A Spare Tire That Fits Under the Load Floor

[PedalMore]

If you don’t want to drill the floor to secure, I would think making an “X” pattern with tie down straps attached to the four hard tie down points would be sufficient

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[Blek le Roc]

Some may not agree, but I don't think it's a good idea to drive with a different diameter tire (Modern Spare is 24.9" diameter) in the front. It would be like constantly driving in a 338 foot radius circle, so it wears on the LSD.

I'll see if I can find a tire that fits on the MS wheel and more closely matches the OEM ITS tire diameter.

 

[ZeroGSR]

I'll see if I can find a tire that fits on the MS wheel and more closely matches the OEM ITS tire diameter.

IMO, no matter the OD (they don't make a 125/75 so this is likely closest) you will still have a drastic difference in weight, grip, contact patch, etc.. which isn't great for the LSD. But more importantly, given this platform, I don't see a scenario where I wouldn't swap the rears up front from a safety perspective.

 

[Blek le Roc]

I did some searching online, and some folks think that flats on rear tires are more common than in front. That might be another justification to go with the spare proposed by the OP.

 

[Compromise]

Just got the wheel and tire! Thanks for making this thread. I'll update when I get everything. I probably won't be mounting this. I'll try to tie it down or stick towels to make it fit more snugly.

 

[Frenzal]

How about the centering ring? What did you use?

 

[kjechel]

How about the centering ring? What did you use?

Look for Hub Centric Rings 72.6 to 64.1 (or 64.1 to 72.6) on Amazon or eBay. Aluminum ones are readily available for about $12 for a set of 4 (I wouldn't use plastic).

 

[Nickp15]

Can anyone confirm these centering rings:

STANCEMAGIC Hubcentric Rings (Pack of 4) - 64.1mm ID to 72.6mm OD - Silver Aluminum Hubrings - Only Fits 64.1mm Vehicle Hub and 72.6mm Wheel Centerbore - Compatible with Honda Acura

https://www.amazon.com/Hubcentric-Rings-Pack-Aluminum-Centerbore/dp/B00DIK3HBI

 

[kjechel]

Can anyone confirm these centering rings:

STANCEMAGIC Hubcentric Rings (Pack of 4) - 64.1mm ID to 72.6mm OD - Silver Aluminum Hubrings - Only Fits 64.1mm Vehicle Hub and 72.6mm Wheel Centerbore - Compatible with Honda Acura

https://www.amazon.com/Hubcentric-Rings-Pack-Aluminum-Centerbore/dp/B00DIK3HBI

The diameters are correct, but they don't give the thickness (but it's probably adequate). If you just want two, here's an option: www.amazon.com/dp/B0CCY8CQZ1. Only rated 3.9 though.

 

[Nickp15]

The diameters are correct, but they don't give the thickness (but it's probably adequate). If you just want two, here's an option: www.amazon.com/dp/B0CCY8CQZ1. Only rated 3.9 though.

Thanks brother! I ended up ordering the 4 pack for 6 bucks more. It's got good ratings and come in a real nice box

I'll report fitment once it arrives.

 

[bpebler]

As much as I wanted to originally do this, I just don’t go for longer trips in this car but will in Feb. (5 hours one way). So I’m just going to throw my full size oem in the rear as a backup. I realize this isn’t going to work for everyone full time tho.

 

[Nickp15]

So I bought all the parts and had the tire mounted today. Below are my results:

As you can see in the above image I used the jack to hold the tire in place. This seems to work well. The tire doesn't budge.

The cover panel doesn't sit perfectly* flush, but the gap is barely noticeable. In fact the all weather math is heavy enough to weight down. It's a non issue, really.

Let me know if you guys need any additional shots or anything. Thanks again @kjechel

 

[kjechel]

I'm glad this worked out for you, and clever use of the jack. Looks like you bought the jack I recommended, which has a special feature. The jack's screw has a double thread so as the jack raises, the end that you rotate stays in the same place, rather than moving towards the center of the jack as it raises. That makes it much easier to jack up with the ratchet, since it always stays outboard of the rocker panel. A few reviewers said the ratchet was weak and broke. If that happens, you can still use a 3/4" socket on your breaker bar to operate the jack if needed.

FYI, if you place the jack under the pinch weld just below the gap between the front fender and door, both wheels on that side of the car will be off the ground when you've lifted the car up only 4 inches. That makes swapping front <> rear wheels easy if needed.

What lug nuts are you planning to use? The OEM ones that came with your wheels? That works out to be not a bad choice, as I will explain in another post to follow.

