Can Am Maverick R Spare Tire Carrier | What Fits Best

A spare mount for the Maverick R should hold a full-size wheel tight, keep the rear clear, and stay quiet on rough ground.

The Maverick R is hard on flimsy spare setups. The tire is big, the wheel is heavy, and the rear of the car sees plenty of motion. A carrier that feels fine in the garage can start shaking, rubbing, or blocking access once you’re miles from the trailer.

That’s why this buy-first, bolt-later part matters. You want a carrier that matches your wheel size, clears the rear camera and lights, and keeps the spare from hanging so far back that it drags your departure angle. You also want something you can open, remove, or live with when you’re loading tools, a jack, or a cooler.

Can Am Maverick R Spare Tire Carrier Fit And Mount Points

Start with the chassis, not the catalog photo. BRP lists a 200 lb cargo rack capacity for the Maverick R, and the BRP owner manual says cargo should stay low, stay inside the rack, and be secured on the rack instead of being tied to the cage. That gives you a clean filter for carrier designs. The spare needs to sit on a mount built for the rack and its load path, not on a flimsy add-on that turns the cage into a cargo hook.

The manual also notes that the rack area has anchoring hooks and LinQ attachment points. That opens two smart paths. One is a carrier that bolts to the rack in a fixed position. The other is a rack-friendly quick-attach setup that lets you strip the spare off when you want the rear open for day rides.

• A good carrier keeps the tire centered or close to centered.
• It holds the wheel low enough to avoid a top-heavy feel.
• It leaves the brake lights and rear camera with a usable view.
• It does not push the spare far behind the bumper line.
• It gives you a clean way to strap a jack, lug tool, or plug kit nearby.

Carrier Styles That Usually Work

Most Maverick R owners end up choosing between a fixed upright mount, a tilt or hinge design, and a rack platform that carries the spare flat. A fixed upright mount is simple and often the lightest answer. A hinge setup is nicer when you need rear access often, but it adds hardware, latch wear, and one more source of rattle. A flat platform keeps the tire low, though it can eat cargo room fast.

The right pick comes down to how the car gets used. Trail riders who carry tools and a cooler every trip tend to hate carriers that block the whole rear deck. Riders who want the cleanest rear view often hate flat mounts. Rock riders usually care more about departure angle and wobble than cargo room. Dune riders often care more about fast wheel changes and low fuss.

Spare Tire Carrier Choices For The Maverick R

Tire size changes the whole setup. The current Maverick R line spans different packages, and the Can-Am Maverick R model page shows that some trims run much taller rubber than others. If your car is on 35s, a carrier built around a 30-inch spare can fit on paper and still be the wrong buy. Clearance around the rear fascia, camera, roof line, and any bags or fuel packs gets tight in a hurry once the tire diameter grows.

Carrier Style	Works Well For	Watch For
Fixed Upright Rack Mount	Simple installs, lighter weight, fewer moving parts	Can block rear view and make cargo access tighter
Hinge-Away Carrier	Frequent access to tools, bags, and rear rack area	Latch wear, added weight, more noise over chop
Low Flat Platform	Lower center of mass and cleaner rear sight line	Uses a lot of rack space and can crowd other gear
Offset Upright Mount	Leaves one side open for a bag or fuel pack	Uneven load placement and light or camera blockage
Quick-Release Rack Plate	Mixed-use cars that switch between ride days and haul days	More hardware to inspect after rough rides
Dual-Purpose Rack And Carrier	Owners who want tie-down points around the spare	Can sit tall and add bulk at the rear
Bed-First Flat Mount With Tool Slots	Cars that always carry a jack, wrench, and repair kit	Works only if you rarely need open rack room

Wheel offset matters too. Two tires with the same outer diameter can sit far differently on a carrier if one wheel has more backspacing. That can move the tire closer to plastics, lights, or a rack panel. Before you buy, measure from the wheel mounting face to the farthest outer tread block on your current setup. That one number tells you more than tire diameter alone.

What To Match Before You Order

Try to match the spare to your running tire as closely as your space allows. On a machine with a strong driveline and plenty of grip, a badly mismatched spare can feel awkward even during a short limp back. If you can’t carry a full match, stay close on outer diameter and wheel bolt pattern, then treat the spare as a get-out item, not an all-day riding tire.

Also check where the valve stem lands once the wheel is mounted. A carrier can look perfect until the stem ends up trapped against the plate or hard to reach with a chuck. It sounds small. On the trail, it isn’t.

Check Before Buying	What To Measure	Why It Saves Headaches
Tire outer diameter	Full mounted tire height	Stops roof, light, and body interference
Wheel offset	Mount face to outer sidewall	Keeps the tire from sitting too far back
Wheel bolt pattern	Stud count and spacing	Avoids adapter plates you may not want
Rack access	Space needed for cooler and tool bag	Prevents daily-use frustration
Rear view	Camera and mirror sight line	Keeps backing up less awkward

Mounting It Without Creating New Problems

A spare carrier should feel boring once it is on. No clank. No side-to-side wag. No mystery rub marks. You get there by treating the mount like a load item, not like a dress-up part.

1. Mock the wheel and tire in place before final drilling or final bolt torque.
2. Cycle the suspension if you can, or at least check clearance at full droop and full stuff estimates.
3. Open anything that needs to open: rear bags, access panels, cooler lids, camera view, whip mounts.
4. Use quality hardware, wide washers where needed, and a locking method that suits vibration.
5. Recheck the mount after the first ride and again after a rough weekend.

Noise is usually the first sign that the carrier is not happy. A little shake at idle becomes a hammering rhythm on washboard. If the design uses a hinge, the latch needs a tight closing feel with no free play. If it uses a fixed stud plate, the wheel must clamp flat and fully. Conical lug seats do not forgive sloppy alignment.

Mistakes That Ruin A Good Setup

The most common mistake is buying around price and photos instead of around your exact wheel and tire. The second is hanging too much extra gear on the same carrier. A spare, a jack, a fuel pack, and a tool bag can pile up weight fast. Even if the rack can hold it, the rear of the car may start feeling busier than you want on whoops, chop, or ledges.

Another miss is ignoring daily use. If you need to reach belts, tools, or a cooler every ride, a carrier that turns each stop into a small project gets old fast. In that case, a hinge design or quick-release layout is often worth the extra money.

Which Setup Makes Sense

If you want the cleanest, least fussy answer, a tight fixed upright carrier that keeps the spare near the rack and near the centerline is usually the sweet spot. If you use the rear deck all the time, a hinge-away design earns its keep. If you care most about keeping weight low, a flat rack mount can still win, as long as you’re fine giving up cargo room.

The Maverick R does not hide a bad spare setup. Buy around tire size, wheel offset, rear clearance, and how often you need rear access. Get those four calls right, and the carrier fades into the background, which is exactly what you want from a part like this.