Spare Trunk Ceiling Mount: Easy! Tips Here.

[PianoAl]

Today I mounted my Modern Spare onto the ceiling of the trunk. No drilling required.

For 1.5 years, I've had the tire on the floor of the trunk, which is inconvenient. Especially when sliding some big suitcases into it. This is what that looks like:

The key is to remove a panel in the trunk, as described in this excellent video:

That exposes some holes that can be used to hook your ratchet straps into. I did it the way he describes it, except I used ratchet straps. Much easier that way, plus if you ever need those straps in an emergency, they'll be there.

Photos below, but first, here are some things I learned:

• I thought to have the hollow side of the wheel facing down to give more room, but that way, metal contacts the ceiling rather than rubber. Also, it's harder to position the tire on a laundry basket prior to ratcheting it into place.
• I first installed it with the ratchets toward the back of the car, but found that they get in the way. It's easy to ratchet them as long as you put down the backseats.
• At first I thought I'd need to unbend the hooks on the strap, but they work fine as-is on some of the holes.

 

[Timbo2]

If you want to keep the plastic and have a slightly lower center of gravity you can also try doing this. Downside is that you lose a little more room and can't utilize the passthrough of folding the back seats.

 

[PianoAl]

Today I kept hearing a chirping noise, and it took me thirty miles to figure out what it was. The tire was moving slightly and squeaking against the trunk ceiling. It's amazing how hard it is to localize sounds in the car. I will have to put a cloth on top of it or buy a tire bag,