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Under floor storage for spare wheel

68K views 98 replies 40 participants last post by  nuge 
#1 ·
[This is a tangent that started in the recent thread about special orders.]

Well, I purchased this spare tire holder, part #31399083. It consists of a large styro cradle for the tire, a styro wheel insert to secure the tire and hold the jack & ancillary stuff, and a new floor panel. It also includes a bag for a dirty punctured tire and work gloves, a nice touch. I doubt the whole package came to ten pounds.

And I will be returning it. While I expected the new main floor section to be higher than the old one, never did I expect it to be as high as the top of the spare tire when it sits on the original floor. I anticipated gaining a little vertical space in the middle of the trunk and losing some vertical space in the rest of the middle area for a net gain of usable space, but that's not the case. Unless you only carry a briefcase and two-suiter in your trunk and value neatness, I do not recommend this item.
 
#3 ·
Yes, please take pictures if you can. Are you saying it was installed on top of the original floor?
 
#4 ·
I'm thinking most of it would. I looked into recessing the tire into the area occupied by the goo and inflater some time ago. The indentation in the metal frame where that stuff is stored is not large enough to encompass the spare tire nor is it flat. There is about an inch of space between the metal frame of the trunk area and the trunk cover. The spare tire I have will not fit into that well. The most I could gain would have been that inch between the subfloor and trunk cover by cutting out a hole to drop the tire through the cover. Not worth the effort. I was hoping this kit would have included a smaller spare, or perhaps one that collapses similar to MB, that perhaps could have fit in that well. At the very least this should have had a contoured cover to give you that extra space around the tire. To simply raise the floor to the top of the tire just makes a bad situation worse.
 
#5 ·
In my car, with the donut spare (in the bag), I have enough height to fit a full-size airline checked-bag (more volume than 2 max-size-spec roll-on bags). Plus large computer bag plus small backpack/camera bag plus a bunch of other stuff (coats, munchies, wife's pocketbook, etc.). We drove to the VCOA meet; my packing philosophy is: "if there is room in the car (or suitcase) I'm not overpacked".

I wish there was a floor well to make the tire fit flush (or nearly so) but can live with it this way. If, for some reason, I need maximum trunk space, I can always take the tire out and just reply on the fix-a-flat system.

The OP doesn't mention year/model.
 
#6 ·
No pictures as I have already boxed up the item. My invoice says list is 260.01, my dealer charged me 243.00.

It does not sit on the original floor. You remove the original floor, fix-a-flat, and jack compartments; then you insert the new cushy cradle, place and secure the tire, place the tire repair stuff on the disk that secures the tire (which fits in the wheel's recess), and then place the new floor panel on top of everything. The new floor sits at the same height as the top of the tire when the tire is sitting on the original floor, give or take a quarter inch. I didn't get out the micrometer.

I currently use the wheel's recess to store jumper cables; those would no longer fit there with the new storage unit, which would de-neaten things and suck up a tiny bit more of space.

At the very least this should have had a contoured cover to give you that extra space around the tire. To simply raise the floor to the top of the tire just makes a bad situation worse.
Very well put.
 
#7 ·
I dont mind the extra tire in the trunk. I did initially, and was bothered that it didnt fit below the floor. It occured to me on a recent road trip that if I got a flat and the spare were under the floor and the trunk was packed, where would the full size tire go once the tire change is complete, as I have never seen a car be able to store it below the floor? Not on the leather, which means someone is riding with a suitcase on their lap. Fun. Having the spare on top of the floor leaves space for the full size in a WCS when you are determining what comes/stays on a road trip.
 
#9 · (Edited)
Here's some more information and photos of an S60 Regular Trunk Floor w/o a Spare Tire and an S60 Raised Trunk Floor with a Spare Tire

The Volvo accessory raised trunk floor with a spare takes up about 5" of the trunk floor with the top of the raised floor reaching the bottom of the center pass through on the rear seats.

Here is a photo of a regular S60 trunk floor without a spare tire:



Here is a photo of under a regular S60 trunk floor without a spare tire, showing the jack, air compressor, and tools:



Here is a photo of a raised S60 trunk floor with a spare:



Here is a photo of under a raised S60 trunk floor showing a spare tire, the jack, and tools:

 
#10 · (Edited)
Actually that doesn't look too bad. I wonder what's the net loss of trunk volume between just the spare and this accessory. Definitely looks easier to load the trunk with this.
 
#11 ·
Good discussion and pics. When we ordered our 2014, it comes with a flip up grocery bag holder on the floor. If I ordered this accessory I think it would eliminate that nicety. I hadn't thought about loading the flat in the trunk and not fitting where the compact spare was under floor - also a great point. I plan on buying the compact spare in the carrier bag with tie down straps. Around town, if I need the trunk space to haul something, rely on AAA or try the sealant and inflator.
 
#12 ·
Thank you, William. It doesn't look so bad to me, but I'm still undecided.

I'm still bothered by the lack of a spare, but also bothered by having the spare take up space above the trunk floor all the time.

