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Spare Tire Solution for C-Max Hybrid.


Roger Eastman
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I purchased a 13-16 Fusion Spare that came with the jack.  Also got a 24" spare tire cover off amazon for it.

The Jack is wrapped in cardboard and is recessed in the tire under the cover to make it easily portable.

attachicon.gifpost-3885-0-14194600-1494808945.jpg

attachicon.gifpost-3885-0-99679000-1494808911.jpg

 

Punchline to save time reading: secure the spare tire for when the seats are down and a dog is in the back, or just as a good thing to do.

 

This reminds me of something I have been wanting to post.  I often take my dog in the car and lower the back seats to keep the seats clean and allow him to move from front to back easily. I had bought a nylon strap to secure the tire but never used it.  I was travelling without the dog but the seats were still down. A light turned yellow and I thought the guy in front was going to go through and I was going to go through also.  Well he didn't or he changed his mind.  I had a 20% score on braking.  The tire moved quickly into the back of the front seat.  If the dog was in the car things could have gone really badly.  The tire is now secured with strap.  It is a long strap and it loops around the metal loops that are exposed when the hatch door is open(toward the bottom).  The strap was less that $10 from ebay.

Edited by obob
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  • 1 year later...

Punchline to save time reading: secure the spare tire for when the seats are down and a dog is in the back, or just as a good thing to do.

 

This reminds me of something I have been wanting to post.  I often take my dog in the car and lower the back seats to keep the seats clean and allow him to move from front to back easily. I had bought a nylon strap to secure the tire but never used it.  I was travelling without the dog but the seats were still down. A light turned yellow and I thought the guy in front was going to go through and I was going to go through also.  Well he didn't or he changed his mind.  I had a 20% score on braking.  The tire moved quickly into the back of the front seat.  If the dog was in the car things could have gone really badly.  The tire is now secured with strap.  It is a long strap and it loops around the metal loops that are exposed when the hatch door is open(toward the bottom).  The strap was less that $10 from ebay.

 

Also bought a 2016 Focus donut spare on Ebay, complete with jack and foam insert.  Will have my service guy test fit when next tire rotation.  Mine is lashed down as yours with a tire cover.

post-4818-0-79342700-1528652996_thumb.jpg

 

Edited by LeoNicholson
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  • 3 weeks later...

I recently traded in my 2013 Ford C-Max Hybrid SE for a 2018 Ford EcoSport.  Have an Emergency Spare Tire (Donut) available with HD Cover if anyone needs one.  Came off a 2012 Ford Fusion. I have used in briefly twice so I know it fits.  Same Bolt Pattern an Lug Radius. If you live in SE FL its yours for $50. Local Pick Up Only! I never purchased a Jack Assembly Kit.  Used AAA to change the Flat Tire. Great to have on long Trips to avoid a Tow Truck should the Mini-Tire Inflator Kit an Can of Sealant Goo fails

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  • 1 year later...
  • 3 months later...

So we've got a 2015 C-Max Energi.  Love the car, getting over 200 mpg-e as most of our driving is in battery range.

We are trying to solve the spare tire issue, as we live in Hurricane country, and once on an emergency evacuation had a flat, and then our donut went flat on the way to getting a new tire (different car).

Most of our driving is in town, so I'm thinking of putting a trailer hitch and getting a full sized wheel for our 'spare', then storing it on a rack of some sort for out of town and backcountry trips.   Does anyone have recommendations for ways to carry a spare on a hitch?  I'm thinking of buying a used, actual C-Max wheel off ebay and just getting a new tire on it.

 

Thanks!

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  • 1 year later...

Several people have addressed the spare issue in their own way. Mine takes up the majority of the hatch area but I refuse to have a car with no spare so I live with the loss of room. I also don't use space savers so I have 5 full size wheels and tires for my Cmax. I added a scissor type jack as many here have suggested and I refuse to use the included flat tire kit as the tire shops hate the tire goo mess more than anything else they deal with. First time I used that kit with my 2013, the shop refused to work on the tire. I had to prove to them the goo kit was the factory recovery method before they would even touch the car. I will never use it again. I found the handling of the car to be quite competent once on the wheels/tires from the Focus ST. I can flog the car in the twisties and it doesn't do anything scary or embarrassing. I ditched the Goodyears for Cooper Zeons and have been good to go ever since. I think I've gone through at least 5 sets of these tires between the 2 Cmax's we've had. Maroon car was our first 2013, the silver is our 2018 SE (which literally cost half of what the 2013 cost) and the two Cmax pic is the neighbor with my 2013 he bought from me. The spare wheel in a box I had done at the body shop, not quite matching color but beats the hell out of a space saver which limits the way you can drive.  

