Flat 4x4

An easy fix for £65 (all-in).

Spacesavers really 'grate' on me but you end up with a raised floor anyway if you get a flat and need to store the proper wheel.

If you pick up a single wheel and tyre from a scrapper etc then all you need is two squares of 3 inch thick hi-density foam (size 22 x 22 inches). Cut the squares into a total of four pieces to fit around the sides of the wheel.

Hey presto - level (raised) boot floor.

The spare doesn't move, but all I need now is a longer bolt to lock in place - any ideas ?

RON

You shouldn't need a longer bolt, if you turn the little round washer type thing over, you 'should' be able to get the original bolt to do it's job, that's the way it was designed anyway, who would have ever guessed that Subaru could actually do something sensible!

Pavlo

My legacy takes a full size (now alloy to match the rest) spare...

Paul

simo

where did you get the foam from (I live in MK as well)?

I have been considering doing this as my 18" slides around the boot at the moment

cheers simon

TonyNesta

...But if your tyres are directional, having a full size spare will only be 50% effective, as there's a chance that the flat will be on the wrong side (Sod's Law, chapter 1, paragraph 1), in which case it won't be anything more than a 'get-you-home' tyre ie. the same as a space-saver, but with less boot space.

Sorry to rain on your parade as it were.

T

Pavlo

True but most modern tyres run equally well either way round in the dry, in the wet tread profile, water clearing bla bla bla. Once upon a time is wasn't unknown for tyres to kinda unpeel when used in the wrong orientation, only experience this on racing tyres though.

Still rather get home on a full size though (standard legacy spare is full size).

Paul

Flat 4x4

Simo

Got foam from a fabric shop !(wear dark glasses) in Bletchley near the Conservative Club. £8 x 2 squares

TonyNesta

... but you buy a cheap non-directional spare dont you. Rain now stopped !

Flat 4x4

bttt for other chap

nigelward

Same as Pavlo on this...

After looking at the tread (ha ha ha) on the space save in my MY01 I would much rather temporarily drive on a directional tyre the wrong way round than the mickey mouse bicycle wheel of a spare that comes as standard.

Nigel

Flat 4x4

Footnote

I had a devil of a job finding a non-direcional Z rated tyre to act as a full size "more than get me home at 50mph" spare.

I settled on a cheap Marshall 205 50 Z16 tyre at £54 inc fititng.
Directional, but, the tread blocks are all straight (not swept or curved) vertical.

The central two bands are vertical again but have fine water channels (sipes?) that are curved in the direction of travel. IMHO these are so fine as to have negligiable difference on wear rate, noise or water dispersion - ie nothing like Toyos or F1's.

I feel far more confident tackling a 200 mile trip now.
Should be near the top of your mod list unless all your trips are local.