This paper describes a magnesium spare tire carrier developed at Daimler Chrysler for the 2007 Jeep Wrangler. This carrier replaces a stamped steel mounting bracket and separate injection molded plastic CHMSL module that were installed separately at the assembly plant. The magnesium carrier is responsible for a weight reduction of 65% at minimal cost penalty. The carrier is attached to the swing gate and is required to support spare tires weighing up to 35 Kg. The unit had to pass durability testing including 14,000 slams of the swing gate with the full 35 Kg spare tire weight attached and had to meet full exterior corrosion requirements. Since the spare tire is the first area of the vehicle that gets struck in rear impact situations, the carrier also had to survive a 80 Kph rear impact test without becoming detached from the vehicle or allowing the spare tire to become detached.
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