Cmax Nov 2021 Ashland Wi Sunrise.jpg

Cmax on ST wheels.JPG

Cmax Pair 2019.jpg

Cmax Spare color.JPG

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I bought a full size wheel from a wrecking yard and a new tire for our 2013 SE many years back for a long trip.  It was strapped down flat in the back using the tie-downs in the floor and one in the back on the side at the hatch.  The seats could still be up and the hatch closed (don't know if this works in the Energi).  More recently I put on a hitch and have used a carrier for the spare along with other stuff on a long camping trip.  The hitch maker insisted on support straps if used with a carrier so we had two red ones going from the cargo tie points in the back, up through the hinges, and down to the carrier.  It looked weird but nothing broke.

 

The first Time I bought new tires after getting the spare I only bought 3 new ones and used the spare for the 4th.  I kept the best of the old ones for the spare.  Now, of course, I get 4 new ones and still keep the best old one for the spare.  That way there isn't an unused tire going to waste as a spare while getting older every year.

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  • 9 months later...

I have a 2014 C-Max Hybrid Energi and went to my local yard (Tear-a-Part in Salt Lake City) and got a donut from a 2018 Ford Focus. I also got a lug nut wrench and jack, all for $31.00. Also, the interchange search results they printed up for me list any Focus from 2012-2018 as a match for any C-max from 2013-2018. Hope that helps anyone else out there looking to add a spare!

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  • 5 months later...
On 10/31/2022 at 5:54 PM, kenperko said:

I have a 2014 C-Max Hybrid Energi and went to my local yard (Tear-a-Part in Salt Lake City) and got a donut from a 2018 Ford Focus. I also got a lug nut wrench and jack, all for $31.00. Also, the interchange search results they printed up for me list any Focus from 2012-2018 as a match for any C-max from 2013-2018. Hope that helps anyone else out there looking to add a spare!

Hi Ken,

 

I have the same car and wondered if you could share how you secure the doughnut, etc?  I'm thinking of getting a doughnut as we are planning a 1200 mile trip.  I already have a scissor jack and breaker bar with socket stored at the rear but have concerns about them flying around in the event of an accident.

 

Regards,

 

Al

Edited by Gourockian
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  • 1 month later...

Bought a full-size spare for my C-Max. I'm F 66 and road trip so I like the security of a spare. I do carry the inflation kit (empty, from another car) when I need to add air.

 

My concern is the weight of the spare on top of the hybrid battery in the trunk. Do I need to be concerned that it will harm the battery? It's padded so it doesn't bounce around (much), but the weight is still there.

Edited by Ralf
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On 5/18/2023 at 1:29 PM, Ralf said:

Bought a full-size spare for my C-Max. I'm F 66 and road trip so I like the security of a spare. I do carry the inflation kit (empty, from another car) when I need to add air.

 

My concern is the weight of the spare on top of the hybrid battery in the trunk. Do I need to be concerned that it will harm the battery? It's padded so it doesn't bounce around (much), but the weight is still there.

The traction battery has a very sturdy metal casing. Should be no issue. Personally in mine I've had the back loaded down with many bags of mulch/sand/etc from the local big box store with no issue.

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  • 9 months later...
On 4/18/2013 at 10:01 PM, DaveofDurham said:

 

Was this plug kit one you could use without removing the tire from the rim?

 

Here is a link to an article on tire repair which says that's not a good way to go.

http://www.aroundhawaii.com/lifestyle/art_and_leisure/2011-02-repairing-todays-tires-beware-of-tire-plugs.html

 

I'm surprised I haven't seen this thread before and I know this is so old the link doesn't even work any more, but I want to reply to this misinformation anyway.

 

Rope-type plugs are ABSOLUTELY FINE.  They are not temporary repairs, they will last the life of the tire.  You DO NOT need to remove the tire from the rim, you DO NOT need an interior patch plug.

 

These fearmongering articles have been around almost as long as tires, and they've been nonsense the whole time.

 

You can't use one in a sidewall, they can only be used in the tread area.  The puncture can't be too big and they don't always work if the puncture is at too much of an angle.    You do have to install them correctly, you have to file the puncture, you have to use the glue, you have to get the glue all the way in the hole.

 

But for a nail or screw puncture, I've never had one fail before the tire was worn out.

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