That reminds me of the old days of prank calls (before caller ID).

You'd call up the bowling alley, and ask the guy who answers if he has 12 pound balls.

 

Yeah I was also thinking of some cross bracing....

So far I've loaded some heavy DJ equipment and since the weight is distributed to other parts of the floor which are more sturdy it hasn't been a problem, but I have noticed spare tire cover flex a little.
Also have had it fully loaded in the cargo with groceries, and also several bowling balls too without any problem. We could be overreacting about its flimsy-ness... but better safe than sorry...

It hasn't been a problem yet, but I will look at reinforcing it at some point, somehow...

 

I carried 200lbs of mulch home last weekend.

 

I have loaded my band gear (one 45 pound guitar amp, one 20 pound backup amp, pedalboard, a 40 pound box of mics, cables and spares and two electric guitars) without any trouble, but I DO rest the heavy boxes half on the floor and half on the folded seat backs. Maybe I am being overcautious, I don't know.

 

I haven't had a problem with this, because the spare tire is full size and actually carries some of the load.

If it were a problem, I'd suggest the cruciform brace fitted into the spare wheel rather than a plywood sheet, because it will be lighter.

If you do go with the plywood sheet, cut it into a series of planks going across the car, maybe three, and then join them with fabric. That will make it safer and possiblyeasier to handle. At the very least, score the sheet across with a circular saw to give it a breakaway line that will make it fold up if you get hit from behind.

 

Hmmmm.. Full size spare would be bigger than the donut type spare we get with our USDM Fits, and would definitely add some support.... that might be a good solution..

What size steelie rim is it 15" or 16"?
I've seen the pic on your thread but can't tell if its 15" or 16".
https://www.fitfreak.net/forums/fit-...onda-jazz.html

Rosswond can you post a couple of pics of refresh mode if possible in that thread? I'm looking to see how the GE8 refresh mode looks from the cargo and sides, and how flush it is with the rear seats... thanks in advance.

 

The rim in that pic is a 15". the tire is 175/65x15. The base model GLi and the mid range VTi get these. We get 16" alloys with 185/55x16 tires on the top of the range VTi-S and the spare for that is full size also. It fits in the same space.

Mine has a couple of foam blocks under the panel that rest it all on the wheel. You can see this in the picture in the thread you linked. I guess the one for the slightly wider 16" wheel has smaller blocks. There's no more than about 10mm or so difference in the actual tire bag width.

Alas the GE series no longer has refresh mode. While my front seat will recline flat (ish) to allow long stuff to be loaded, it doesn't fold down completely flush. This is due to the higher seat back on the GEs fitted for safety reasons.

 

So a 16" steelie should fit in our spare tire area... I think that would be the best solution yet, and just add some foam as in rosswond's Australian Fit.
16's for the USDM Sport and 15's for the USDM Base.

I gotta look in to that.

So the Australian GE's don't have refresh just like the USDM's.... plus you got the L15A like us too.... hmmm .... I guess it's only the Asian and European Fit/Jazz that have refresh then? I have to investigate that more... thanks.


Now to see if I can get my hands on a Honda 16" steelie, and give it a test fit in my spare tire area before buying one... I'd rather do that and add some foam supports than add crossbracing. Plus the added benefit of a full size spare.


I attached the pics from the original thread.