Trunk Space - With Spare Removed, How To Support the Inserts?

schrodingersbox · Nov 19, 2014

Greetings gents and gems! Earlier this year I popped the trunk and hauled out all the spare tire gear and replaced with a can of auto-fill/sealer in my roadside emerg kit. Around town I tend to boot about with absolutely nothing in the trunk, not even the liner. For long trips far from home I toss the spare and it's bits back in for peace of mind. For overnight stays just out of town I'll toss in the liner and put my bags in there.

What I'm wondering though, is, when I don't have the spare in the trunk but I put the inserts, flat carpet and trunk liner back in, the middle will sag with minimal weight, of course. I'm not interested in warping the OEM carpet bit so I'm trying to work out a solution that is going to allow me the few pounds of saved weight.

I had a cardboard box for a while but after getting some water into the trunk from the spray-n-wash I decided that wasn't a great plan. Still working out how the water actually found it's way in which is a bigger problem.
Tried re-inserting the foam pieces from around the spare with some manner of spacers but failed. I'm thinking this is probably still the best route to take so as to keep the parts where they belong and making use of OEM is certainly preferable.

Any suggestions? Has anyone gone OCD enough to actually do the same thing?

29Tudor · Nov 19, 2014

Why not a piece of 1/4" plywood?

schrodingersbox · Nov 20, 2014

BrApple said:
can't the fix-a-flat damage the TPMS sensors?

Honestly I do not see the point of removing the spare tire from the car.

But as suggested use some plywood.

It's all about squeezing weight off for daily driving. I'm only a 20-45m drive from my house most of the time and don't carry any weight I don't need, ever. Shouldn't be any issues with the TPMS at all if everything gets rinsed out during repair. I've used these a few times before and am not worried for short haul to the shop or home and the can fits in my first aid kit no problem.

sailor said:
Cut sections of Polystyrene foam would be light.

If you wanted to go high tech & fit exactly in one piece, find a plastic bag to fit & fill with cans of expanding sealing foam. Same setup as is used commercially for packaging fragile items in a box. Bag in hole, squirt in foam to expand & fill the excess space.

I happen to have two cans of that foam that we weren't using. I like this idea mucho!!! Thanks sailor!

BrApple · Nov 19, 2014

can't the fix-a-flat damage the TPMS sensors?

Honestly I do not see the point of removing the spare tire from the car.

But as suggested use some plywood.

sailor · Nov 19, 2014

Cut sections of Polystyrene foam would be light.

If you wanted to go high tech & fit exactly in one piece, find a plastic bag to fit & fill with cans of expanding sealing foam. Same setup as is used commercially for packaging fragile items in a box. Bag in hole, squirt in foam to expand & fill the excess space.

29Tudor · Nov 20, 2014

OK, it's all about weight then. So if a piece of 1/4" plywood is too much weight then so would anything you put back there that would bend the stock cover!

flyboyike · Nov 20, 2014

schrodingersbox said:
Any suggestions? Has anyone gone OCD enough to actually do the same thing?

That should be CDO, because alphabetical.

29Tudor · Nov 20, 2014

Well....right after I bought my Focus I had to transport a small snow blower back there. So I cut a 1/4" piece of plywood and it worked real well. In fact it's still in there, never took it out. If your getting water back there, you could paint it and it would soak up very little then. Just some thoughts.

schrodingersbox · Nov 20, 2014

Interesting so was the piece standing up on it's end or like rigged onto the OEM foam bits that held the spare? I could definitely paint the crap out of it.

sailor · Nov 20, 2014

Flat piece to cover the spare tire well is the most common expedient.

schrodingersbox · Nov 21, 2014

Hmm and I do own a jigsaw... another solution to draw up.

29Tudor said:
Mine is 32" wide and 28" the other way and just lays flat on top of the spare. I think if the spare was out of there it would be supported around the sides with no problem.

So you've created an insert like sailor mentioned? 1/4 plywood?

29Tudor · Nov 20, 2014

Mine is 32" wide and 28" the other way and just lays flat on top of the spare. I think if the spare was out of there it would be supported around the sides with no problem.

29Tudor · Nov 21, 2014

Ya, but mine was just a piece I had. I didn't try to fit it or anything. I'm sure if you have a saw and took some measurements you could cut to fit and do a neat job of it.

sailor · Nov 21, 2014

Usually not done as an insert but as a piece to cover most of the floor under the carpet.

Variations of course are up to your own ingenuity & testing.

Trunk Space - With Spare Removed, How To Support the Inserts?

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