I guess that's the price I'll have to pay for the improved performance over the XC.
 
#25 ·
Thank you, William. It doesn't look so bad to me, but I'm still undecided.

I'm still bothered by the lack of a spare, but also bothered by having the spare take up space above the trunk floor all the time.

I guess that's the price I'll have to pay for the improved performance over the XC.
Hey Matt, this is for the S60, a similar set-up for the V60 is not as intrusive since there's already more space below the floor. There's also the much higher hatch opening. In the S60, this set-up kills way too much space in an already limited design (volume and opening height). We were just looking/considering this last night and realized that it's not worth it.
 
#13 ·
The reality is the chances you will need a replacement spare that the inflator can not get you home with is just so small, and with everyone having cell phones and road side assistance, it's just not worth the added weight and the cost goes towards lowering the price of the car or investing in other high-demand features. Of course, if you are in that .1% that need a spare, yes, it sucks. But in my 12 years of driving a Volvo I have never needed a spare once. Also considering the % of people that live in a city as opposed to those out in rural areas, the need is just deemed terribly low. I'm willing to deal with the inconvenience should I need spare, because the benefits of not having one is probably greater.
 
#14 ·
I think having driven a T-5R with the stock wheel and tire setup may have made anyone concerned with spares. I won't jinx myself, but let's just say other cars I've owned haven't left me worried about flat tires so much.
 
#15 ·
I have decided if I do eventually get a V60, I may invest in the spare/tie down and only carry it on road trips. I think for daily commutes the inflator/patch goop/roadside would give me enough peace of mind, but living in the west and often driving far out of cell range, and sometimes being many miles from even the smallest of villages, I'd have a hard time venturing a road trip without the back up spare. It would probably sit in my garage most other times.
 
#16 ·
Anybody know whether the V60 comes with an underfloor full*spare like the XC70?
 
#17 ·
^^In the first year of ownership my wife had 3 sidewall blowouts on 18's in our T6. Unbelievable. I've never had that many issues in all the years of my driving. These were all fairly local and not on long distance trips. Each time we had to have the car flatbedded to the dealer. Luckily we bought the tire warranty which covered the cost of a new tire every time. It was a huge inconvenience. So then I bought the spare kit and obviously haven't had an issue in a year. If you buy the spare, it's no good to you in your garage.... local or long distance, crap happens anywhere.
 
#22 ·
your post is similar to what happened to me in my 1st yr of ownership also. the orignal conti's were not pothole frendly lol ( all of my blow outs. were local thankfully ) 1st yr ive taken the car almost just about everywhere in between chicago to gulf shores & more i put 40 K in my 1st yr :facepalm::( but anyway i had one that i couldn't pull off the interstate. so i limped until i could pull off which was the exit to my house i just went ahead & drove it the rest of the way to my house & too the tire off. & drove my other car to get the tire replaced.
 
#21 ·
Just got the Volvo Tempa spare and bag kit (p/n 31373123) for our new 2014 S60. The bag is a nice quality (made in Hungary), double zippered bag with attached side straps/plastic hooks and carrying handle. Also included a heavier duty strap with metal hooks to safely tie down the tire and supplement the side straps. The double zippered bag expands to fit a full width size 17" rim tire. Our S60 with the sport package has 18" rim tires so I doubt I'll be able to cram the tire into the carry bag if it goes flat. I folded up the large plastic bag the spare kit came in, thinking the flat tire may fit in it if necessary. Another unfortunate fact of stowing the tempa spare is it renders the fold up grocery bag storage inaccessible. I'll have to rethink our local area driving spare strategy.
 
#23 ·
Okay! is it possible to just get the spare tire, center styrofoam for tools/jack and forgo the large styrofoam insert. Wouldn't it decrease the amount of the trunk floor being raised if we did not use the large foam insert in the S60. Just as the V60 owners, the cars just has the tire under the floor lid. I know that V60 space under floor board is deeper. Do you reuse the original trunk floor cover/lid over the spare tire kit or does the kit come with a new cover for the S60? In other words just place the spare tire and tools under the original trunk floor so that we don't chew up most the cargo space. Also, this is just complicating my possibility of installing a JL subwoofer Stealth box in the trunk, which was removed from my Acura CL-type S, if I install this spare tire accessory. This is dum
 
#26 ·
Nope, there's only a couple inches below the floor in the S60 compared the the V60 which has a slightly raised floor allowing more space below. Not such a big deal for the wagon since you have the tall hatch/roof opening. I did a side-by-side in our garage last night. You add 5 inches to the floor level of the S60 and you have a lot less room and a very narrow (letterbox) opening thanks to the fastback style rear window encroaching. If only the S60 was a hatchback (sigh)...
 
#24 ·
Why would you just want the circular foam insert? The jack and tools already store nicely under the floor. All that you really need is the actually spare tire which you can order without this raised floor option. It even comes with a storage bag which helps secure it in the trunk.
 
