Read on the Miata.net forum that some guys out in the States had fitted their spare wheel under the car. It required a bit of exhaust pipework modification to achieve the required space, but it did give more boot space!
Anyone done this, or know anyone who has, over in the UK? And if so, was it a worthwhile mod to do?
IMHO it’s not worth it. Here’s what I did:
PPS - there is one glaring factual inaccuracy in the above details. Bonus prize if you can spot it.
A tip I was given was to put the space saver spare wheel behind the passenger seat, this obviously depends on the size of your passenger.
spare wheel in the shed.
pinched the pump & in line sticky tyre fix stuff from my wife’s Kia shopping trolly.
well, she would never know how to use it anyway 
If its a MK1 then really it doesn’t give you that much moire space by taking it out.
Relying on Tyre Weld could cause a problem if you have more than just a nail in a tyre. Two blow outs over the years and the skinny in the boot have meant I was still able to get home, and even at a low speed it was still a darn site quicker than waiting for the RAC to carry me home.
Just remember to keep the skinny inflated to about 60psi.
Absolutely no way I’d have a heavy lump of steel in the cockpit…which is why it’s got a stout bolt to secure it in the boot. I reckon in even a moderate frontal RTA it would have the kinectic energy to break the back of the seat.
Nor do I really trust 20 years old rubber in emergencies, so if I’m going on a long trip, I take the spacesaver out, and drop in a 14" full time spare…OK so it uses a lot of boot space but I carry very little anyhow.
There is no way I could get the spare in behind the passenger seat even if I had wanted to, which I definitely do not!
Talked to my local “gem” of a garage, trust them absolutely which is a rare happening these days, and they basically said avoid the tube of foamy stuff like the plague. so I stuck with the spare wheel. Stuffing a full size wheel in is an option, but then even less room in the boot…
Good point about the 20 year old rubber though, even if it hasn’t had much in the way of UV exposure. Hadn’t thought about that/ More expense!
i did hear of some chap who whacked in a bolt on the boot lid & carried it there. not much rear vision then i suppose.
plus a really heavy lid
Indeed, really heavy lid, not sure I would like that arrangement at all, plus it would look really naff.
I used to drop the skinny spare behind the passenger seat. If you give it a try it does drop very well down. Centre of the wheel is pretty much behind the metalwork at the bottom of the seat not in the middle of the backrest. I’m 5’10" and I could still sit in the passenger seat with my legs out straight. As an alternative the spare will go slightly further back in the boot with securing bolt going through one of the bolt holes rather than the wheel centre. I found this gave just that little bit of extra space to make it possible to get a reasonable suitcase in the boot.
You don’t have a garage ?[:))]
Wrong! It worked really well and actually looked a bit Monte Carlo or Bust but it allowed two of us ten days worth of clothes ect for a trip to Italy. I even filled the spare wheel with spare parts and made a lid for it held down with magnets…
Actually, because of the way the boot hinges work the extra weight actually helps the lit stay up when open as the centre of the mass is ahead of the hinge line.
The bootlid is a spare one painted in yellow aerosol and the additional legs for the bootrack were machined and tapped from billet aero-grade aluminium alloy and bolted through the bootlid and using studs are threaded into the bottom of the rack`s original feet in addition to the 2x8mm stainless threaded bars and heavy grade stainless side brackets.
Lastly an uprated rear anti-roll-bar was installed to counteract the change in CofG
It was good for at least 120mph, and of course the first rule of Italian motoring : “What isa behind you is not importante”
It can work…
I covered 2000 miles in a week through the UK like this on an H4H trip without any difficulty. It may look flimsy but in fact the rack was double-grab bracketed , and you cannot see the custom cut steel plate through which a thick bolt secured the (very lightweight) 14" alloy. I just used little wooden pole to prop the lid up…no worries.
Not recommended as a permanent fixture though!
OK Guys, I accept there are exceptions to the rule which work is certain circumstances, like long trips here and aboard. And I accept that it can look ‘not too bad’ as opposed to ‘naff’. But I would still prefer not to have the wheel there!
Close: I don’t have an MX-5. I lie for fun.
