Alrighty folks (and @
Racecomp Engineering), here is some more detailed info for this silly, but necessary (for me) "mod."
Part Numbers
PP Spare Wheel: 28151FE030
PP Spare Tire: 28121VA050
PP Spare Foam Insert: 95086CA070
PP Spare Foam Spacer: 97046CA000
When I originally looked up the spare tire, the part diagram showed the wheel and tire, so I had assumed that the entire thing was what I was ordering for $95. Turned out that was just the wheel. The tire cost another $135. Funny enough, it would have cost $290 at Discount Tire for the only brand space-saver tire they had in the same size. Dunno what kind of magic pixie dust that one was made of...
That brought the total cost in OEM parts for this upgrade to $314.23 (not including tax.) Quite an expensive mod for, essentially, a spare tire. I like "OEM Quality" stuff, so... what's done is done... but I definitely learned to scrutinize the parts diagram better next time, lol. Either way, it's nice having an OEM-style setup that fits in the spare tire well properly, and supports the trunk floor perfectly.
Anyway, what are the differences?
First off, here's the difference in size of the central foam insert. It is significantly taller. Some of that height is achieved by thicker "fins" on the underside, but the actual width and depth of the "storage" section is greater. I have a tow strap, and some jumper cables that barely fit coiled around in there before, and now they easily fit with room to spare. So you will gain some storage space there.
Second, there is a foam spacer that you need to install at the bottom of the trunk. This is because the PP wheel is much deeper, and the wheel face now protrudes beyond the face of the tire. So without this foam spacer, the wheel face itself will hit the floor of the trunk before the tire seats into the tub. It's a very expensive piece of foam, lol.
Lastly is the wheel/tire combo itself. The regular spare tire is a T135/80D16 size. The PP spare tire is a T145/70D17 size. It is noticeably taller. In fact, I think it's slightly taller than the 255/35R18 Michelin Pilot Super Sports currently on my car. As a result, you LOSE some space around the outside of the wheel, which is where I have a few items tucked away. It is also probably slightly heavier, but my hanging scale wasn't working so I couldn't compare them.
Anyway, this is probably more information than you ever thought someone would post about spare tires, but the upshot is that nearly two years after I did my BBK upgrade, I finally have a spare tire in the trunk that actually fits over those brakes now (in my case, it's the AP Racing Factory BBK). Money well spent for the peace of mind. I was starting to get paranoid as I'd gone two years without a flat tire... which makes me overdue given my luck.