. . spare tire . .
 

Having acquired my new RX-8 yesterday, and changing my mind against purchasing the spare tire option (wheel {similar to the 18" wheel on my car??}, interior trunk mounting bracket, me-buy-tire) at the last minute, I've been pondering . . isn't a "compact spare (doughnut)" available?

I'm certain I read a post here within the past month stating that when a flat happens on a rear tire the temporary fix is to transfer the FRONT wheel/tire to the back and put the spare on the front. Purpose being . . limited-slip differential gearing can be damaged from the use of un-matched wheels on the rear axle. (I seem to recall the S2000 also stated similar instructions in its manual.)

So . . is this to suggest that a "compact spare" is available for our RX-8's?

Am I wrong assuming the spare tire option is a full-size wheel & tire similar to what is on the car now?

(Sunlight Silver, sport package M/T, black fabric, less than 150 miles on the odometer today, 16.4512 MPG for the last 64.9 miles)

Re: . . spare tire . .
 

The wheel/tire for the spare tire mounting bracket are a compact spare combo; there's no way you'd be able to mount a full-sized 18" wheel in the trunk...

no need for a spare untill the warrenty wears out since you have FREE road side assistance. I'd probably have it towed and get the flat pluged or patched. If you use the fix a flat foam they'll need to take the tire off anyway and clean it out. I'm tempted to buy a plug kit and keep it in the car I can help my self then use the air compress to fill the tire.

I heard using the fix-a-flat can damage the rim? Is this true?

As has been mentioned before, this works out great if you're on the shoulder of 101 in Sunnyvale, but not so great if you're on I-70 60 miles west of Green River, UT...

Dunno bout the rim, but it wastes the tire.

<<The wheel/tire for the spare tire mounting bracket ARE a compact spare combo; there's no way you'd be able to mount a full-sized 18" wheel in the trunk...>>

I was told by the salesman (who asked the question of the parts department) the accessory 'spare tire kit' consisted of a standard size wheel (in my case, an 18" wheel) and an in-the-trunk mounting bracket. I would be responsible for the purchase of the tire (and mounting, of course). (I could either purchase the tire from the dealer or from anywhere else I would choose.)

Is the information from the 'parts department' incorrect? So . . the 'kit' IS a compact spare? Like one of the skinny, relatively high pressure, smaller diameter, don't-drive-over-50 MPH tires??

(A month ago, while awaiting delivery, I added [through the dealership] several options to my car, those options I assumed would be "port installed". My car arrived with NO options added, which is why during 'total' pricing (before I wrote the check) I decided NOT to purchase the spare tire kit. When I was told the kit consisted of a naked wheel and a mounting bracket, and I needed to purchase a tire, I was bummed out.)

Dunno on the RX-8's spare tire, but the RX-7 had an aluminum 16" rim for the spare. Granted, it was like 3" wide, but it was comparable in size to the stock wheel, just much narrower.

The RX-7 spare is actually really cool looking :). I never minded putting it on the car - didn't look like a god-awful donut, actually looked like you had race tires on the back/front or the like.

Dale

I can tell you the details first-hand, since I just pulled mine out to check:

• The wheel is a 17x4T alloy
• The tire (as fitted when the spare is ordered as a port-installed option) is a Bridgestone Tracompa-2 T125/70-D17 temporary donut - max inflation 60psi, max speed 50mph.

Here 'tis:

that looks just like the fd setup. the wheel is made by enkei!:)

Hmmm, I don't think the "warning" sticker on the spare is wordy enough. :D

Cheap spare tire that works
 

Bottom line first: The compact spare from a 2010 Mazda 3 fits my 2008 Mazda RX8. I got a compact spare from a salvage yard for a total of $11.98.

Forgive me if this is old news. I owned an '86 RX7 years ago, but I'm new to RX8 ownership. In addition to an RX8, I own a 2010 Mazda 3 Sport. With a tape measure, I compared the bolt pattern of my RX8 wheels with that of the compact spare in my Mazda 3 and they appeared to match. So I mounted the spare from my Mazda 3 on my RX8 and it fit (see photo). I went to a local salvage yard and purchased a compact spare from a 2010 Mazda 3 for a total of $11.98. When I searched the inventory of the salvage yard online for the spare, the search returned results for Mazda 6s as well, so I assume the spares for 3s and 6s are interchangeable.

I mounted the spare securely in the upper part of the RX8 trunk with two bungee cords (see photo). I ran the cords in an X pattern from two holes in the upper part of the trunk, under the spare, to a slot in the aft upper part of the trunk. For added security I added two shorter cords running from the center hole of the spare to the same aft upper slot, but I think the first two cords would have done the job just fine.

I should note that I got a noise from the front hooks of the longer cords when I hit a bump. So I went back and placed an old, small towel over the front hooks on the longer cords and re-hooked them (I ran one small towel over both front hooks). This eliminated the noise.


https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx8...47efe11c19.jpg
This is the compact spare from my 2010 Mazda 3 Sport mounted as a test on my RX8.
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx8...075c7e9b23.jpg
This is the spare mounted easily and securely in the trunk with bungee cords.


Shopping bags still drop easily into the trunk with the bungee-mounted spare in place. But there is no way a suitcase of any size will go into the trunk with the spare in position. I'll have to put suitcases and coolers in the back seat or remove the spare to get them into the trunk.

I would be surprised if the spare weighs 30 pounds. I carried it easily under one are from the pick-your-own-part salvage yard and I'm not a big guy. I was surprised at how light it is.

Mazda 3s in model years 2009 and earlier have smaller rims. They may still fit RX8s, but you may want to stick to Mazda 3s or 6s of 2010 model years and newer to be on the safe side.