Hi guys,

I have never owned a Defender but am doing quite a bit of research on the 2020 110 model.

I have a really stupid question to ask. Is it possible/advisable to remove the spare tyre from the back and fit it inside the boot. I recognise the need for the spare tyre but worry parking in the city where I live may be a bit tight with it sticking out the back.

curious to hear your expert thoughts and advice.

many thanks

 

No stupid questions here, we're a friendly, helpful group.

Yes, the spare tire will fit in the back but it would take up much of the rear cargo area unless you build some sort of deck or storage platform above it. Be sure to attach it to the tie-down hooks. You don't want it flying around inside the vehicle during an accident.

 

Thanks. Appreciate it.

Will there be a need to affix some sort of a panel outside to hide the screw holes where the wheel used to be attached? Or would it be quite weather proof anyway - just slight less pleasing to the eye....

 

Honestly, I think the 110 is a hard vehicle for predominantly city driving / living. I think the 90 is going to be much better for this environment if you're committed to a Defender and can live with 2 doors (e.g., not a lot of passengers the vast majority of the time). With the tire, the 90 is still shorter than a Subaru Forester, a BMW X3, and a RAV4. I think you'll be unhappy losing all that cargo space on the interior by storing a tire in the back, and I haven't seen a picture of what the back looks like without the tire yet.

 

I will say I saw a comment from someone who claimed to be part of the design team elsewhere that the mass is part of the sound damping for the door. Removing it is fine, but it will add to ‘tinny sounds’ and may include ‘very strange vibrations’.

 

Mount it to the roof? I know that will rule out most indoor parking, but seems like a fair compromise, and will make it look quite the safari vehicle.

 

Your question is certainly not been asked before, I expect.

The wheel is on the back as part of the large effort to achieve the necessary geometry of the vehicle for "best available" off-road performance. If you are not going off-road much, and don't want to deal with a big, smelly (rubber), heavy, spare bouncing around inside, maybe consider purchasing a different JLR product? They have the same engines, transmissions, design philosophy, all aluminum monocoque and are also very good off-road -- just not as capable as the Defender.

 

https://www.evo.co.uk/land-rover/def...ender-v8-spied

 

How about mounting it to the hood?

 

If you search instagram for #2020defender and scroll through the Recent posts there is a gentleman there who “deleted” his rear wheel. It looked sharp, he removed the mount as well and had a aesthetic fix for the mount holes. Sorry I don’t have more info than that, I don’t get on the Instagram machine much and didn’t think to look closely at the name.

Also, if it helps, I’ve been parking in the city for several months and have not had an issue with size. I’ve always parked in a way that accounts for others parking too close to me in any car I’ve owned, nothing like getting parked into a spot. I generally either leave generous room between me and the person in front of me or I’ll drive a bit to find a front or rear spot for an easy exit. I grew up in the country so city parking to me was always a little daunting.