 

[kjechel]

WHAT LUG NUTS TO USE WITH THIS WHEEL (sorry this got so long)
If you tried using standard 60 degree conical lug nuts like these on the wheel recommended in Post #1 you may have found they don't seat very well. That's because the lug nut seats on the wheel are quite small in diameter because (I think) the wheel is intended for a vehicle with 12mm studs.
There are two possible solutions:
#1 Use spherical seat lug nuts like the ones that came with your OEM wheels, or
#2 Use M14 x 1.5 Flange Nuts that are flat on the back

Neither solution is ideal, but I think both are acceptable within certain limitations. BEFORE INSTALLING LUG NUTS, APPLY A SMALL AMOUNT OF ANTI-SEIZE TO THE WHEEL STUDS. This will be very helpful in getting the lug nuts on & off as you repeat the process described below.

The issue with #1 (using spherical seat lug nuts) is that the lug nut seats in the wheel are conical, therefore the initial contact is only at the top of the wheel's lug nut seats. As the lug nuts are torqued, the lug nut seats distort somewhat to conform to the spherical shape of the lug nuts, but they also distort inwards, reducing the clearance between the studs and the bolt circle holes. I therefore highly recommend that you DRILL OUT THE BOLT CIRCLE HOLES IN THE WHEELS TO 9/16" (0.562") DIAMETER MINIMUM. If you don't, you risk getting the wheel stuck on the hub if the holes close up around the studs. When torqueing the nuts for the first time, do so carefully and progressively. I removed and re-drilled the holes after torqueing to 50, then 60, then 70 ft-lbs. Above 70 ft-lbs it felt like I was distorting the wheel by forcing the lug nuts seats downward. Use your own mechanical intuition to tell you when to stop.

An alternative is to use M14 x 1.5 Flange Nuts that are flat on the back. In this case the back of the nuts press squarely against the very top of the lug nut seats, pressing them down flat as the nuts are tightened. The closing of the holes around the studs is even more of a concern here, so again DRILL OUT THE BOLT CIRCLE HOLES IN THE WHEELS TO 9/16" (0.562") DIAMETER MINIMUM. Also as described above, remove and re-drill the holes (as necessary) after torquing to 50, then 60, then 70 ft-lbs.

My preference after trying both is to use the spherical seat lug nuts. I even tried a third solution, which was to machine down the conical surface of some standard 60 degree conical lug nuts until they fit the seats in the wheels. This ended up not working well as the narrow (thin) portion of the nuts squeezed down against the studs as they were torqued down, making them very difficult to remove.

 

[Nickp15]

WHAT LUG NUTS TO USE WITH THIS WHEEL (sorry this got so long)
If you tried using standard 60 degree conical lug nuts like these on the wheel recommended in Post #1 you may have found they don't seat very well. That's because the lug nut seats on the wheel are quite small in diameter because (I think) the wheel is intended for a vehicle with 12mm studs.
There are two possible solutions:
#1 Use spherical seat lug nuts like the ones that came with your OEM wheels, or
#2 Use M14 x 1.5 Flange Nuts that are flat on the back

Neither solution is ideal, but I think both are acceptable within certain limitations. BEFORE INSTALLING LUG NUTS, APPLY A SMALL AMOUNT OF ANTI-SEIZE TO THE WHEEL STUDS. This will be very helpful in getting the lug nuts on & off as you repeat the process described below.

The issue with #1 (using spherical seat lug nuts) is that the lug nut seats in the wheel are conical, therefore the initial contact is only at the top of the wheel's lug nut seats. As the lug nuts are torqued, the lug nut seats distort somewhat to conform to the spherical shape of the lug nuts, but they also distort inwards, reducing the clearance between the studs and the bolt circle holes. I therefore highly recommend that you DRILL OUT THE BOLT CIRCLE HOLES IN THE WHEELS TO 9/16" (0.562") DIAMETER MINIMUM. If you don't, you risk getting the wheel stuck on the hub if the holes close up around the studs. When torqueing the nuts for the first time, do so carefully and progressively. I removed and re-drilled the holes after torqueing to 50, then 60, then 70 ft-lbs. Above 70 ft-lbs it felt like I was distorting the wheel by forcing the lug nuts seats downward. Use your own mechanical intuition to tell you when to stop.

An alternative is to use M14 x 1.5 Flange Nuts that are flat on the back. In this case the back of the nuts press squarely against the very top of the lug nut seats, pressing them down flat as the nuts are tightened. The closing of the holes around the studs is even more of a concern here, so again DRILL OUT THE BOLT CIRCLE HOLES IN THE WHEELS TO 9/16" (0.562") DIAMETER MINIMUM. Also as described above, remove and re-drill the holes (as necessary) after torquing to 50, then 60, then 70 ft-lbs.

My preference after trying both is to use the spherical seat lug nuts. I even tried a third solution, which was to machine down the conical surface of some standard 60 degree conical lug nuts until they fit the seats in the wheels. This ended up not working well as the narrow (thin) portion of the nuts squeezed down against the studs as they were torqued down, making them very difficult to remove.

Hey man thank you so much for taking the time to help us all out. Quick question. I think you mentioned somewhere these wheels were intended for a certain BMW? If so, wouldn't the lugs for that model work for us?

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