My plan is to get the spare regardless of what I do with it. If it fits conveniently somewhere, than its perfect . . . If it doesn't than it will become more of a long trip solution to which point we'll deal with the trade offs and I'll investigate more dramatic mounting alternatives such as in the back of the boot... we'll see
Right now my primary concern is to get something I can trust to store for the long run (for as long as I'll be lucky not to get a flat) and that will perform just right if needed.

 

Could you tell me what the overall width of the wheel is (not just the width of the tire itself but rather the overall width with the steel rim). It seems the rim sticks out slightly so from the tire side wall but it could also just be an optical illusion from the picture . . .

 

I used to own a BMW Z3 roadster and a site called roadster solutions sold a luggage rack for the trunk that would work for carrying a spare and also the blown tire in case of a flat!
The good thing about the trunk rack is you can open the trunk with the rack on!
Many people don't think of where to put the flat tire after you put the donut on,in fact, the only time I got a flat in the Z3, luckily I was alone as those wide tires wouldn't even fit in the trunk! So it road beside me in the passenger seat for 100 miles!
My wife doesn't have her roadster yet so I don't know if the stock tires fit in the trunk or not, but I think a luggage rack on the trunk is the best solution for a road trip with 2 people and luggage but I don't think anyone makes one for the mini roadster.
Anyone know of one?

Steve

 

Thank you, I just keep forgetting that point!

Yes they do though this one isn't really appealing. It lacks some design touch

http://www.minifini.com/ShopDetail.aspx?id=16

 

I made quick foam-core models to better understand the situation:

1:





2:



1) Obviously take a lot of space so it is not ideal for long trips as the trunk will get filled. Though I must say if fits okay. It would require planning when packing to insure we can get the spare wheel in. It is not my favorite options due to the suitcase packing needs. But for daily use could be a option.

2) It is an interesting option for long trips that I need to further access with my wife's comfort but it is not out of question. However it would require to be anchored to stay safe for sure in case of an accident. Also it would require to find a way to hold the flat tire+wheel in the rear some how...


I will still get a spare but it might be more to go help my wife when she's not too far than for trips.
For that I'm going to investigate further the rack options...
Not pretty but a big piece of mind on trips. If I would go that route in the long run I would definitely found way to make it more appealing one way or an other . . . I'm a product design so ideas are not what's lacking (more a matter of time)

 

Someone used the cargo net to hold the tire down in the middle or bungee cords...but your mock up would be squished.

 

Quote
"I will still get a spare but it might be more to go help my wife when she's not too far than for trips.
For that I'm going to investigate further the rack options...
Not pretty but a big piece of mind on trips. If I would go that route in the long run I would definitely found way to make it more appealing one way or an other . . . I'm a product design so ideas are not what's lacking (more a matter of time)"


I saw that one, quite cumbersome!
If you go to Roadster Solutions ,and look for luggage racks you'll see what I mean.
I'm sorry but I don't know how to insert a photo from a website with my ipad

I also don't know the trunk width of the Z3 as compared to the Mini.

Something that I'll look into tho!

Steve

 

I went and took a look. I see what you're talking about.
But I can't imagine having the spare on top of the boot, not even mentioning it would interfere with the spoiler so that's not really feasible.

I think there are ways to make a rear mounted spare look really good, especially if well placed and integrated (classic style). But from looking at it it would require to mount it to the door and I must say, with the boot door as heavy as it already is , adding 20 lbs is far from great...

 

As we don't have our roadster yet, I didn't think of the spoiler issue , I suppose I'll do the same thing your doing when I get it and figure something out.
It's cool that the spare fits behind the seat tho!
Does the stock tire fit behind the seat also?

BTW
Great choice of seats,and thanks for posting your thoughts about solving the spare tire issue!

Steve

Steve

 

Steve,

No chance the flat will fit behind the seat unless you do not have a front passenger...

You really don't want to underestimate the weight of it either. 20 lbs behind the seat is already a stretch I think.

You also have to understand that it blocks the trap door and as you will found out soon it can be really convenient to put away clothe and quickly reach for them when your passenger gets a little cold (while you still enjoy the brisk air )

Greg

 

My solution is a cheapo Continental kit, using the Mini bicycle rack. This gets four wheels/tyres to the tyreshop - one in the passenger seat, two half-in-out of the boot/trunk and one on the rack:



OK, I admit, it's not the best suggestion for everyday use, or aesthetics.......

 

Ha ha! well these cars aren't quite the haulers so I don't mind the diy attitude
It's good to see though and we'll have to look into bike rack solution as well at some point.

Do you have to anchor points in the rear? If you look at the picture I posted earlier it seems we only have 1 on the right side.

