Smart Car Spare Tire Location?

BigWarpGuy · 09-15-2008, 06:51 PM

Here is one place to put a spare but it is not very visually appealing.

smartHHO · 09-16-2008, 05:41 AM

hehe nope. But it suits the purpose.

Stu415 · 10-04-2008, 08:05 PM

I decided to build my own spare carrier because the market hasn't caught up to this demand yet.
To start off, remove the rear tow hook hole covers.

I got some tow hook bolts from an online smart accessory dealer. The tow hook bolts have another 12m metric bolt hole in the top. Thread those into the car, but don't tighten all the way yet.

Get a 3 foot long square tube from the lumber yard.

Stick two sharpie style pens in the open bolt holes. Align the square tube to the center on the car and press them to the sharpies to mark your drilling spots.

Also mark and drill two holes to match the lug nut holes on your spare. ( You did buy a spare first didn't you?)

If you use one bolt that is longer than the other, it will make it easier to shift the tire up and down. (more on that later) I used 1/2" bolts to go in the lug holes.

I used 2" long 12m bolts spaced by a nut to keep the bracket away from the body.

Tighten the tow bolts last so that you have some wiggle room on your holes that you measured and drilled.

With three lug nut holes, you can mount the spare slightly higher, or slightly lower. The trade off is more ground clearance or being able to open the tailgate a little farther down. First pic is in the lower position (better trunk access)

The following picture is mounted in the upper position to give a better trailing edge ground clearance. The trunk doesn't open as far, but it will rest the tag onto the tire to keep from scuffing the plastic.

If you get a small bottle jack like this one i got at Harbor Freight, it will fit in the tailgate glovebox. Also get a 15mm socket and breaker bar for a lug wrench.

Now all I have to do is take it off, paint it and get one of those spare tire covers like they use on RVs. If I can find some square hole covers that will finish it off.

Lake Lady · 10-04-2008, 08:28 PM

but the car has 2 different tire sizes...which spare tire size r u carrying?

HGB · 10-04-2008, 08:29 PM

Looks interesting and creative. What's the part number on the jack? I bought the smallest jack at HF 2 ton and it is still to high to get under the car. Well...I finally did manage to get the jack under the lift points and pumped away..until the jack was fully extended. Result...the car was higher, but the flat tire was still touching the ground. I believe the best way to lift the car (rear tires) is to raise the DeDion tubes. How can one get get the jack under the tubes is another issue? It's too high here also. Further more the jack will just about fit under the lift points...but not with a flat tire because the car is lower. My experience so far. One member mentioned a non hydraulic Mercedes jack that would work.

yellow-smart · 10-05-2008, 07:43 AM

Looks very interesting. However I'd be concerned with the weight of the tire and bar bending the assembly. Let us know if your setup is still straight after 1 to 2 thousand miles. I do like the fact that it adds somewhat of an additional bumper to the back. Also, I'd be concerned with someone stealing your tire.

Yellow-Smart

Stu415 · 10-05-2008, 09:04 AM

I used the front rim because the offset is suppose to work front or back. I was worried a little about the strength of the bar too. When I reassemble today after the paint job, I may cut some real small slices of pipe for a crush sleave inside the tube.
If I run into any problems later, I'll exchange the hollow steel tube for a solid aluminum bar.
As far as theft, I'm thinking of a bike locking cable.
The jack I found in the HF store, but I don't see it online, It's the only small blue one I saw. I'll get the numbers and post it later.

Stu415 · 10-05-2008, 09:21 AM

I would also be interested to know if these quick trailer jacks would work. You just wedge them in front of an axle and then drive forward a little. I'm not sure how the traction control would handle this if you were jacking up the back.