Ford Focus spare tire for Spiders

4416 Views 23 Replies 12 Participants Last post by Subtle, Jan 11, 2008

shadowburn

Discussion Starter · Jan 10, 2008

Elio Comello said:
And while I'm at it, if you are looking for a cheap weight reduction, pack an EM spare from a ford Focus and save about 25# dead weight as well as gaining significant trunk space!
TTFN Elio

Saw this in another thread. I guess this is mainly directed towards, but its not limited to Elio. How much space do you actually gain from this? Is it enough to place the jack in the tire well along with the spare? How's driveability and safety with one of these? Is this for the 15 inch wheels, the 14 inch wheels, or does it even make a difference?
Thanks in advance.

1 - 20 of 24 Posts

othercarsaford

· #2 · Jan 10, 2008

Perhaps also of interest is whether the factory alloys from the Focus will fit on Alfa Spiders without modification. My local junkyard is chock-ful-o smashed Foci.

Elio Comello

· #3 · Jan 10, 2008

I did not make this discovery. I got the info on the BB, so credit where credit is due. I have the Focus EM spare, it is a 15". It is slightly smaller than the stock 15"tire of my Quad. (I think it is identical to the 14" stock tire dia.) I have mounted and used the EM spare on the front. I had to use "steel wheel" wheel nuts, cause the nuts from the Quad bottomed out (they have a closed end). I used nuts from the honda car for steel wheels, worked fine.
The EM spare is about 25# lighter and significantly skinnier. It gives you a lot more storage height. Yes the jack would fit with room to spare.
I was advised that the EM spare may not go over the hub of the rear wheels. I have not tried this yet. However if I had a rear flat, worse case would be to sub a front tire.
One other comment was that the LSD might not like the wheel dia difference of the EM spare. The diameter difference is trivial and I don't think it would make problems, in any event if it spares a front, you can avoid the problem. I paid $15 for a never used EM wheel/tire at a local auto scrap yard. A great investment in my mind!
Not sure who originally invented this idea, but it is a good one for me!

TTFN Elio

See less See more

quadspy

· #4 · Jan 10, 2008

othercarsaford said:
Perhaps also of interest is whether the factory alloys from the Focus will fit on Alfa Spiders without modification. My local junkyard is chock-ful-o smashed Foci.

Focus is FWD and rims have greater offset even though the bolt pattern may be the same. If you try to mount them on a spider you would definitely have clearance problems to the suspension components. On the other hand a space saver wheel would mount OK because it is much narrower, but the tire will still be considerably off center. Good enough for temp emergency use I guess.

Subtle

· #5 · Jan 10, 2008

I take it that 25# means 25 pounds less.

In which case how much does the original steel 15-inch (Giulietta) wheel and tire weigh?

shadowburn

Discussion Starter · #6 · Jan 10, 2008

Thanks for the info. Great idea I think, even if you can only use it for a front spare. Thanks again.

GV27

· #7 · Jan 10, 2008

Elio Comello said:
I did not make this discovery. I got the info on the BB, so credit where credit is due. I have the Focus EM spare, it is a 15". It is slightly smaller than the stock 15"tire of my Quad. (I think it is identical to the 14" stock tire dia.)

I thought the 14" and 15" tires were the same diameter. A "+1" setup, no?

Zunige

· #8 · Jan 11, 2008

I guess am missing something here...

The modern emergency tires are only good for a limited number of miles, and cannot (or should not) be driven at more than 50-55 mph. (How accurate is your Spider speedo?

) They are also very susceptible to bending if you hit a pothole. How's this better than a full spare, especially on a long trip? This also surprises me because I see people who are looking to replace their modern emergency spare with a "real" tire, as opposed to going the other way.

