Spare tire delete idea
 

I've been highly considering removing my spare tire as most all of my driving is to/from work where I could easily have a friend bring it out or AAA home if need be. With that said I've love to find a way to utilize the extra truck space made by removing this and the tool trays.

Does any vendor make a new trunk mat that is meant for this purpose? Something clean looking that replaces the factory carpet piece and allows us to utilize this extra space would be perfect!

If you don't know of any, is this something that you would be interested in?

Build a subwoofer box - you could even house the amplifier inside it so it'd be really stealthy.

If you're looking for weight savings, obviously ignore that idea, lol.

Yeah, ultimately I'm looking to remove weight and create space.

Air ride, place compressor and lines under the stock panel...

make your own. take out the stock panel. put it on a sheet of wood or whatever and trace around it. cut it out. cut out whatever shape you want in the middle and put some hinges on one end so you can lift it up. wrap it in carpet or whatever material you want

i think spare tire is important and you will be glad you have it when you need it.

Spare tires are pretty much irrelevant now. I have four unused space saver spares to prove it, two of which are 15-20 years old and therefore useless.

Simple answer to filling that space is to buy some blue styrofoam insulation board and cut to fit. Weighs nothing, can be glued together with silicone or hot glue, and will very,very marginally cut down on noise.

This is such a good idea I may do it myself.

Remember to put the spare back for winter to add weight for traction...8-)

Cellphone coverage and roadside assistance is a more useful solution to this now very rare problem, and probably cheaper in the long run.

We already have a small trunk, why waste this space? I'd really like to see one of our vendors make an aftermarket trunk floor to give us all that space back.

12v inflator and cell phone= lol spare

unless you do not know how to change spare tires, you were suppose able to swap out a flat tire in good 10-15 minutes and get back to the road. call for help for tow or spare tire delivery, that could take up to hours. obvious that is your call and it is depends on how valuable is your time.
you can just simple buy a block of Styrofoam and cut the shape out for your storage purpose.

I was thinking of this for the longest time but I often drive 4 hours a few weekeneds

When you need it and don't have it, you sing a different tune.

Rare? Really? Let me think back a moment:

Car (dates driven) – Spare tire used?

1976 Honda Civic Wagon (Jurassic-1987) – Yes! Probably about 1984 I had a flat.
1987 Acura Integra (1987-1996) – No, I don't think so
1996 BMW 318ti (1996-2007?) – No
1999 BMW M3 (2007?-2013) – Yes! But not for a flat tire. It was a full size spare so I used it for the left front corner on the track to get another day without having to buy more tires [clockwise track].
2013 Scion FR-S (2013-Present) – No

Oh wait a minute! I think I haven't used a spare tire to get home with a flat since about 1984. I do recall a flat tire or two, but slow leaks that I could limp home with, or a slow leak that I noticed after parking in the garage for a day or so. Neither of which required use of the spare. Perhaps my memory is just flawed, and I really have had a few flats. I don't think so though. I think I would remember struggling to use the silly OEM jack and lug wrench on the side of the road.

I have AAA and a cell phone. This may be a great idea. I can always throw the spare in for trips. That is unless I have my track tires with me, then I could use them as spares.

You're removing weight from the wrong end...

I say if you are that concerned with reducing weight.... go on a diet. I heard bulimia works really well. I have cancer and I've lost about 25 pounds from chemo and radiation. I can't feel any difference in my car though. Sad panda. but in all seriousness, you are removing weight from the wrong end, and that small amount wont make a difference. If you are stripping the entire interior then maybe it would help, but putting yourself in a potential dangerous position for a small amount of weight reduction is crazy pants. What happens if you are driving a loved one to the hospital, and you get a flat? Gonna wait for roadside assist? I know its an over exaggerated hypothetical situation, but stranger things have happened.

He'd call an ambulance and ditch the car..... If you need a crazy hypothetical, the the zombie apocalypse is upon us and they are about to drop a nuke, you're still 5 miles from the 'safe zone' and you suffer a blowout and the car won't make 5 miles on the rim.....


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IMO the weight and space savings isn't worth being SOL when you are on the side of the road at 2am with a flat.

Are you trying to improve your 1/4 mile or trying to make room for something else? Or are you just doing it to do it?

I have had AAA for almost 30 years. I have never had them respond in less than an hour. Even if I call AAA, I can't be sure they'll send a roll back, and doubt it's a good idea to tow this car on two wheels. The actual AAA trucks carry tire repair gear with them, but I always end up getting one of the contract tow operators who doesn't. So all they would be able to do is tow the car or change the tire for me, which doesn't help if I don't have a spare.

I regularly drive through rural areas. I really can't imagine running without a spare. In fact, I would upgrade to the OEM full-sized spare setup if I didn't need all my trunk space.

Ditto.

I do Subaru Roadside Assistance for the US (part-time job) so if you do do this, don't call us complaining the vehicle doesn't have a spare, and the only thing we can do is tow the vehicle for you to a Subaru dealership (we could tow you elsewhere but you'd have to pay for the tow), rather than putting on your spare tire to get you back on your way :P

Count yourself as lucky.

The FR-S I bought this summer had a blow-out 10 days after I got it. The tire couldn't be fixed. I put 170 miles on the spare while waiting four days for a replacement tire. It had to be special-ordered from out of state.

Then this weekend, on day 66 of ownership, I found a screw embedded in the tread. The tire isn't flat, yet. I'm hoping it didn't penetrate enough to cause a leak.

Every car I've had in 30 years of driving has gotten a flat tire at least once and I've needed the spare to get around until I could get the tire repaired or replaced.

Roadside assistance may get you home, but it won't get you to your job the next day.

