Viewing 19 posts - 1 through 19 (of 19 total)
  • Changing from full size spare wheel to space saver
  • swoosh
    Free Member

    I currently have a full size spare wheel in the boot of my Ford Focus Mk2 (07 plate) but I am going to need as much space in the boot as I can get for when my first child comes along so thought i’d get a space saver wheel so that the floor of the boot is lower.

    I thought i’d just see how much space there would be if I had a space saver so took the full size spare out and the polystyrene surrounds and put the carpet back in – it didn’t fit properly.

    It didn’t fit properly against the different shape of the wheel well at the front, which is no big issue, but at the rear of the boot (i.e. against the back of the back seats) the hinge of the back seats protruded into the boot space and the carpet was way too small.

    What parts do I need to get a space saver to fit properly?

    Also, will I need a new jack or can I just get rid of the polystyrene thats around it at the moment to drop it lower?

    swoosh
    Free Member

    Nobody knows anything about it then?

    Liftman
    Full Member

    Try a ford focus forum rather than a mountain bike forum 🙄

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    Del
    Full Member

    why don’t you just drop the split-fold rear seat if you actually need more space?
    think i’d much rather a full size spare, particularly if you get a puncture while on the motorway. wouldn’t really fancy being limited to 55mph with a nipper on board in that situation.
    sorry – just a thought!

    t-p26
    Free Member

    Is the space saver a different diameter to the original wheel?

    spence
    Free Member

    Does the full size sit proud of the boot floor? ie a bulge in the carpet. If not you’re not going to gain anything by having a sunken wheel well with no support.

    Ford may do a space saver for the more sportier versions with wider/larger wheels than standard, if so there may be a different molding but that will only bring it level with the boot floor.

    Try here http://www.talkford.com/forum/191-ford-focus/

    veganjames
    Free Member

    Spacesaver has a smaller diameter as well as being narrower. To swap you need to take out the two big pieces of polystyrene from around your spare and the flat piece from underneath it. You need to get hold of a spacesaver wheel and tyre (eBay?). You’ll probably need a shorter bolt (with plastic top so you can screw/unscrew it with your fingers) to hold the narrower wheel down. Jack is probably the same for both types.
    You’ll need the bigger boot floor too, as you seem to have realised.
    Although you can probably pick up the wheel & tyre from eBay the bolt and boot floor would be dealer or scrapyard items I expect.
    Have you changed this already? Do you still want to? I’ve got a Focus with a spacesaver but I’m thinking of trying to change to the full size spare, which is how I know most of what you need to change.

    veganjames
    Free Member

    Also, you might need a shorter bolt to hold the jack down. I haven’t actually looked at the jack yet, but on the Mk1 focus it was held down with its own bolt, again designed so you can undo it with your fingers. I’m guessing that in yours it is screwed down below the spare wheel but above the flat piece of polystyrene, so once you take out the polystyrene you’ll probably need a shorter bolt.

    llama
    Full Member

    don’t bother – babies don’t take up that much room

    downshep
    Full Member

    Unless every inch of the depth of the boot is absolutely vital, is this really going to be worthwhile, particularly if the wheel well takes a full size spare?

    Junkyard
    Free Member

    what do you need all this space for an how much are you actually gaining?
    I suspect a smaller pram may be much easier.
    Unless you have a double buggy you can get a pram and all that jazz in any car without issue….going on holiday may be different though … roof rack??

    colournoise
    Full Member

    Buy a Megane 225 cup like ours. Doesn’t come with any sort of spare – just a can of sealant.

    slainte 😯 rob

    iain1775
    Free Member

    Why you putting the baby in the boot anyway?
    Keep the full size spare and invest in a car seat for the bairn 😉

    Seriously if you can’t fit what you need in a focus your doing something wrong
    My wife fits the two of is, baby, buggy, changing bag and all the parafinalia AND a 30kg Labrador dog in a citron c3, with room to spare (we have had a travel cot and an overnight bag in too, but that was getting a bit tight, bit is the exception not the norm)
    This need space for babies thing is a myth you don’t really need all that stuff
    Besides it’s not so much the volume as the bulkiness of the buggy etc, your going to gain nothing from switching, just learn to pack the car more efficiently you will soon figure out a system
    Like someone else said i would rather have the full size spare than have to plod home from a weekend away at 55mph on a space saver with a screaming child in the back

    veganjames
    Free Member

    I was at a Ford dealer today comparing the boot space in two Focus hatchbacks, one with the space saver spare and one with full size spare. It really does make a massive difference to the boot space. The boot floor sits about 4-5″/10-12cm lower with the space saver. As mentioned in the OP the boot floor becomes much longer when it’s lower, hence “the carpet was way too small”.
    I’ve got two kids so I know how much stuff babies travel with. I mean travel as in go on holiday, not go to the park or the supermarket. Most folded buggies should fit in your boot with your full size spare and anything else you need for a day out. If you’re going on holiday might have problems. If you choose your baby things (pushchair & travel cot tend to be the bulkiest) carefully then you can get reasonably small equipment. You can manage without some of the things that the baby magazines and shops consider important. However you will never travel as light with a baby as you can without one. If your boot is full before the baby arrives you may need more space.
    I prefer a full size spare and I had one in my Mk1 Focus. When the babies arrived I ended up getting a roofbox. If you are careful when you choose it you should be able to fit a bike carrier (or even two) on your roofbars along side the box. It will probably work out more expensive than changing to the space saver though. Even after you’ve bought it you end up paying more because it increases frontal area and drag so you use more fuel. It makes the car noisier at high speed too, although a good box should not be too noisy if you stay at or below the legal speed limit.

    Junkyard
    Free Member

    are your kids vegan? what do they eat 😯

    Saccades
    Free Member

    ffs..

    sell the focus get either a focus estate or a mondeo ( estate ) and stop being daft. A roofbox will help as you drop the buggy in and can then forget the art of packing and being neurotic.

    veganjames
    Free Member

    @ Junkyard,
    My kids aren’t vegan, they eat dairy, eggs and fish (like their mother).

    roblane65
    Free Member

    Have you ever asked them if they’d like some meat,or is it just imposed upon them?.

    swoosh
    Free Member

    thanks for all the advise guys.

    i’m currently wondering about getting a new car anyway but I agree with veganjames that the lower boot floor does increase the space in the boot considerably.

    went away for weekend (4 adults 0 kids) and we didn’t get everything in the boot as it is but if the boot floor was lower we’d have been fine.

    veganjames – where do you live? is it a mark2 focus? are you still looking to swap to full size spare wheel?

Viewing 19 posts - 1 through 19 (of 19 total)

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