since I run with only a safari top on my Wrangler, the rattle is a bit annoying as I can hear it while I drive.I give it 5 stars for being a well made and practical bicycle rack, minus 1 star for the annoying rattle. If I could rate the unit 4 1/2 stars, I would as this is a minor downside.

I decided on the Thule bike rack for my Jeep Wrangler based on good reviews on Amazon and elsewhere. The product looked sturdy and well constructed upon arrival. The ability to customize the rack to fit a wide variety of tire and wheel combos was important since I have a lift, oversize tires (31") and aftermarket wheels with more offset than stock.The test fit went fine until I tried to disassemble. The stand off bolt, a piece designed to extend the threads of the bracket that fits behind the spare tire, came loose before the bolt that held the rack in place. No big deal. I got a long socket, took it apart and during final installation, I wanted to make sure the stand off bolt was nice and tight. I applied moderate pressure with my ratchet and sheared off the bolt. Mind you, this is the piece that holds the rack on your vehicle. It doesn't support the weight of the rack and bikes but it does accept the bolt that holds the rack tight to your tire.If you can't tighten this bolt securely without shearing it off, it could rattle loose during transport and leave your bikes in the middle of the highway or come out of the mounting bracket before the bolt that holds the rack on. The latter isn't the end of the world but the former is. The stand off bolt looked like cheap cast metal. I do a lot of mechanical work and only cheap bolts and fasteners that aren't properly hardened or forged break this easily. There are cheaper racks on Amazon but I went with the name brand. I returned the rack, I flat don't trust it even with a replacement part, and will buy different brand now.