My 2008 40th Anniversary Edition RX8 came with the spare donut and bracket. I still can get a reasonable amount of stuff in the trunk using soft cases. Plus if just two are traveling, you can get a bunch of stuff in the rear seats. I prefer to have the added security of that donut when going long distances. My RX8 also came with the inflator kit too. But the inflator kit will do you no good if you have sidewall damage or any large tire damage. Cheers

 

Very true, with just two of us we're never starved for space, but pack 4 in there and we can fit just about a backpack per person in the trunk!

 

I can never get four in my RX8 anyway, my legs are so long that the driver's seat is pushed all the way back. So for me the RX8 is a three seater at best. I have other vehicles, a 2000 four-door Mazda Protege, and a 2008 Dodge Caravan minivan when I need to transport more folks and the dog. Cheers

 

Been a while.

Unfortunately in the habit of purchasing accessories and taking a long time to install those, being a do it yourself guy as opposed to having someone do it for you has that sense of "long wait"😃

Then came 2019, early 2020, I went overseas for some work and family visiting and ended up stranded because of COVID, so I was forced to delay my return, more waiting.

The spare tire kit installation went totally out of my mind, until recently, while checking my garage, and finding the parts, I said to myself, it is "now or never"

The instructions were sketchy, so it took me a while to sort out the positioning of parts, and the cutting of the side panels

Did not do a perfect job cutting the trunk side panels since there was no template , and because I was able to take all plastic retainers off except the ones holding the side panels to the center plastic part covering the door lock. That compelled me to work inside the trunk as opposed to taking the panels out onto a table.

But I did it and I am glad I did. What got me to purchase this kit was having a flat tire on my way to work back a couple years ago.

The tire lamp lit up, while driving in heavy traffic, but the tires did not feel flat, you know what I mean, so as soon as possible exited the car and looked at the tire, looked low but not flat, and so I continued to work.

Parked and decided to deal with it later, after work, it was one of those days I needed to be in time to work.

Called AAA at end of day. Had I gotten a spare, I could had done it on my own, or the driver would had installed it and off I would had been gone, but that was not the case. AAA took me to ... a tire shop since I had no spare. No reason going home. Home was not close and tire shops' closing time was getting closer.

At tire shop it was found my tire was toast, the hole was on the sidewall.

They did not have the same brand/size tire available and they told me they could get me one in 2 hours and the price was 2 legs and one ear !

So I got a used tire in lieu of purchasing a new tire the next following days.

Spare tire plus mounting and all $50 bucks. It was about 7 pm and you know, they know you are about to end up with your car alone after closing time, you better pay $50 bucks .... 😬

Later on I purchased the tire online, waiting for about 4 days to get it home, meanwhile I had one taller tire in the car, not great, but at least I had a Jeep to use instead of a limping car .... not fun to have your RX with one tall weird tire on ...

So I learnt my lesson. The guew bottle is nonsense, would not work on any kind of hole, much less on a side wall, and then if reparable, that guew needs be thoroughly cleaned, messing up even the air pressure sensor and air valve , no thanks !

Having an extra 18X8 wheel in the car as spare crossed my
mind, but that would be a real issue taking all of the trunk space.

I enjoy canyon carving and the thought of having a heavy tire flying all over the trunk is not nice, specially after looking at the side panels, which are basically cosmetic cardboard, would not last a couple impacts.

The RX8 spare kit is the solution.

Glad I did. Looks good and there is plenty space for things, after all the Rx8 is a sports car and not a hauling truck.

And there is plenty space in there for anything except a rigid international flight suitcase !

A few photos ...

Side panel off, spare tire bracket bolts on to this car part.

Other side.

Spare tire bracket on car bracket.

Other side

My cutting is not what a tailor would call "English cut" , at least I can say I did it 💪🏻

Used stick on pads to prevent metal on metal chaffing and possible noises.

Used stick on pads here as well, the kit had two paper thin pads that were not up to the task

Here the kit asked for drilling two holes in order to install a rubber stop. I deemed it not necessary, a stick on pad is what the Dr ordered.

Plenty of space. Will take a better photo with daytime illumination but I have plenty of space available. It is super easy to put the tire and wheel in place. Now I have peace of mind, I can get the spare into action as needed and no need to end up with a car with a broken tire at a shop only to become food for $ sharks !

👍👍👍👍👍

 

Plenty space left in the trunk

The real issue limiting large size objects is not the spare tire, but the opening of the trunk as designed

Small video evidence

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