Using Rear Footwell Space for Spare Tire Storage (Design Ideas)

[Doctors Do Little]

There's no room near the rear axle for a spare under the bed due to the somewhat unique suspension design.

Here's another variant if the spare sits low enough in the bed so the top is below sides. The hump is now a box with a ledge. The ledge would match the height of the flats on top of the wheel wells, and the top of the box would be just below the lip of the bed (to allow for future bed covers). I added "D" rings where the bolts hold the cover down to add some tie-downs to the bed. Lots of space around the spare for tools, jacks, etc.

None of this is to scale. Just concept drawings and not even sure if there's really enough room for a spare to sit in the hole and fit fully down in the bed. Maybe the spare would be so tall as to overlap the rear window some (back to the hump or trapezoid cover if that's the case, but that's okay too).

Would be easy to put some dividers on the inside to keep gear tidy.

 

[nstrains10]

That's the well but yeah... It's hard to tell from that how deep it is and wide it will be. I'miking the idea for an accessible toolbox area that @Dorbiman had talked about in his post.

 

[HTXSlate]

Spares have been hanging under the tailgate for ever and seem to work. I want all the storage space I can get so leaving it where it is works for me. Great idea but not a solution I need for a problem I don't have.

 

[KevinRS]

Spares have been hanging under the tailgate for ever and seem to work. I want all the storage space I can get so leaving it where it is works for me. Great idea but not a solution I need for a problem I don't have.

That doesn't look like an option here. The rear wheels, and so the axles and suspension are too close to the tailgate, and there isn't any recess at all behind the bumper where the tire would go up into. It would end up only a few inches from the ground, so the spare would hit the ground when you go over bumps.

 

[Doctors Do Little]

That doesn't look like an option here. The rear wheels, and so the axles and suspension are too close to the tailgate, and there isn't any recess at all behind the bumper where the tire would go up into. It would end up only a few inches from the ground, so the spare would hit the ground when you go over bumps.

See! I *do* need a lift! But, also how to mount a hitch? I need to see the underbody…visual/experiential learner here.

 

[KevinRS]

See! I *do* need a lift! But, also how to mount a hitch? I need to see the underbody…visual/experiential learner here.

Hitch is something else that hasn't been shown at all as far as I know. Though they've mentioned towing capacity, nothing more has been shown or said. It's likely the prototypes on display don't have the mounting points even for the hitch that would be in the final design?

 

[Dorbiman]

I wonder if one could fab up a spare tire carrier under the frunk, where the definitely not AWD second traction motor hole is

 

[Doctors Do Little]

I wonder if one could fab up a spare tire carrier under the frunk, where the definitely not AWD second traction motor hole is

Hmmm…interesting idea. What do spare plus jack tools weigh? 60# or so?

 

[KevinRS]

At 1,000 pounds towing capacity, a trailer ball hitch on the bumper will suffice. No frame-mounted Class III hitch is necessary.

But looking at the images on the site, I see no sign of anything resembling where a hitch would go. The license plate is right where it would be on many trucks, and everything below and on the bumper is smooth. Even the rear bumper upgrade in the maker gives no clue. I'd kind of expect with towing rating being listed from the beginning, for there to be a 1-1/4 hole behind a cover, along with an electrical connection. Barring that, some kind of frame exposed to attach a class 1 hitch kit to. I suppose it's the issue where we are looking at prototypes and not the finished product.

 

[AZFox]

But looking at the images on the site, I see no sign of anything resembling where a hitch would go.

In some photos taken at events there's a rectangle on the bumper below the license plate, possibly where a hitch receiver will pass through.

 

[Doctors Do Little]

In some photos taken at events there's a rectangle on the bumper below the license plate, possibly where a hitch receiver will pass through.

That’s the logical choice.

 

[Luxrage]

I think the hump is a great idea. I don't mind having a tire on the tailgate but I think that this hump makes for a great cargo box. My LTD Country Squire actually has a similar setup, just done parallel with the wagon on one side. I'll post a picture below.

One thing I just thought of though would be how hard is it to pull that spare out of the well/box.

On my Country Squire, Ford put a rubber pull strap under the wheel. You just undo the center bolt holding the wheel to the car, and then pull up on the strap and the wheel comes out:

It's not perfectly integrated, You can tell where the spare is whenever you see the car from the passenger side. But it sure beats rotting under the car with rusting brackets or being a doughnut.

 

[sodamo]

Never been a fan of the donut spare but, maybe ought to be a consideration for Slate.

 

[KevinRS]

Since a spare at all seems to be an add on for the slate, this all does need to be a consideration, and slate should come up with something more than they have before launch. I know some cars don't come with a spare, but those have run flat tires. Do any vehicles just by default come with no consideration for flats?
Come to think of it, even with the tailgate spare, where is the jack?

 

[Luxrage]

Come to think of it, even with the tailgate spare, where is the jack?

I don't know how they're set up yet, but my Geo has the tailgate-mounted spare tire. The jack and lug-wrench are mounted under the passenger seat. These are things that are probably completely absent on the prototype.