Has anyone tried to put a full-size wheel and tire into the spare tire well and still have the floor be flat?

It seems like there might be room if the cover is revised and the jack and tools stored elsewhere.

I travel in areas where there is a long way between towns and it would be nice to be able to continue driving without speed and handling compromises until it is convenient to get a flat fixed.

Yes, I intend to check it out when I next have a wheel off the car, but thought that one of the gearheads here might have already given it a try!

 

Carry Small compressor, and use a motorcycle strap to deflate the tire and make it fit in the hole.

 

So, are you saying that the stock tire won't fit into the spare tire well?

 

No just that if its too tight,, you might deflate the tire and suck it in with a ratchet strap and carry a little compressor to pump it up if needed. Or what a friend of mine did is bought a extra space saver and dropped it in on top of the other one. so he had a spare spare if he had to drive a long ways.

 

I recommend getting run flats for u, op. at least it will get u home without needing to stop to change a flat.

 

Not a bad idea, but run-flats are only good for 50 miles at less than 50mph. Great for urban dwellers, but not useful for folks in the Wild West.

 

So does anybody know if a full-size will fit? On my 2010 it did, width-wise, but since it's wider it stuck up higher. I was okay with that.


Planning to buy a rim and tire and carry a full-size spare. Don't like the idea of going on a long trip at night and then having to limp home on the donut.

 

I'm pretty sure my 2016 LX comes with a full life preserver! Have to go out and check........

 

I hate to say it...and I probably won't do it....
But I think I'd be willing to sacrifice the spare tire for a puncture and flat kit, to gain more space underneath the hatch area. It would also slightly lighten the entire vehicle.

I know the common and historical approach is to ALWAYS have access to a spare, but in this age of Cell Phones, Road Side Assistance, and temporary puncture repair fluids and portable air compressors, I don't know if the extra room isn't more enticing to me.

Not having a spare is a good excuse to NOT be on the side of a busy highway trying to replace a tire in the dark, while cars zoom around you.

But...old habits are hard to break. And most people have the expectation of some type of spare being provided.

Of course if you do a LOT of long, off-road or isolated area driving? That probably significantly changes the equation.

PS.

I've always had a spare, either full size or "donut"...and I can change a spare tire. They are NEVER a bad idea...I guess I just wish The Fit had a little more space underneath the hatch, but it's pretty much a "spare tire" only deal.
I probably won't jettison the spare....but I kind of wish Honda had used some more of it's "Magic Seats" wizardry to create a little more room. All I've got now is Styrofoam, A scissor jack and tools, and a spare. I think I've gotten 1 flat in the past 20 years, and that was with an entirely different vehicle while on an off-road camping, on tires I knew weren't good to start with.....

For that matter...1 flat in about 20 years, I'm about due.....

 

My most recent flat was in NYC. No big deal to pull over, admittedly under the 59th St Bridge in a scary dark place that looked like half the Law & Order episodes were filmed there.


But what would roadside assistance do? Tow me to a dealership? They don't carry spare tires, do they? Fortunately my passenger could walk home from there. Had the flat been on the Queens side of the bridge it'd have been more complicated.
And had it happened on a road trip? We'd be stuck for a while.

 

Would "Tire Sealant" and a small compressor of worked?

I don't know if the future isn't more and more vehicles simply NOT coming with traditional spare tires.

I hate it when I see people who have put the "donut" on their vehicle, but them drive for months with them.
Sometimes people can over rely on the spare.
Also how many people are diligent about checking the PSI of their spare?

Really, I'm not an opponent of having a spare. I've always had one.
But especially with this younger generation, skills as basic as tire changing are becoming rarer.

Unfortunately, I've read too many posts where people haven't done things as basic as checking the PSI of their tires, checking the oil level. I don't know if I'd trust these same people to be on the roadside with a scissor jack, trying to lug nut on a spare.

But if you want one, know how to use one? Well hard to deny replacing a flat tire...doesn't temporarily solve the flat tire.

 

In that particular case, I think so but not sure. Tire shop said it was a patch that didn't hold (it was their patch so repair was free). But here in NY there are wheel-wrecking potholes galore. Sealant would not help in those cases.


I would say that you might not have to know how to change a tire- another motorist, a passenger, roadside assistance- they can all help.

 

For me the deciding factor is that, with a spare I can be back on the road in 20 minutes. Without one I am at the mercy of whatever "roadside assistance" is available, meaning that I will not make it to wherever I am going on time.

Of the last few flats I've had, about half were due to road hazards and were not repairable with a fix-a-flat sealant can.

Eliminating spares for everyone because some are too stupid or lazy to use them? Even if they are stupid or lazy, having a spare means that the roadside assistance guy can get the car drivable again. Without one, all he can do is tow you to a repair shop.

 

My other cars had full sized spares but in 35 years of driving them I have never once had to change a tire. The half dozen or so flats I have had have all been slow leaks. I keep a foot pump in the car and it is a lot less onerous pumping for 5 minutes than jacking up the car etc. I realize it won't help in all cases but seeing a donut with our new Fit I also found there's enough space to fit the foot pump with the spare and I won't bother with a full size with this car.

 

Full size fits fine. For track days, I take out my spare kit and replace it with one of my 205/50/16 wheels, fully inflated. I fold the seats flat and place my other three wheels, tools, Jack, etc in the back.

Only a full size wheel will fit though. Styrofoam tray, sissor Jack, lug wrench etc will not fit back in with a full size wheel.

 

I had a flat a few months ago. The damaged tire (I have the EX wheel) fit fine in the tire hole like jhn above says, but there's no room for jack or other stuff. Turned out the tire was punctured but it was a easy patch. Discount Tire did the patch for free (bought tires there before). While I was there I asked the tire guy about the patch kits; he's not a fan. He said the patch kit probably would not have helped me for more than a few miles if it worked at all. He also said had I used a kit they probably wouldn't have been able to patch over the puncture. Apparently that kit spew makes a royal mess inside the tire and it's a PITA to clean out, so most tire shops won't even attempt to patch, just clean up the wheel and slap on a new tire.

 

I think you mean a plug kit- it not really a patch. It's like smearing glue all over a rubber cork and shoving it into the hole.


I've used them and they usually work, depending on the hole. But yeah, if it doesn't work you probably have to throw the tire away. That's why they're not as popular as they used to be. Also with older new cars, the ones with TPMS sensors inside (like my 2010 Fit) the goo gets on the sensor and you might need a new one.

 

I carry plugs and a compressor.. I've only had to change one tire.. and that was with my 89 Ranger probably in the early 90s.. all the rest, I've plugged and blown up on the side of the road..

Properly installed, I've never had any issues with plugs.. properly installed is the main key!

 

How about if the styrofoam is cut down? Will the cover then fit flush, or is the full-size tire too tall for it (assuming stock-size tires)?

 

I'm not sure. You might be able to utilize the inner wheel space. I don't think there's any way to make the tray fit with a full size wheel and tire.