Spare tire kit trunk tray mod (re-gain some of the lost space)

Aero

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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)
Honda Civic 10th gen Spare tire kit trunk tray mod (re-gain some of the lost space) spare3-


This one is the original tray, but shows quite well how much space is lost.
Honda Civic 10th gen Spare tire kit trunk tray mod (re-gain some of the lost space) spare4-


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.

Honda Civic 10th gen Spare tire kit trunk tray mod (re-gain some of the lost space) IMG_20200712_075607


And then with this convenient grille at the back of the trunk (is leveled a little below the 2nd line):

Honda Civic 10th gen Spare tire kit trunk tray mod (re-gain some of the lost space) IMG_20200712_075835


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:

Honda Civic 10th gen Spare tire kit trunk tray mod (re-gain some of the lost space) IMG_20200712_095838


- 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:

Honda Civic 10th gen Spare tire kit trunk tray mod (re-gain some of the lost space) IMG_20200712_161416


No need to perfection o_O
Honda Civic 10th gen Spare tire kit trunk tray mod (re-gain some of the lost space) IMG_20200712_161441



And the result. Now it can be considered as a flat trunk.

Honda Civic 10th gen Spare tire kit trunk tray mod (re-gain some of the lost space) IMG_20200712_171631


Honda Civic 10th gen Spare tire kit trunk tray mod (re-gain some of the lost space) IMG_20200712_172001



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.

Honda Civic 10th gen Spare tire kit trunk tray mod (re-gain some of the lost space) IMG_20200712_171649


This one also to compare, each line is separated ~2cm.
Honda Civic 10th gen Spare tire kit trunk tray mod (re-gain some of the lost space) IMG_20200712_171702


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. ?
 

MyFirstHonda

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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)
spare3-jpg.jpg


This one is the original tray, but shows quite well how much space is lost.
spare4-jpg.jpg


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.

IMG_20200712_075607.jpg


And then with this convenient grille at the back of the trunk (is leveled a little below the 2nd line):

IMG_20200712_075835.jpg


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:

IMG_20200712_095838.jpg


- 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:

IMG_20200712_161416.jpg


No need to perfection o_O
IMG_20200712_161441.jpg



And the result. Now it can be considered as a flat trunk.

IMG_20200712_171631.jpg


IMG_20200712_172001.jpg



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.

IMG_20200712_171649.jpg


This one also to compare, each line is separated ~2cm.
IMG_20200712_171702.jpg


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. ?
Insightful! Thanks for your write-up! I ordered the spare tire kit and had no idea it would compromise the cargo area.
 

Deleted member 44294

I just simply did not use the foam tool thing...it is sitting in my garage. This gave me a huge storage space by capturing the space in the middle of the spare wheel.
 

MyFirstHonda

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I just simply did not use the foam tool thing...it is sitting in my garage. This gave me a huge storage space by capturing the space in the middle of the spare wheel.

Can you still use the cargo tray?
Sponsored

 


 


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