Anyone put a FULL SIZE spare in a 19 Civic or Civic Hybrid *ahemInsight*

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It is more about the car than tires so I put it here...

They don't even come with a spare though there is a spare KIT with a temporary wheel (you buy the temporary tire separate) but I want to put a full size spare in, I'm wondering if anyone has had a full size tire in there and knows how far it sticks up...or makes the carpet stick up rather...
 
Why don't you just jack up one corner of the Civic, remove the tire and try to fit it in the spare tire well? Then you would know exactly how it fits before buying a full size spare.
 
Originally Posted by Nukeman7
Why don't you just jack up one corner of the Civic, remove the tire and try to fit it in the spare tire well? Then you would know exactly how it fits before buying a full size spare.


What an awesome Idea, I don't know why I didn't think of that... only one problem... I don't have it... and apparently no one on one of the topic car specific forums has bothered.

Thanks Richard.
 
What I did with my old accord was what Nukeman7 suggested, and then bought a factory oem wheel from Ebay and had a tire put on it. Why buy a full size spare when you can buy a full-size regular wheel and just keep it in the trunk.
 
Since I don't have the car I can't exactly try it. I don't really want it taking up a lot of trunk space which is why I'm asking if anyone tried it.
 
I don't have an Insight or Civic but I basically split the difference with what you're trying to do and it worked out well. My car came with an inflation kit only and the first order of business was getting a spare tire.

In lieu of a doughnut or 16" full size spare, I bought a 14" steelie from Tire Rack and got a narrower equivalent tire that fit the wheel well flat. It has more functionality than a doughnut but has a smaller size for stowing and can go longer ( and safer ) on the vehicle if needed. I believe TR has the wheel offsets, bolt patterns, and specifics on their website so it'll identify what will fit on particular models if one's available ( and that might be the kicker ). If you can live with a compromise to a full sized spare that might be a way to go. It cost me about $100 total for a cheap 14" tire and the steel wheel.
 
That might be an option, I'd much prefer another wheel and tire that matches the 4 on the ground.

I have such a wheel and tire in the current Civic and it raises the spare cover a bit, though it isn't awful. In the Prius it won't even fit in the spare well. Having a full size spare in the hatch is a major pain in the rear end... the Prius has provisions for tying it down (because they know the flat won't fit) but it would be dangerous in an accident if not tied down.

I understand the Canadian spec Civic SI include a full size spare and they have some additional parts that raise the trunk floor to make it level, I wouldn't be opposed to trying to buy or build something similar.

We haven't decided what car to buy yet. We could possibly end up with an Accord which appears to have a pretty deep spare tire well, or a Civic or an Insight which don't...
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted by DuckRyder
... and they have some additional parts that raise the trunk floor to make it level, I wouldn't be opposed to trying to buy or build something similar.

We haven't decided what car to buy yet. We could possibly end up with an Accord which appears to have a pretty deep spare tire well, or a Civic or an Insight which don't...

DuckRyder/OP,

May I suggest going to a HomeDepot/Lowes and get some dense foam pieces, cut to fit to raise your trunk floor to what you need?
Alternative: local HVAC supply store, when they unpack a furnace/AC unit, they have leftover dense plastic foam.

[off-topic]
Now, did you try any of the cars over the weekend? which one look better for your flat/hilly/curvy driving needs?
Possibly Accord may give you the best comfort.
I think we have couple members (JHRZ2 and fdg27) that have Accord hybrids, bought for some good discounts....
 
Originally Posted by pandus13
Originally Posted by DuckRyder
... and they have some additional parts that raise the trunk floor to make it level, I wouldn't be opposed to trying to buy or build something similar.

We haven't decided what car to buy yet. We could possibly end up with an Accord which appears to have a pretty deep spare tire well, or a Civic or an Insight which don't...

DuckRyder/OP,

May I suggest going to a HomeDepot/Lowes and get some dense foam pieces, cut to fit to raise your trunk floor to what you need?
Alternative: local HVAC supply store, when they unpack a furnace/AC unit, they have leftover dense plastic foam.


Some of the Civic posters did something similar, I can't say I saw an installation that would pass my standards but it isn't out of the question. Perhaps I can source the factory Canadian Si parts, or make something. I don't think it would be too hard to make a false floor it is done pretty regularly for car audio installations.

Originally Posted by pandus13
[off-topic]
Now, did you try any of the cars over the weekend? which one look better for your flat/hilly/curvy driving needs?
Possibly Accord may give you the best comfort.
I think we have couple members (JHRZ2 and fdg27) that have Accord hybrids, bought for some good discounts....


Not yet. This is going to be Mrs Duckryders car, so she's the primary decision maker. The Civic, Insight and Accord are all in the running, I expect if it is a hybrid it'll be an Insight (and not an Accord Hybrid).

We will probably drive them in the next few weeks to narrow it down.

As I see it:

Insight EX is good buy/value for content options vs pricing. I'm not sure based on reading and watching reviews that the low speed driving is going to be acceptable (I'm talking about the hybrid system) but hope I'm surprised when we drive it. She did not like the recently departed Prius, but it is hard to nail down if she would have objected so much to the engine transmission if it had actually moved while it was making all that noise. By all accounts the Insight is respectably peppy. I also happen to think it is the best looking of the 3.

Civic - Because of the way they are optioned the LX is probably the only choice. It lacks alloy wheels (could add Accessory wheels) and Car Play (hard to add, pretty sure we want that). Also since the LX is a K20 vs a 1.5T the combined EPA rating is lower.

Accord - LX Lacks Car Play, EX is getting expensive and has a lot of stuff we don't really need or want. It is also a bigger car than we really need...

That is the way I see it anyway right now...
 
Originally Posted by pandus13
hmmm, peppy and you are a Ford lover: Ford C-Max?


Not on the list. Gotta be a sedan.
 
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