Aero
Member
- Thread starter
- #1
After getting the OE spare tire kit I've been a little obsessive about the fact that the way the kit is design makes you lose about 4" of height in the trunk. I got the Type-R because of the trunk space and the rear seats for a baby seat, and now with this terrible design of the trunk tray I can barely fit the pushchair in it, just by a inch! It is a bit of a joke, because as many, I came from an S2k so space has never been my worry until today. ?
Having said that, one of the first things to notice from the kit is the fact that comes with a foam filler to fit inside of the spare tire where you can place the tools. A waste of space considering that there is already a specific compartment for that at the left of the trunk. Apart from that, this foam filler is not in level with the tire sidewall so gives a hint that there is room for improvement...
(First two images from jdmorangefever)
This one is the original tray, but shows quite well how much space is lost.
To compare, I've measured the height of the tray from the car floor at the left compartment (it is in centimeters): Reads ~11 cm.
And then with this convenient grille at the back of the trunk (is leveled a little below the 2nd line):
So, first step, remove the foam filler from the tire and place the tools at the left compartment along with the jack. Throw away that disgusting foam filler and use the room within the tire to put whatever you like (I usually carry some additional tools, bags, a dismembered corpse, you know, whatever makes you happy). I strongly recommed putting something in there because the tray is quite soft and won't withstand something small and heavy placed right in the middle.
The second step, and the last one, is to cut down the foam risers of the trunk tray. The trunk is not completely horizontal, so the risers are not of the same lenght. I've numbered them for better identification, so they have to be cut down as follows:
- 1, 2, 3, 4 & 5: remove 1.9 centimeters
- R: remove at all
- T: cut down keeping an angle from front to back. Remove what is needed so that the result is to cut down the front 0.1 cm and the back 1.1 cm. This is because this part lies on an irregular area of the trunk and also has to accomodate the new height of the main part of the tray.
There is no need to be perfect, the tray is made of wood conglomerate and flexes a little bit. I used a sabre saw to make it professional, but the foam is quite soft and can be cut with a knife if desired.
The leftovers:
No need to perfection
And the result. Now it can be considered as a flat trunk.
To compare with the measurements from the beginning. Now reads ~7.5 cm, altough the average of the trunk is 9 cm. What I said before, not being precise with the cutting leads to this, but it is unnoticeable and the tray can flex to accommodate the error.
This one also to compare, each line is separated ~2cm.
I've made some measurements and the gain in volume is around 15 liters, and as said, 2 cm in height. It might not be that much, but it is as good as it can be, the spare tire doesn't allow to go any lower. Not that important but now it also lies flat and looks quite better, specially for those suffering from OCD. ?
Having said that, one of the first things to notice from the kit is the fact that comes with a foam filler to fit inside of the spare tire where you can place the tools. A waste of space considering that there is already a specific compartment for that at the left of the trunk. Apart from that, this foam filler is not in level with the tire sidewall so gives a hint that there is room for improvement...
(First two images from jdmorangefever)
This one is the original tray, but shows quite well how much space is lost.
To compare, I've measured the height of the tray from the car floor at the left compartment (it is in centimeters): Reads ~11 cm.
And then with this convenient grille at the back of the trunk (is leveled a little below the 2nd line):
So, first step, remove the foam filler from the tire and place the tools at the left compartment along with the jack. Throw away that disgusting foam filler and use the room within the tire to put whatever you like (I usually carry some additional tools, bags, a dismembered corpse, you know, whatever makes you happy). I strongly recommed putting something in there because the tray is quite soft and won't withstand something small and heavy placed right in the middle.
The second step, and the last one, is to cut down the foam risers of the trunk tray. The trunk is not completely horizontal, so the risers are not of the same lenght. I've numbered them for better identification, so they have to be cut down as follows:
- 1, 2, 3, 4 & 5: remove 1.9 centimeters
- R: remove at all
- T: cut down keeping an angle from front to back. Remove what is needed so that the result is to cut down the front 0.1 cm and the back 1.1 cm. This is because this part lies on an irregular area of the trunk and also has to accomodate the new height of the main part of the tray.
There is no need to be perfect, the tray is made of wood conglomerate and flexes a little bit. I used a sabre saw to make it professional, but the foam is quite soft and can be cut with a knife if desired.
The leftovers:
No need to perfection
And the result. Now it can be considered as a flat trunk.
To compare with the measurements from the beginning. Now reads ~7.5 cm, altough the average of the trunk is 9 cm. What I said before, not being precise with the cutting leads to this, but it is unnoticeable and the tray can flex to accommodate the error.
This one also to compare, each line is separated ~2cm.
I've made some measurements and the gain in volume is around 15 liters, and as said, 2 cm in height. It might not be that much, but it is as good as it can be, the spare tire doesn't allow to go any lower. Not that important but now it also lies flat and looks quite better, specially for those suffering from OCD. ?