A Spare Tire That Fits Under the Load Floor

[Nickp15]

I'm ashamed to admit right now it's just being squeezed down by the tire which is held down by the Mounting Screw. I'll probably just use some double-stick foam tape.

Yup I was thinking of something similar. Some Velcro double sided. Easy to remove if I want to switch to anything else later on

 

[Frenzal]

Don't forget that ITS wheels need to be torqued to 94 lbs-ft.

Don't follow the owner manual that states 80 lbs-ft, this is an error.

 

[kjechel]

Don't forget that ITS wheels need to be torqued to 94 lbs-ft.

Don't follow the owner manual that states 80 lbs-ft, this is an error.

Don't do that with this steel wheel - You will smash the hell out of the lug nut seats and distort the wheel. 94 ft-lbs is fine for aluminum wheels because the lug nut is compressing solid aluminum against the wheel hub behind it.

The photo below is of the back of the recommended steel wheel. If you look closely you can see some silver "pads" above (to the left and right of) each lug nut seat. That's where the wheel makes contact with the hub behind it, when mounted. There is actually a small space under each lug nut seat between it and the wheel hub (in the area around each stud). That's there so the structure of the wheel acts as a spring so the clamping force from the lug nuts is transferred to those pads. If you smash down the lug nuts seats so the back of them are in contact with the wheel hub, the pads no longer serve as the primary interface between the wheel and the hub.

Hopefully that makes sense. That's why I recommended to not go higher than 70 ft-lbs on the lug nut torque when using this wheel. Above that you risk permanent deformation of the wheel in the area of the lug nut seats. You can re-read this post for more about that. If you have concerns about the lug nuts loosening, you can add Jam Nuts also mentioned in that same post. If not torqueing your lug nuts to 94 ft-lbs makes you uncomfortable, I recommend that you don't use this wheel.

 

[Compromise]

@kjechel
It seems the size is already 9/16"? The step bit goes into the hole exactly at that size.

 

[nix6speed]

Spare tires add a bunch of dead weight. When a challenger appears at a red light my wife knows to get out and be picked up after. These are sports cars if you want a spare tire and other heavy add-ons consider a Toyota Avalon.

 

[Nickp15]

Spare tires add a bunch of dead weight. When a challenger appears at a red light my wife knows to get out and be picked up after. These are sports cars if you want a spare tire and other heavy add-ons consider a Toyota Avalon.

I mean this is a thread SPECIFICALLY dealing with folks looking for a spare. It’s in the very title. Somehow you found the time and put in the effort for what? To voice your displeasure? You’ve contributed nothing of value to this topic.

 

[kjechel]

@kjechel
It seems the size is already 9/16"? The step bit goes into the hole exactly at that size.

When you start torqueing down lug nuts the holes will get smaller, so you will need to open them back up or they will collapse around the studs and the wheel will be stuck on the hub (this almost happened to me). So proceed with torqueing the nuts slowly and progressively and remove and inspect as you increase the torque incrementally. Run your step drill through each hole after each torqueing pass to get a feel for how much the holes shrank per the amount of torque you applied. That will give you a feel for how much torque increase you can safely go for on the next pass. Please report back so everyone else interested in doing this has some guidance.

 

[Nickp15]

@kjechel
It seems the size is already 9/16"? The step bit goes into the hole exactly at that size.

Oh man you beat me to it. That's actually great for me . Get some pics as you go along if possible. We are cheering you on!!

 

[Blek le Roc]

When a challenger appears at a red light my wife knows to get out and be picked up after.

I'm surprised you even let her ride in the car in the first place.

 

[Nickp15]

I'm surprised you even let her ride in the car in the first place.

I'd be surprised if she is not riding around in a challenger right now

 

[Compromise]

So I finally went ahead and tested the wheel and tire out. Everything worked great! I incrementally torqued the flat headed nuts from 30, 40.. Until 80, taking off the wheel to check every increment. Honestly the step drill wasn't really needed but I still used it to slightly widen the holes a little bit after 50lb ft. I ended at 80. Then I took the car for a 30 mile drive. Couldn't even tell I was on a spare! Although I finally got the tpms message when I was pulling into my garage

My load cover ends up being slightly elevated as well but with the Type S trunk cover, cannot even tell. Thanks to @kjechel and @Nickp15 for the help.

 

[kjechel]

My load cover ends up being slightly elevated as well but with the Type S trunk cover, cannot even tell. Thanks to @kjechel and @Nickp15 for the help.

Thanks for your report - I'm glad to hear everything went well. Is your load cover raised up at the front or the back? Initially mine was at the back until I put a 1.5" spacer (scrap of 2x2) under the tire at the front (see last photo in Post #1). That made the plane of the wheel and tire parallel to the load floor, and then the load floor fit perfectly flat.

 

[Compromise]

Thanks for your report - I'm glad to hear everything went well. Is your load cover raised up at the front or the back? Initially mine was at the back until I put a 1.5" spacer (scrap of 2x2) under the tire at the front (see last photo in Post #1). That made the plane of the wheel and tire parallel to the load floor, and then the load floor fit perfectly flat.

Towards the back. I do feel like the wheel is pretty flat with the bottom already but I can try adding some kind of a spacer and see. Thanks again

 

[Nickp15]

Towards the back. I do feel like the wheel is pretty flat with the bottom already but I can try adding some kind of a spacer and see. Thanks again

Awesome! Which lugs did you end up using?

 

[Compromise]

Awesome! Which lugs did you end up using?

The M14 x 1.5 Flange Nuts