Rear door 5 bar gate removal !

[fortyninth parallel]

As a new member of this forum, and having to wait another 3 days before I can collect my Sportage that I have just bought(Garage) I wondered if anyone could help with these questions? When my wife goes shopping, she will cetainly come home with the shopping on the back seat! This is because either she will not be able to open the rear door due to having the spare wheel mounted on the 5 bar gate stopping her, or some t*** will park behind her stopping her from swinging the spare wheel carrier back ! My questions are, does the spare wheel carrier come as an option(I know there is a place for the spare wheel in the rear space under the carpet)? Or do they all have the carrier?
And could anyone tell me if the carrier will come off leaving the bracket on the back corner, or does all of the carrier have to come off? The car is the 2000(UK SX model) Please dont think I am too negative, but it begs the question is the rear door so flimsy that the spare wheel could not be fitted to the door with the normal bracket type job?
Thank you and regards.
fortyninth parallel.

[mgbgt1972]

Park nose in like evryone else and you will avoid that problem! Even if you removed the spare tire carrier, you'd still have to contend with the rear hatch swinging up, and what would happen if you wife got a flat tire? As for mounting it on the hatch itself, don't forget your wife will then have to lift it above her head tire and all, and the stock gas struts will not hold such a weight so you run the risk of it slamming down cutting your wifes head off! As for space under the rear carpet, i doubt a full size spare will fit, have you actually looked there, there is just enough room for a jack and it's handle.

If you really want to take the spare tire carrier off, it will take all of 2 minutes and all the tools you will need are a pair of needle nose pliers. there are two pins in the hindges, with c-clips holding them in place from underneath, remove the c-clips pull up the hindge pins and the wheel carriers is free to leave behind in your garage.

If it an'y broke, don't fix it!

[fortyninth parallel]

Thanks mgbgt1972 for your reply, in an ideal world where parking spaces are side by side and only one deep, parking nose in would be the answer.
Unfortunately most car parks you have to park one behind the other, so you end up with a car right up your tailpipe, if you pull in nose first then sometimes you are on the road between the cars, you would have to be choosy when you yank the cable and release the beast! I'm saying it's a bit of a problem one way and another. The removal instructions are received with thanks and this may be the answer as when I took the car out for a test drive, there was certainly a recess under the carpet(wheel shaped)When I pick up the car in the week, I will take a closer look.
Thanks again.
fortyninth parallel

[larrywolbaum]

I just got a 99 Sportage and I am also hating the spare tire option. Let's say I keep the tired as is, is there a non-key latch available so I don't have to open the rear door with the key?