 

Yeah, sorry, I shouldn't tempt folk with this Euro-only bike rack. It is a beautiful piece of kit, as you might expect for many hundred dollars, but can only be fitted to cars that were ordered with 'bike rack preparation' (a second left-side towing eye and a trailer light socket under the boot/trunk floor), which is an option that I think is only available in Yurpeen markets.

 

T.G.
The euro bike rack reminded me of another Z3 idea!
Here's a basic idea using the tow hook threads.

http://www.waycoolinc.com/z3/01/033101/bigfixit13.html

Not permanent but it gets you to tire shop!


Steve

 

Ha ha! that's hilarious. I love it! I probably woould not go that route, I'm too much of a perfectionist, but I love the mood it gives

 

Yeah,certainly a rough but functional way to carry a flat!

 

FYI, I received the spare tire last night. I went with Detroit tuned. The main reason was proximity. It got here very fast as I expected it would.
Sorry WayMotorWorks it seemed just more convenient for shipping to where I am . . . I'll keep you guys in mind for other things though

Now I can play with the real thing and see what I can come-up with or if

 

That 2nd tow eye receiver seems to be the key to making a continental spare holder, does anybody know if we can get that in the US?

 

I'd like to know this as well.

It's probably feasible but might require to change the rear metal brace. The bumper also does not have the feature and beyond just replacing the cap it may require a new bumper to be painted, or an average modification to fit a new cap some how.

I think I saw a link somewhere for the metal brace part but I'm not sure...

 

I doubt it would be economical to retrofit the second towing eye. As well as a new rear bumper trim (many hundreds of dollars, just in primer) a new rear bumper beam/carrier is required, since that contains the towing eye socket (a couple of hundred dollars). And both those parts may need to be purchased in Europe, since that is where Mini expect them to be found.

So that's a lot of dollars - and that's without any rack system!

 

I agree . . . that won't be the route I take, that's for sure

 

TG, I'd love to know what you come up with. Please let us know

 

I suppose you could weld a towing eye into the bumper frame and carefully cut an access hole in the bumper trim and get a new cover but that's a lot of work,and or money if you pay someone to do it! Seems feasible tho as I have welded things in the past but don't have the equipment anymore,also for a DIY project it's not much money!

Steve

 

btw, on a side note, I installed our new R112 wheels and tested the spare on the front while I was at it.
Indeed it does NOT work over the cooper S calipers without requiring some spacer. (I'm not talking about the JCW which are even bigger)

I definitely will if I get to it
I'm excited to come-up with something but from the initial look of it it is not going to be easy to achieve my to primary objectives:
- Pleasing to car overall styling
- Easy to use/Convenient
- Strong/Secure

 

I've made some time yesterday to investigate possible designs...

At the moment I have two approaches:

A - One possibility is to attach the spare tire to the boot lid itself. The approach would involve creating a bracket that would mount where the license plate is mounted. The design would involve a quick plate removal to attach the mount and place the plate over the spare. While this is the most compact solution with the cleanest integration there are three major hurtle to that design. 1. I might be awkward to release the trunk opening 2. It might be difficult to swing the door up and hold it up with all the weight 3. It might be more complicated to insure the proper strength is achieved to hold not only the spare but also the flat wheel.

Possible option is to allow for a quick release but that to might be a little awkward.

For all these reason this is not my favorite option, although I really would have prefer the way it would look.

B – The other possibility is to do a better version (less clunky) of the rear rack mount. My initial thought is to do so without requiring any modification of the rear bumper. Rather than mount a harness using the tug hole I would find a placement under the car to which I would attach it. This would make for a slim and potentially attractive design. There are sheet metal fold anchor points under the car that retains the exhaust. This is one area of attachment I’m looking into though I don’t know yet if it is ideal since I do not know the strength of that area. I’m looking at holding possible 80 or 100lbs to be on the safe side.
The advantage to this design is that I would make it to be a quick attachment so it could easily be mounted on the car for long trips and remove for daily driving. It also does not add weight to the door and possibly allow access to the trunk more conveniently.


In all cases I’m looking at design solutions that do not obstruct the rear backing light (at least when the spare is mounted), that allow easy access of the boot (I might investigate different ways to move the spare attachment out of the way), and that allow for quick relocation of the license plate.

Needless to say this is all very ambitious right now and I don’t know if I’ll get around to do it, but I thought I’d share my thoughts on the subject.
Part of me is excited to make something that would remain elegant and provide that old classic car rear mounted spare I think has some charm if done well. I’m also excited to optimize our roadster traveling space as much as possible.

If I do get going on this I'll let you guys have a pick at what I do. Who knows, there might be interested parties