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Spare Wheel

H Peasource

H Peasource

Injector King
Messages
194
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6
Location
Cambridge
Car
Lexus IS250
I've read through various posts on what will fit into the spare wheel well of a tourer and it seems pretty straightforward. My question is a bit different though. Having got the spare wheel in place how do you secure it? Or is it just sitting in the wheel well?

If the wheel is not secured I'm a bit concerned as to what could happen in the event of an accident.

Are the spacesavers secured in any way?

Alan
 
A space saver wheel comes with a bolt and cone to lock it to the floor. A full size spare wheel is held in place securely by the lid (as I couldn't find any breakers with bolt and cone for sale). Since a crash usually applies horizontal forces, the lid will be plenty strong enough the tyre in place.

Some people tyres have apparently been too wide and they've needed to remove the lock but I've not had any problems with the variety I've tested, just sometimes need to kneel at corners to release the latches when opening.
 
On the saloon you can reverse the cone to secure a full size wheel. Is that not the case with the tourer then?
 
Space saver wheel is held in position via a bolt and cone screwed to the Tourer floor.
Honda then use a grey polystyrene former that fits in the wheel recess and stores the jack and wheel nut key etc
 
My "normal" sized wheel is fixed with two old towels folded and rammed down the front and back, they also come in handy for wiping hands after wheel changing, if you put the wheel in outside down there is plenty of room for tools, tow rope, or even a can of hand cleaner. LOL
 
Is this under the locked area of the boot in the touerer or under the car itself?
 
Quirrel said:
Is this under the locked area of the boot in the touerer or under the car itself?
Click to expand...


inside car, lift the locked floor up, remove the pump and can of fixer with the plastic foam receptical, you have finished with that, leave the jack where it is, then put the spare wheel in jam with towels, remove the tools from the "kit" wrap in cloth or bag and place into the inside of the wheel, no way of fitting spare under the "outside" of the car. Also if you used to store the tonnue cover under the floor then it will not fit there any more. I am refering to a 7th gen sorry did not read your post properly.
 
Thanks for the thoughts and information, folks. Currently I have the gunk and compressor arrangement and I'm not happy with that. Looking at the spare wheel well there is no obvious way of securing a spare, so I'll investigate further.


A few years ago I had to help some unfortunate souls who had been involved in a bad frontal impact. One of the rear seat passengers was very badly injured by a flying spare wheel that hadn't been properly secured - hence my mild paranoia on the subject.

Alan
 
the space-saver option seems to be getting more popular as owners find out that the "gunk" system is not guaranteed to repair a flat tyre in all circumstances. Might be worth asking HH if they could do a deal on them. plenty of 8th gen owners will be interested i'm sure.
 
H Peasource said:
Thanks for the thoughts and information, folks. Currently I have the gunk and compressor arrangement and I'm not happy with that. Looking at the spare wheel well there is no obvious way of securing a spare, so I'll investigate further.


A few years ago I had to help some unfortunate souls who had been involved in a bad frontal impact. One of the rear seat passengers was very badly injured by a flying spare wheel that hadn't been properly secured - hence my mild paranoia on the subject.

Alan
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Cannot see the plastic "washer" and puny bolt holding much either, best to stay clear of idiots if at all possible.
 
Yeah the spare tyre ain't staying where it is in crash if it's held on with a bolt and washer <_< . I recently bought a space saver off a fellow member for a very good price, but I don't have the bolt etc for holding it in place. Instead, I've just packed the area around it with a few things (some polystyrene and reusable shopping bags :blush: ) so that it doesn't move about. It's not a perfect solution, but it is wedged in there hard and doesn't bump about at all.
 
H Peasource said:
I've read through various posts on what will fit into the spare wheel well of a tourer and it seems pretty straightforward. My question is a bit different though. Having got the spare wheel in place how do you secure it? Or is it just sitting in the wheel well?

If the wheel is not secured I'm a bit concerned as to what could happen in the event of an accident.

Are the spacesavers secured in any way?

Alan
Click to expand...

I nearly bought a single 17" penta rim for a spare however before I did, I took one off the car to see if it would fit in the wheel well - it did but the lid of the boot floor wouldn't shut by two inches! so I scratched that idea. After many months of searching I got a mint spacesaver complete from flea-bay. It came with the lock-down bolt and polystyrene top tray. It is all nicely secured in the boot. I think the spacesaver lock down bolt will hold down a damaged wheel but I would try and source the golt from a scrap yard or similar...worth a try.
 
Well, it's all done and bolted down properly. It fits a treat - 16 inch wheel by the way. I got a suitable bolt from the local scrappy and cut a suitable sized (about 4 inch diameter) washer from a piece of 2mm steel sheet.

I'll have to disagree with those who say a bolt and washer aren't going to hold it in the event of a crash. Remember the initial and major forces are in a horizontal plane. However in a heavy crash there is a secondary vertical force upwards at the rear of the car and it's this that bolt and washer have to resist. A few quick calculations show that the strength of the bolt and washer are more than sufficient to resist this force.

At the end of the day it's down to the individual so I'm not going to say to those who haven't bolted down the spare that they are wrong. However 10 minutes with a jigsaw and pillar drill fabricating the washer seems a good investment to me.

Alan
 
mcexocet said:
I nearly bought a single 17" penta rim for a spare however before I did, I took one off the car to see if it would fit in the wheel well - it did but the lid of the boot floor wouldn't shut by two inches! so I scratched that idea.
Click to expand...

I`ve got a spare 17" Penta in my tourer and it fits a treat if you put it in face down. Like someone has said it provides a handy storage spave to put my detachable towbar, jump leads, tools, straps for roof rack etc etc
 
Its not about wheel diameter - its tyre width. I couldnt get the load floor lid to shut & lock properly with a 17x225 full size tyre in there. l removed the metal lock cover on the underside of the load floor door. The mechanism then just clears the tyre so it still locks. FWIW most new cars just use the plastic threaded 'washer' to secure a spare, and thats with a puny carpet covering, not a load floor, so I think the washer is up to the job. Oh and my rattle noise countermeasure for the loose tool kit now living in the inverted spare was bubble wrap - works a treat!
 
Bubble wrap. genius! My jack now sits in the upturned full size but it rattles every so often.

Like others I find it a good place to stash tools, jack, emergency bottle of screenwash etc.
 
OB1 said:
Bubble wrap. genius! My jack now sits in the upturned full size but it rattles every so often.

Like others I find it a good place to stash tools, jack, emergency bottle of screenwash etc.
Click to expand...

Anything in the wheel well is gonna rattle a bit when you see the state of the nations road network...they're positively shocking in places by me, what's more irritating is the rattles n squeaks from the 2 car seats in the back of mine!!!!!!
 
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