Did you remove your spare tire?

[Coconut]

Did you remove your spare tire? Why are why not?

I have aftermarket 17/18" wheels and I'll be getting front/rear BBK later this year. It makes sense for me to remove it since I can't use it and the weight savings is nice. I've heard people say it might throw off the weight balance but we're talking about ~32 lbs here (spare tire + tire bracket), is that even a concern

 

[TURBO2GO]

I don't think losing 33 pounds is going to be detrimental. The NSX-R has no spare and a lighter bettery. If you are a really in tune driver that can sense these slight changes on a track, then you can compensate for it with mild suspension changes and even tire pressure changes. I personally wouldn't worry about it and carry around 35 pounds of unusable dead weight for "balance".

- - - Updated - - -

If you changed your exhaust you probably took 20 off the rear already.

 

[Coconut]

^ Good point, I have a CT-E exhaust and I'll be removing the air pump kit so that'll be ~28lbs from the rear.

Does the tire bracket provide any type of structural support or should I just remove it when it take out the spare tire?

 

[RedWings]

Removed the spare tire awhile ago and stored it (thats what flatbed road service is for right?)
Front end is slightly more nimble in the twisties since there is less weight to transfer
I can feel the subtle difference but its quite minor
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Going to replace the spare with this for some green energy boost, ought to be good for a few extra HP:

 

[TURBO2GO]

^ Good point, I have a CT-E exhaust and I'll be removing the air pump kit so that'll be ~28lbs from the rear.

Does the tire bracket provide any type of structural support or should I just remove it when it take out the spare tire?

No. Take it out. One of the original NSX engineers squashed the theory that the spare had anything to do with an NSX crash safety system. You can search and find it on this forum, some member has access to him and asked a bunch of questions. I don't think it was Mr. Uehara but maybe.... Anyway they said the spare is NOT part of the safety system.

 

[ekhonda87]

I used my spare tire twice in my first month of ownership. I am paranoid to take it out now!

 

[TURBO2GO]

I used my spare tire twice in my first month of ownership. I am paranoid to take it out now!

Yeah but he can't even use his because of the BBK. he's talking about carrying it as dead weight just for weight balance.

 

[Matt Knight]

Replaced mine with a can of fix a flat.

Was thinking of using that space as a place to put a small tool box.

 

[USAFguy22]

I removed mine because of my bbk, and also for the SoS ducting for the r-style hood.

 

[closetprisoner]

Removed because it wouldn't hold air anymore, got old and crusty.. LOL. Dealer want $$ for those collapsible tire.. fitted with the regular tire, same size as spare and now in the trunk..

 

[Meeyatch1]

Did you remove your spare tire? Why are why not?

I have aftermarket 17/18" wheels and I'll be getting front/rear BBK later this year. It makes sense for me to remove it since I can't use it and the weight savings is nice. I've heard people say it might throw off the weight balance but we're talking about ~32 lbs here (spare tire + tire bracket), is that even a concern

I have only met about 2 people that owned NSXs that were good enough of a driver to see any advantage out of that, or legitimately notice anything beyond imagined 'seat of the pants' differences. The rest are doing it because they just think it is cool, or because they like saying they are 'saving weight'.

 

[03 raw nsx]

Downforce ducted hood and hood duct :wink:
Replaced tire with a can of fix a flat or flat bed tow truck

 

[Moses]

I did it to look cool.

Actually, I installed the Spoon BBK which rendered the spare useless.

 

[nsxpilot]

hey matt, I did exactly that .........more storage!

 

[Sean Firth]

I've been trying to remove my spare tire for months.

Just a few more miles!

 

[Midnight_Raven]

I got rid of my spare 1st day I bought it. I have AAA so no need for a spare.

 

[sca037]

We took the spare out of our red car, and removed the aluminum bracket that located it.
Then, we fitted a lightweight Odyssey battery.
This nicely complimented the weight savings we achieved in the rear by replacing the original cast iron headers with the later tubular version, and a much lighter RM racing muffler.
You could certainly feel the difference in handling, especially steering feel.
The purple Lovefab car came with a ducted hood, front Stoptechs and a water intercooler pump in the way.....so no spare possible!

Brian

IMG_0074 by NSXbrian, on Flickr

 

[charlee]

Hey op, might want to read the unofficial weight reduction as it is useful info on this subject and other diet ideas.

 

[chrisfast]

Got rid of mine, because it's 19 years old. Can't really see it being reliable. I did buy an M-Mobility kit from BMW and threw it in the trunk. Nice ande compact, but wrong badge. We don't need no stinkin badges.........

 

[nsxtasy]

I always kept it in while I was on the road, except when I had my track tires in the car with me (they can be used as spares). You never know when you might get a flat. In my time with the car, I had one flat and one blowout, so it does happen. I'd rather have the option to change a tire and be back on the road in 20 minutes than have to depend on cell service and also wait an hour or more for a tow truck to show up, and then have to deal with having them tow me to a tire shop with the hope that the flat tire can be fixed, and only bad options if it can't.

However, if I had a big brake kit on all four corners, so that the spare didn't fit anywhere, I would leave the spare at home.

And when I went out on the track, I left the spare in the paddock (along with the rubber bumpers from the ends of the T-shaped bracket it bolts to). I learned from experience that the weight of the spare and the g's on the track created forces on the wing nut that holds it on and the bolt that holds down the bracket that eventually cause them to loosen.

Also note that "Fix a Flat", like the spare tire, is only for emergency use, and should only be used to get you to the next town, where you will then need to replace the problem tire. Fix a Flat destroys tires by filling them with goop/foam, and the tire should no longer be used after that.

 

[TURBO2GO]

Does the rx7 spare fit over most BBK's?

 

[Blacknot]

I have a BBK on all 4 wheels so my spare is sitting in my garage

 

[Matt Knight]

hey matt, I did exactly that .........more storage!

How did you secure the tool box?

Also thought it might be good place to store some coolant or water.

 

[heySkippy]

No. I don't have a lot of garage space, so keeping the spare in the car works best for me.