Full size spare?
 

I did a search and only found one person say that the spare tire well won't fit a full size tire - does anyone know if this is true or false? The plastic piece that holds the donut down has one side that says "full size."

I'm getting new tires today and I'll keep one if I can use it as a spare.

-
Martin

Re: Full size spare?
 

Honda Civic Hybrid owners manual says it fits in the space for the spare. Every other Honda I have owned could fit a full sized tire where the spare goes, don't see why the Civic would be any different.

Remember that weight is the MPG enemy and you want as little as you can in you HCH. so do you really want an extra 13 pounds of tire??? - How often have you had to change a tire due to a flat?? The TPMS in the 2009 should give a few minutes to get to a service stations short of a blowout. - Just my 2 cents.

Re: Full size spare?
 

I agree: the space is big enough so that if you have a flat and swap it for the compact spare, the flat can go in there.

Re: Full size spare?
 

I thought this might work too. I have a set of mounted snow tires and wanted to carry one as a spare instead of the temporary which is so much smaller than the standard wheel/tire.

I thought that removing the sheet metal prop at the front of the well would give enough space for the full size tire, but as far as I can determine, the wheel/tire is still too wide to allow the cover to lay flat (even without the foam block which holds the jack). In other words, you could put the standard tire in the well but you would have to be prepared to live with the cover raised and unsupported, or not used at all.

The only answer I could come up with would be to find a narrower 15" rim and tire which fits the HCH's 5 bolt pattern. I have no idea what is out there but something like a 155/80 x 15" on a 4.5" rim would give you almost the same diameter as the standard tires but about 2" narrower, so it would sit down in the well properly. Obviously, this is a hassle, but it sure would beat being stranded with only the pathetic temporary spare to drive any distance on back country roads or freeways.

I recall reading that someone carried a full size spare placed behind the passenger front seat. OK if you can 'spare' the space!!

Cheers,

Roger

Re: Full size spare?
 

If you want to carry a full sized spare, but are concerned about it sticking up higher than the truck deck, then simply raise the deck!

You can get hi-density foam sheeting at upholstery or fabric shops, and cut it to size to raise up the trunk floor. This way you can use the carpet, etc, and still have a flat trunk floor.

The downside is that you lose some trunk volume, but if you gotta have a spare, than this is a good compromise.

Re: Full size spare?
 

Just got my new tires yesterday, snow storm today. They're better in snow than the OEM tires ever were. Less expensive than replacing them with the OEMs too - General Altimax HP

They have directional tread though so it'll cost a little more to get them rotated.

-
Martin

Re: Full size spare?
 

It does not fit. I can attest to this after using the spare and putting the flat in the trunk.

The trunk is small enough already, I wouldn't trade trunk space for having a full-sized spare. It only lets you procrastinate in getting your tire fixed!

nf