Mini-spare + luggage

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fotomoto

fotomoto

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I prefer hatches so I had some real reluctance to go with a sedan but with an OutBack, C-Max and a Prius in the family we've got hauling things covered. Even though the Clarity's trunk isn't compromised by the battery like many PHEV designs, I was still concerned with space and the lack of a spare tire on trips. So just like with the Energi, I got a mini-spare for traveling and wanted to see just how much luggage I could pack with that 17 inch spare aboard. This was the results. I forgot about the covered lower well that houses the EVSE cable. Removing the bagged cable and storing it in a cranny between suitcases would have easily swallowed two more of those small black bags in the foreground. Plus there's still more room for soft bags or small items in areas not visible in the pic.

Summation: plenty of room for my family of fours' crap, umm, I mean stuff. :D

FWIW

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Not bad. Would you please post the part numbers for the spare? I'd like to pack a spare for long trips. I would leave it at home for around town driving because in the case of a flat (which we've had twice in the past 5 years) a spouse could bring the tire to the car.
 
jdonalds said:
I would leave it at home for around town driving because in the case of a flat (which we've had twice in the past 5 years) a spouse could bring the tire to the car.
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That's exactly what I do. The CMax mini-spare save me when I had a sidewall tear in town (tire guy said it was most likely a pothole which we have plenty of).

I got the spare for the Clarity from ebay: https://www.ebay.com/itm/2018-2019-HONDA-CLARITY-PLUG-IN-HYBRID-COMPACT-SPARE-TIRE/323670593091?ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649

I tried it out when it arrived and it worked fine up to 60mph. Get the TPMS warning which I could clear with the menu calibration setting once I put the original back on.

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fotomoto said:
That's exactly what I do. The CMax mini-spare save me when I had a sidewall tear in town (tire guy said it was most likely a pothole which we have plenty of).

I got the spare for the Clarity from ebay: https://www.ebay.com/itm/2018-2019-HONDA-CLARITY-PLUG-IN-HYBRID-COMPACT-SPARE-TIRE/323670593091?ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649

I tried it out when it arrived and it worked fine up to 60mph. Get the TPMS warning which I could clear with the menu calibration setting once I put the original back on.

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Thank you. I'm ordering one. What did you do for a jack?
 
We do not know if using a different wheel is safe on the drive wheels due to the complex nature of the Clarity drivetrain. Always put the spare on one of the rear wheels since they are not connected to the drivetrain or much of anything.

If the flat is on a front wheel then put the spare on a back wheel then use the back wheel to replace the front flat.
 
jdonalds said:
Thank you. I'm ordering one. What did you do for a jack?
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I already have one from assembling a kit for the CMax. You can find scissor jacks at walmart, harbor freight, etc. Lug nuts are 19mm. Personally I am on the look out for a small hydraulic jack for the "big girl".

Our last flat in the family was a right front tire blowout on the Prius on a long, remote two lane road. Pulling off onto the grass shoulder had the car at a significant tilt to the right that proved incredibly difficult for the OEM Toyota scissor jack.

The Gadgeteer said:
f the flat is on a front wheel then put the spare on a back wheel then use the back wheel to replace the front flat.
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Yup. I use this philosophy for any FWD car that needs to be driven far and/or at higher speeds; the fronts do much more work compared to the rears.

Also should have mentioned, the aero skirts don't pose any clearance problems during wheel removal/installation.
 
As per another thread that got me to thinking, I remembered I have an old small hydraulic floor jack that I occasionally use for motorcycle projects. Dug it out and found it works great!

First it fits almost perfectly in the bottom trunk well and will be out of the way on trips. Plus there's room for more things. (first aid kit shown for perspective).

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I tried it out under realistic conditions. I let the air out of the front tire to see if it would A) fit the low clearance and B) lift the heavy end.

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No problems with either. Took about 20-25 pumps (about :30 secs) to get it to adequate height.

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For long trips, I will take this instead of the scissor jack I already have from a previous kit I made. Now to clean it up after re-commissioning it from mothballs.
 
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This car has a carrying capacity of only about 900 pounds. I’d be curious to see family of 4, luggage, spare tire, jack, and other traveling debris all piled up on a scale...
 
Just did a road trip myself, 720 miles over 3 days with my family of four. We were on back roads in central PA for part of the trip and so really wanted a spare. So I packed a full-sized spare (I borrowed one of my winter wheels w/snow tires). Also a long extension cord for plugging in at motels. Fit portable charger, jack, lug wrench etc. all in trunk floor compartment. Wheel sat in trunk wedged between suitcase to keep it in place.

It all went great. Plenty of room for all our luggage and comfort in the passenger compartment. No doubt the car was heavy, fully-loaded. Had some "angry bee" moments climbing some steep ridges on back roads, but gained all that power back on the other sides of the ridges. Motels all let us run cords to charge up overnight. Biggest risk was a ticket on the interstate portions (the Clarity can be so quiet that you don't get good feedback on your speed). That and the traffic jam due to a cow on the interstate on I-70. Was worth it to see a bunch of state patrol officers forming a cordon around Bossie to keep her on the margin.

BUT guess who ordered a donut spare immediately when he got home, for next time? I went for the the Infinity G37 spare with light allow rim suggested by PeeKay...
https://www.insideevsforum.com/community/index.php?threads/spare-tire-that-fits.2579/ $109 on Ebay. Will need appropriate lugnuts, but I'll work that out once I have the rim in hand and make sure it fits.

I also ordered an extension cord cover to lessen the likelihood someone at a motel will trip on it and sue me.
https://www.amazon.com/Durable-Cable-Protective-Ramp-Cover/. May get one of those folding "watch your step" signs too.

other things to remember? aux power charger for phones/devices in back seat, and sticky mat for front and rear dashboards to keep stuff from sliding around.
 
Yep, you got it. Sorry, not sure how to work links in the "insideEVs" universe. Can't vouch for the quality though, ordered it saturday and isn't in hand yet.
 
jdonalds said:
Thank you. I'm ordering one. What did you do for a jack?
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I might have missed it somewhere in the thread, but does this spare from ebay require different shaped lugnuts, or were you able to use the originals. Also, did it require the plastic hub shim I have read about? Even after reading several threads, I am still a bit confused on which solution is the best.
 
MajorAward said:
I might have missed it somewhere in the thread, but does this spare from ebay require different shaped lugnuts, or were you able to use the originals. Also, did it require the plastic hub shim I have read about? Even after reading several threads, I am still a bit confused on which solution is the best.
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This spare+jack on ebay says the brand of wheel is Honda, so it should work with the OEM lug nuts and not require a shim. However, I'm making the assumption the seller's "brand" identification is true.
 
MajorAward said:
I might have missed it somewhere in the thread, but does this spare from ebay require different shaped lugnuts, or were you able to use the originals. Also, did it require the plastic hub shim I have read about? Even after reading several threads, I am still a bit confused on which solution is the best.
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Yes, mine fit fine with the original lugnuts, no special needs.
 
I wish Honda had made a 17" alloy mini-spare wheel. I'd buy one. I wouldn't care if it was yellow, like the alloy spare in my gen-1 Insight.
 
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