#38 · (Edited)
Why would I want the circular foam? Easy!! the two pieces of foam that are already there holding the jack and air compressor will not fit with spare tire in the S60 trunk and I don't want rattling of parts for this overall ill fit idea in the first place. Just trying to consolidate the tools into the tire like any other spare tire replacement part from other manufacturers. Additionally, I have intentions of installing a JL sub-box that is already chewing up a good amount of trunk space. I am trying to fit the spare under the original floor cover even if it does not sit completely flush like in the V60. **** my Honda S2000 has spare tire doughnut and does not reduce the trunk space as this option is doing to the S60. Furthermore, living in TX once you leave the metro areas you don't want to get stranded the Interstate or Count Roads because it would take for ever for Volvo Roadside Assist or AAA to even come and help.
 
#29 ·
Okay!! We have a air compressor in our tire repair kit in the S60, Is this correct? Follow me here, what if we get a spare tire and deflate the tire to decrease the diameter and possible height and place it in our shallow trunk well. If we get a flat since we have the compressor we could fill up the spare tire on the side of the road prior to installing it on the car. This step would may be add another 20 minutes to the process by having to wait for the compressor to fully inflate the spare tire (We are still beating the tow truck response time to where ever we are stranded at the time). Wouldn't this scenario/approach just raise the original trunk floor cover 2-2.5 inches off the floor? Or is the problem the size of the wheel/rim height when lying on it's side?
 
#31 · (Edited)
Okay!! We have a air compressor in our tire repair kit in the S60, Is this correct? Follow me here, what if we get a spare tire and deflate the tire to decrease the diameter and possible height and place it in our shallow trunk well.
This is why I asked the question about the collapsible spare in my other post. These are space saving compact spares. When deflated the tire folds in on itself reducing the diameter of the tire. We have one on our SLK280. Simply letting the air out of a normal compact spare won't get you much. But even with the collapsible spare it won't completely fit under the floor of the S60 but would not be as intrusive above the floor. Here's an example of one.

http://www.s2ki.com/s2000/topic/705597-folding-or-collapsible-spare-tire/

And a video of one inflating


The trick is to find one that will fit the S60. I have not found one with the same bolt pattern as the S60 but there are adapters available to fix that. I've seen 15",16" and 17" versions. I'd like to try to find a 16" version for the extra space savings. The problem is this would be a trail and error situation and I don't have access to all the manufactures collapsible tires designs to try firsthand and detailed specs on them are difficult to find.

Here's a link to a kit that someone has already done all the leg work for Mini owners. They're using a SLK spare.
http://www.tdnparts.com/spare-tire-adapter-kit/
 
#30 ·
Since I frequently travel cross country and during the very early morning or late at night hours in many rural areas, even though its usually on the interstate or main roads, I have ordered the spare tire and bag for my2015 V60 RD and expect to pick it up in a day or two. I will then survey the space under the lid to determine whether or not to make it fit there or carry it in the bag on top of the lid. I cannot imagine being in the middle of Mississippi or Texas and having a "serious" flat that will laugh at the inflater and then having to wait for AAA or Volvo to show up to tell me I need a new tire and having to wait for a tow truck or a new tire to show up. I'd much rather put on the spare and drive to where I can get a new tire (although still anxious to be on my way) in comfort or have a meal while I wait.
Also what happens to a tire once the goop is inserted into the tire? Does it then require additional servicing at a tire shop? Cleaning out? Does the inflater then need to be re-filled or serviced? I'm sure this is addressed in the owners manual but I don't have it right at hand at the moment.
 
#34 ·
Once you use the goop, you have to buy a new canister (one-time use). In theory, the inflator itself should be OK (I've read no reports of problems after usage) -- it is a pump.

But the tire, on the other hand, is a mess because it is full of that goop. PITA to work on and the TPMS sensor can be messed up too.
 
#33 ·
I consider the loss of the spare tire in many new cars a great example of our superiors knowing what's best for us. My wife has a 2011 Mini with a spare and I have a 2005 Volvo with a spare and both of us have had to use ours in the last 12 months. In both cases, waiting for a tow truck would have turned a 15 minute minor inconvenience into a several hour stranding (or even longer).

While no spare may work for many drivers, the other annoyance is the loss of a proper space to stow one for those who really need or want a back-up. An area in the trunk could have been configured as a second storage spot if not used by a spare, so I don't think there would have been any big disadvantage in doing so. But, they didn't allow for that. Basically it seems the auto maker's attitude toward those who need a spare was "screw you".

I'm going to be trading my Volvo in for a new car in the next two or three months. While I haven't made a final decision, the spare tire issue is a major negative against another Volvo.
 
#39 ·
I have considered that option as well for a long trip in our S60. With the spare stored in the trunk I can't even access the limited underfloor area for storage and the grocery bag flip-up thing is rendered useless. I would be concerned about the spare getting loose in an accident and causing injury if stowed behind the passenger seat. It's really disappointing after owning our 9-5 Saabs that can fit up to a full size spare securely below the floorboard and still have room to store items underneath.
 
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