Back on topic for you.

If you currently have a donut type liner then I guess you're looking for a flat one like these:

The toyota 86 has this one
https://www.japanparts.com/parts/detail/43151

The Subaru BRZ has this one
https://www.japanparts.com/parts/detail/40672

And this
https://www.japanparts.com/parts/detail/40673

You should be able to find the equivalent in the US.

If however you mean a hard piece of board to go over the top I'm not sure where you'd find that but you could cut your own piece out.

And, off topic - our later cars came with repair kit. I got a spare when I split a tire wall and the repair kit wouldn't work. Not fun being stranded and then the hassle of leaving the car to go away and get a new tire fitted.

I also take a spare with me to the track just in case I need it to get home if anything goes wrong with a tire while on track.

EDIT: could this be what you're after http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=71895

Just something else to consider is that there are some punctures that can't be fixed by AAA or roadside assistance and would either require a tow or the use of a spare. I took a metal rod to my rear tire last year that went in through the tread and out the sidewall. 10m later, I was headed home on the spare tire to swap out rims/tires.

If you're lowered, I really wouldn't want a tow truck driver scraping the hell out of the car getting it onto the flatbed either. Although the probability is low of you ever needing the spare, you'll be glad you have it when you need it.

You wouldn't believe the number of people that expect us to do this for them though.... smh

It's a daily driver, not a race car. You aren't going to feel the weight difference going around the mcdonalds drive through.

Besides, flat tires usually happen randomly. Saying "I haven't gotten a flat before" isn't a good argument for leaving your donut at home.

For those that have said a spare isn't needed

I've needed the spare in almost every car I have owned since I started driving. A couple of the times it was due to a sidewall rip which could not be fixed with plugs or fix a flat (I do carry plugs and fix flats myself on the side of the road when it's possible but sometimes it just isn't). The last time it wasn't flat but I came out of work to find I had a bubble in the sidewall and didn't want to take a chance driving 60 miles on the highway like that.

I've also waited over 2 hours for roadside assistance at times when I've needed a tow, once was during a major rainstorm, I wouldn't want to do that just for a flat that I can change in under 10 minutes. I also do lots of driving in mountain areas where there is no cell phone coverage.

Coincidentally enough, I was perusing these forums yesterday, and this is one of the threads I stumbled across. Read it. Thought, "Yeah, I'd rather have my spare just in case." Then I walked out to my car in the garage (which I hadn't driven since like last Friday) and sure enough:

https://fbcdn-sphotos-a-a.akamaihd.n...48613919_n.jpg

Put the spare on, headed over to Discount Tire this morning and got it patched, tested, balanced and mounted, all for the grand total of $0.00! Discount Tire FTW!!!

I understand flat tires can happen, but in the hundreds of thousands of miles I've driven I've only had one. This doesn't say that I cannot get a flat but rather says statistically, based on my driving habits/history, that the chance of me getting a flat on any given day is very near zero. In the same time I've had 5 alternators die yet I don't carry a spare alternator in my trunk.

Car problems happen but honestly I would rather have the added trunk space than carry around a spare tire, spare alternator, spare radiator hoses and everything else that could possibly break. Tire repair kits, that can easily fit in the glove box, will fix 90% of tire punctures much quicker than putting a spare on anyway.

Honestly, if you're needing more trunk space, then you probably bought the wrong car for your needs. If you need to carry something larger, fold the rear seats down since that's what they're meant for. Let's say you remove the spare tire, then you're left with 2 choices, either use the trunk mat or taking that out as well. If you leave the mat in, then you have no center support for the mat. If you take it out, then you've got the space, but you'll see the bare sheet metal.

Guess I just don't see the risk/reward analysis to be worth it. In the end, it's your car, do what you want with it.

Spare tire delete idea
 

Note in Australia we have flat boots, with the tire repair goo. Most people get around just fine. This is what the mats look like (carpet plus rubber/plastic overlay):
Attachment 88206

Edit: and those who want peace of mind buy space saver spares from old WRXs

If you don't have a spare tire, what's in that space under the trunk (boot) mat?

Foam surround to hold the tire goo.

sometimes you would wish you carry a condom with you too

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I dont think weight reduction is the reason op wanted to do it, he said he would want to remove that stuff for extra trunk spacer and i totally agree with him. Have you guys seen the trunk without the stuff in there and without the liner? Its sooooo much bigger.

Necro on this thread but relevant. Has anyone out there come up with anything at this point yet? I'm of the same mindset as the OP I have AAA and rather then **** around on the side of the freeway and risk my life to change on the spare Id rather wait. Can't count how many times a day I see people not move over for people on the side of the road. In my 10 years of driving the only time I have needed a spare and not had one it would of done me no good as I hit a pothole and took out both passenger side wheels and tires.

A number of people have turned that spot into a subwoofer. The actual mount for the spare is tack welded on, so it's pretty easy to cut it off and grind the tack welds flat, which frees up a lot of space.


For myself, I have no need of that space and I'm not on a weight-saving adventure, so I just leave it in there. There's no harm in leaving it in, and maybe one day I'll need it.

What im looking for is some sort of insert thats not going to add alot of weight but be ridged to pile stuff in the trunk still ( IE Groceries) and not have the trunk liner collapse into the hole Also I like to store summer stuff in there (IE roadside kit, frisbee, rain gear, bugspray.)

I took everything out of my trunk (my s2000) and painted the inside flat black. Looked nice. Then bags have a "hole" to sit in and not roll around.


Murphy's law applies to me... So gotta keep the spare.

Edit: Here is the photo that inspired me.

https://i.imgflip.com/1fwmw4.jpgvia Imgflip Meme Generator