Tweet
As many are aware, the frame around the NS - NX centrally mounted spare wheel interferes with fitment of a bag on the spare wheel. I had some ideas for a solution that I was idly discussing with old Jack when he pointed out the blindingly obvious solution, and I set to work.
(Some time later, twisted32 mentioned the same idea - so both he & OJ are cleverer than I am, which some would argue is not really that hard.
)
After a little trial & error (with thanks to my 3D printer - it's a great toy
) I had something ready to take on a recent trip down Googs Track, and subsequent exploring of the region.
Essentially, it's two pieces of lasercut & folded sheet metal, with some nuts welded to strategic places, to space the wheel cover out from the wheel. It is still hinged on one side, and still retained by the standard bolts on the other side. It can be removed and the cover restored to factory in a few minutes (it's easier to install & remove if the spare wheel is also removed).
Mine only spaces the cover out by 125mm, as this allowed minimal messing around with the wiring for the fog light & camera. This distance is workable, but a little more space would be nice. With a little more installation effort (and probably a few extra wiring clips for installation kit) 150mm should be readily achievable. A variant could also be built to lift the frame to match a spare wheel lift - that would require a little more development to work out how much distance can be achieved with how much effort, and I'm struggling to imagine how the cosmetic trim pieces would look.
I'm running 265/70R17 (one "step" up from stock), and this only just fits - a couple of wiring clips are pressing against the rubber tyre. The wheel lift kit actually helps a little in this respect. A bigger tyre is out of the question.
The plastic pieces are cosmetic only, and mine are held in place in a very dodgy manner. More development is required. Of course, the NX plastic is different from the earlier models - why would anything be too easy?
My bag is a Dune brand bag from Anaconda, which was listed at $80; I think I got it for $70 by handing over my email address. I have no reason to doubt other bags would also work.
Aside from one of the cosmetic trim pieces falling off on some corrugations (retrieved & duct taped in place, where it still remains) the prototype worked well. It has also survived at 2900km round trip to Sydney & back, but given that was all bitumen, there's no great surprise there.
So, I have something that works for me, although it has room for improvement. Is this of interest to others - should I keep working on it?
Note that I believe this is not strictly compliant with ADRs, because of Australia's unique requirement for rear lights on both sides to be visible from significant angles - these should be considered "for off-road use only".
At this stage, if I keep going, I'm guessing a sell price would be somewhere between $100 & $200 with cosmetic trim included. Excluding the cosmetic trim, I think I could sell the metalwork for under $100, but it really does look strange.
(Some time later, twisted32 mentioned the same idea - so both he & OJ are cleverer than I am, which some would argue is not really that hard.
)After a little trial & error (with thanks to my 3D printer - it's a great toy
) I had something ready to take on a recent trip down Googs Track, and subsequent exploring of the region.Essentially, it's two pieces of lasercut & folded sheet metal, with some nuts welded to strategic places, to space the wheel cover out from the wheel. It is still hinged on one side, and still retained by the standard bolts on the other side. It can be removed and the cover restored to factory in a few minutes (it's easier to install & remove if the spare wheel is also removed).
Mine only spaces the cover out by 125mm, as this allowed minimal messing around with the wiring for the fog light & camera. This distance is workable, but a little more space would be nice. With a little more installation effort (and probably a few extra wiring clips for installation kit) 150mm should be readily achievable. A variant could also be built to lift the frame to match a spare wheel lift - that would require a little more development to work out how much distance can be achieved with how much effort, and I'm struggling to imagine how the cosmetic trim pieces would look.
I'm running 265/70R17 (one "step" up from stock), and this only just fits - a couple of wiring clips are pressing against the rubber tyre. The wheel lift kit actually helps a little in this respect. A bigger tyre is out of the question.
The plastic pieces are cosmetic only, and mine are held in place in a very dodgy manner. More development is required. Of course, the NX plastic is different from the earlier models - why would anything be too easy?
My bag is a Dune brand bag from Anaconda, which was listed at $80; I think I got it for $70 by handing over my email address. I have no reason to doubt other bags would also work.
Aside from one of the cosmetic trim pieces falling off on some corrugations (retrieved & duct taped in place, where it still remains) the prototype worked well. It has also survived at 2900km round trip to Sydney & back, but given that was all bitumen, there's no great surprise there.
So, I have something that works for me, although it has room for improvement. Is this of interest to others - should I keep working on it?
Note that I believe this is not strictly compliant with ADRs, because of Australia's unique requirement for rear lights on both sides to be visible from significant angles - these should be considered "for off-road use only".
At this stage, if I keep going, I'm guessing a sell price would be somewhere between $100 & $200 with cosmetic trim included. Excluding the cosmetic trim, I think I could sell the metalwork for under $100, but it really does look strange.
Brilliant!
Comment