Fitting a larger spare tire in the trunk......

[Jookmasta]

so i stumbled upon a fifth wheel to complete my rims and now i want to roll around with the fifth wheel so that i will have a full size spare. problem is is that it wont fit perfectly due to its size. it is a 17 inch rim so it bares no resemblence to the stock spare. So is it possible for me to get it to fit in there without a bulge in the trunk? Has anyone ever done this or know of how it is done? Im not trying to do anything rice but i just want it to fit flush. Prices and phone numbers would be helpful. This is for an s13 coupe.

[skylinedreams]

do to the fact that your gas tank runs under part of the spare tire well. hammering the spare tire well out to fit a bigger wheel is most likely out of the question im not sure on how much clearance the gas tank has underneath there. you could raise the whole carpet in the back to compensate for the bulge though with like a wooden platform almost similar to that of a custom system. hope this helps

[NSR240sxe]

Why would you want to put the 5th wheel in the trunk anyways? Whats the point? If you get a flat you just put the spare on, and when you get home or wherever you put the new wheel on...its that simple. Theres no reason to ride around with the new wheel in your car, unless you want it for show but thats even gay too IMO.

[dfw240_EE]

I would like to put a full-size spare in because the small spare is not overly effective at high speeds. So if I blew the tire while on a roadtrip, it would be nice to have a full size spare so I could proceed down the highway at regular speeds.

I was a Boyscout long ago, and that "Be Prepared" stuff does actually set into you.

[Veriest1]

Full size spares are definatly a good thing. My dad carries two full size spares and the donut in his commuter car.

You could always just let it take up room in your trunk for now. IMO it would be worth it. You might try going to some rice show and ask around about custom shops in your area.

[Jookmasta]

thanks for the responses. point taken about the boyscout motto. it just seems logical that a full size spare would be the most handy thing to have. If a flat occurs on the highway, it would be great to slap on a full spare and keep goin highway speed. It would also prove very useful on a roadtrip. Like i said, im not trying to rice out but i just want things to look neat.

The idea of raising the trunk floor to compensate for its height was what i had in mind. anyone ever done this or tried it? any other comments or suggestions would be greatly appreciated

[gabossie]

Raising the carpet would waste alot of space unless you put stuff under there, and make your trunk rather useless for anything of a substantial height (read grocery bag). Why don't you just stick w/ the donut, and if you're going on a road trip, toss the full spare in.

[bryanmenard]

Why don't you just stick w/ the donut, and if you're going on a road trip, toss the full spare in.

This is a really good compromise on the issue and is what I do on long trips. Throw the full tire in there...make sure it's clean though. No one likes road grime on their suitcase.

My brother has a Civic and raised the floor of his trunk He replaced the garbage-board with plywood and added the extra 4 inches it needed. It's perfectly the shape of the trunk and has little "legs" on four corners and is supported by the tire in the middle.

It's really clean, but takes away a fair bit of height. It's still nice, though. You could easily do the same thing in an S13, but the trunk is already so shallow, I don't know how much depth one could stand to lose.

[Bronze MFP]

i ditched the trunk carpet and have a full size spare. It doesnt take up that much more space, and i can slap the carpet back in if something big needs to be put back there. I'd rather have a full spare than more cargo room i hardly ever use.

[skydragoness]

Why are people making fun of him for wanting to use a full size spare? It's not "ricey." I'm going to pick up a cheap 16" konig or something w/ a cheapo tire and throw it in my trunk when I put on my 16" SSRs. When you are running OE-sized wheels, the OE donut is fine. But when you plus size your wheel/tire combo running the OE donut is a BAD idea. I can only imagine the effects it would have on the suspension and the steering geometry if you drove it more than block or over 30mph.

As far as sticking it in the wheel well, good luck. I have a coupe as well, and the trunk is tiny enough as it is. I'm probably just going to stick it on top of the carpet and use cables to tie it down so it doesn't slide around in the back. I don't buy many groceries anyway, so it's fine.