As far as space and weight... The Spider trunk is quite roomy, even by modern standards, and the spare is tucked out of the way. Plus, there is the rear area behind the seats, in the cabin. Then, 25 lbs. is not going to make any difference. When my wife and I took our '84 Spider to the convention, the trunk was full, and the Spider towed 430 lbs. (mini-trailer with race gear). Even with this, I wouldn't dream of removing the chassis stiffener, to save 45 lbs. of weight.

Best regards,

See less See more

shadowburn

Discussion Starter · #9 · Jan 11, 2008

Zunige said:
I guess am missing something here... .

For me, I'm really just looking for a way to utilize some of the "hidden spaces" in the trunk a bit differently, at the same time keeping the interior of the trunk clean and looking close to original.

Tifosi

· #10 · Jan 11, 2008

shadowburn said:
For me, I'm really just looking for a way to utilize some of the "hidden spaces" in the trunk a bit differently, at the same time keeping the interior of the trunk clean and looking close to original.

*cough* drug smuggler *cough*

shadowburn

Discussion Starter · #11 · Jan 11, 2008

Shhhhhh You weren't supposed to tell anybody. Now everyone is gonna know!

Erik

· #12 · Jan 11, 2008

I've put a spare gas can in the middle of the spare wheel to save space, works fine.
The jack bolts to the inner wing/fender on my 1970, takes up no space.
The boot is very spaceios for a 2 passenger roadster, wife and I have no problems for luggage on holydays trips.
Erik

silverspider

· #13 · Jan 11, 2008

Subtle said:
I take it that 25# means 25 pounds less.

In which case how much does the original steel 15-inch (Giulietta) wheel and tire weigh?

I trust he meant 25% less.

Elio Comello

· #14 · Jan 11, 2008

Using a bathroom scale I weighed the OE Quad 15" alloy wheel and P5 tire. I weighed the Focus EM spare. The difference was close to 25# (# = lb). I don't know what a 15" Giulietta 15" steel wheel. Weighs.

There certainly are lots of views out there on this subject!....

For me the most important benefit was the greater depth that I gained. It has allowed me to put things in the trunk that would otherwise not fit. I promise in future to stay away from such controversial subjects LOL!

TTFN Elio

Zunige

· #15 · Jan 11, 2008

Elio Comello said:
... It has allowed me to put things in the trunk that would otherwise not fit. ...

Elio,
Now I'm gonna have to take a look at your wheel well, 'cause I thought the only thing you'd put in there would be the "concours OEM wheel"!

You're not bringing in Cuban cigars by any chance now, are you?

Best regards,

Subtle

· #16 · Jan 11, 2008

I like the idea of shedding 25 lbs.

That covers the diet

--now another 25 can be lost by using a different spare.

Elio Comello

· #17 · Jan 11, 2008

Enrique, the last thing I put in the trunk that required more "head space" was a 28lb frozen turkey LOL!

Yes it was smuggled from the US (Krogers) because Thanksgiving always offers turkeys at "loss leader" prices like 49cents/lb. This and your cheaper gas, imported from Canada, is enough to attract many people living on your border to cross (legally) and save money! BTW the turkey can enter Canada legally (max 2 birds). While we are at it I might as well add that my beloved Quad, was brought (driven) up into Canada from Fayetteville NC in 2004! complete with OE wheels including the full size spare.

TTFN Elio "Donne e Motori...Gioie e Dolori!"

he3r0

· #18 · Jan 11, 2008

can you fit 2 of Ford EM in the spare wheel space in the trunk? without having them stick out too much?

Subtle

· #19 · Jan 11, 2008

Elio

What is the weight of the Focus spare?

Thanks

Elio Comello

· #20 · Jan 11, 2008

Using a bathroom scale the weight is 11Kg/24lbs

The spec's: T125/80R15 95M S300 Max 50mph (80kmph) inflate to 60psig

The steel wheel is black and does not appear to be of flimsy design.

Maciej, two will fit in the trunk, but you would have to verify this if they were inflated with Nitrogen. This would of course affect the weight.

Best regards, Elio

1 - 20 of 24 Posts

This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.