[VinceSez]

hey! that's what im currently doing right now with my car. i got rid of the factory spare tire, and replaced it with a full sized tired.

[Bronze MFP]

if running a full size spare is rice, then bow to your rice king, full spare and nawzzzzzzz!!!!!1

Will the stock doughnut spare clear Z brakes? i never tried to fit mine, but that was one of my concerns that and 55mph is too slow to drive anywhere

[Bruno240]

yeah putting on that doughnut on a rear tire will ruin your differentials (sp?) I know from experience. Even if the tire has less tread than the other i would give it no more than a month before your differntials go out.

P.S. this is all with a different sized tire (other than stock)

[SmithSR]

A Z32 spare (or S14 SE) will clear Z32 brakes.

Right now I have a matched S14 SE wheel with same size tire in the well.

Everywhere I looked wanted as much for a Z32 donut as I could get the 5th S14 SE wheel.

[Timeless240]

Hmm.. all this talk about spares has got me thinkin.

Audio people with huge sub boxes in their trunk and even some with it molded into the spare tire well go without a spare and just have an electric air compressor and can of that fix-a-flat spray in case of emergencies. What are your thoughts about that?

I'm running stock 15" 7spoke alloys and was thinking about putting in one of my 15inch winter tires (on a steelie) in place of the donut. It would definitely qualify as a full size spare, with the only difference being the tire tread. I wonder if it will fit in the spare tire well without bulging.

Clear one more thing up for me...For us with rear wheel drive cars, we're not supposed to put a donut in place of a rear wheel, right? We're supposed to put a front tire on the blown back and then put the donut in front, right? And conversely for FWD...donuts only in the rear?

[lofapoo]

My car was sold to me without a spare tire, a very foolish mistake I made by not fully checking it, but that's the past. Luckily, for now, i have not had a flat (knock on wood). I did, however, stick a can of fix-a-flat next to the jack in it's little hole in the side of my trunk. It's always nice having a can of that sh*t incase you get a flat, but it only works if you're lucky. Chances are, if the air slowly deflates, the tire will still be glued to the rim, therefor making it possible to use a can of fix-a-flat to get where you need to go. However, if the tire just blows out, it will most likely disconnect itself from the rim. And if they are not together, you can't spray the fix-a-flat in it, as it will do nothing, rendering you F**KED. People without spares better have insurance with provided towing or something similar, because like myself I could be balls-deep in a big pile of dung if my tire blows and my magic can won't do anything for me.

[Veriest1]

MZ3 Coupes don't have spares from the factory. They come with a couple of cans of fix-a-flat and a plug kit.

[dfw240_EE]

Just read that's the same for the new Miata.

I am not comfortable with it, I would fit a spare into the trunk somehow.

[naed240sx]

Yeah fix a flat works, but it adds alot of weight to your tire, throws off balance, and increases rotating mass, making you slower, dont know if you care.

[grimple1]

you could tie it to the roof? that'd be pretty sweet.

[SmithSR]

Fix a flat may work sometimes, but more often than not, you will not get a decent seal and the tire will continue to leak.Then you continue to drive, thinking the tire is holding pressure, and you end up destroying the sidewall of the tire by running it while very low on air pressure.So not only did you waste money on the fix a flat, but now you must also buy a replacement tire, and while you're at the tire shop, you'll be offered a spare wheel/used wheel and tire to have for a spare(which you should buy if you don't have one)Lots of lazy people use fix a flat and lots of those people end up buying tires. Keep a spare and all jack tools. It really will suck to be caught without them.

[Florida240sx]

you could tie it to the roof? that'd be pretty sweet.

Put on the back like a jeep.

[dfw240_EE]

Fix a flat does work fine for fairly minor punctures, but if say a satellite dish dropped in the road gouges a great big hole and bends the rim then good luck with the fix a flat.