Spare tire location?

...a silly, but interesting question.

The owner's manual doesn't specify the (optional) spare wheel's location and since we know of no secret compartments in our Calis, the spare wheel simply has to go in the rear storage area. However, what we do have to keep in mind is that the optional spare wheel is much smaller than the regular wheels. Both the rim and tire of the spare wheel are specified in very small sizes in the Cali's owner's manual.

I've attached a page from the owner's manual showing the rim and tire sizes. Note the inflation pressure is also much higher than the standard tire's, which is to be expected with a small tire.

I also looked for the suggested PZERO 145/60 ZR20 at TireRack.com but could only locate a Continental CST 17 which is only R-rate, not ZR-rated, hence the 81 mph speed rating. I imagine Pirelli does make a similar spare but you'll probably have to call Pirelli NA. It's safe to say you must drive much slower using the much smaller temporary/compact spare wheel. I've also attached a page from the owner's manual describing a "collapsible spare wheel" with repeated warnings not to exceed 80 KPH (not 81 MPH) with the wheel.

Heaven forbid if you get 2 simultaneous flats.
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Tom on the attached California accessories appears the spare tire and a screw that must be the one that holds it in place somewhere in the boot. Looking at the boot of the Cali I presume that the spare tire can't fit in the space below the floor panels where we have the tools box now so I believe the only place where it can fit is horizontally in the center section of the boot.
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...interesting.

Apparently, the rim for the spare wheel (#28) costs £927.04 and "...fits: Ferrari 599 GTO, 599 SA Aperta, California, California Turbo, F12 Berlinetta, F12 TDF, FF".

#29 is a valve (£8.22). #10, the tire apparently, is stated as "not supplied" and #4 is (probably) the spare wheel fastening rod (£28.68).

 

So, where do you put the damaged tire/wheel after mounting the spare?

 

Open the roof and have your passenger hold it up over their head?

 

Tom your question about the Cali spare tire made me curious because I never thought it even was an option so I investigated a little bit more and that's what I found out.

The first picture shows the boot of the Cali and you can see a circle on the bottom panel carpet and that's the location for the spare tire.

On the second picture item nr.3 which is the spare wheel bracket I presume must be fixed below the boot bottom panel and aligned with the hole. Once the spare wheel item nr.28 is placed inside the boot it's center hole is aligned with the hole in the bottom panel and afterwards item nr.4 which is the faster tie-rod is put in place and screwed.
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You could keep a wheel bag in the car. Then just put the damaged wheel in that, and put it in the boot or back seat.

 

I located a Vredestein spare tire that is specified in the FF (and 458, F12) owner's manual. The Vredestein literature also indicates the same tire is specified for the 599, F142(i.e. 458) and the California (see attached).

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The Ferrari owner's manuals also refer to these spare wheels as "collapsible" so I did a bit more digging and it appears the tires are of special design, different from the Continental CST 17 that I located earlier on TireRack.com. The collapsible tire from Vredestein are dramatically compact when deflated. Here is a comparison photo of Vredestein "Space Master" tires I ripped off the Internet. It shows one tire inflated and the smaller one dramatically deflated.

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Based on the sizing of this tire, when fully inflated it would essentially match the approx. 26.8" diameter (wheel height) of the standard front tires (19" and 20") so it would not upset the steering. However, if used in the rear, the spare wheel would ride about an inch lower, 26.9", vs. the approx. 28" height of the standard 19"/20" rear tires. So the car may have a slight tendency to pull to the side of the car where you place the spare wheel when you brake or turn.

Here's a photo showing a space saver spare kit for a Maserati.

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Very interesting Michael is the first time I see one like this. This spare wheel and tire is a great exercise of compactness……...

 

If you get a spare wheel, get two of these to keep in the car with it. Your brake disc will be glad you did.

Wheel Hanger - Hill Engineering Ferrari Parts

 

+2 Very good suggestion.

It is very easy for the mechanic to bump your brake caliper when he attempts to remove or replace a wheel. People are not necessarily clumsy or careless but the clearance is very tight. Unfortunately, this can ruin a very expensive caliper paintjob. I frankly don't understand why service shops don't use these wheel guides as they invariably end up with an irate customer and an expensive paint repair job when the customer complains.

Ask me why I know.

 

Not to mention possibly damaging an expensive carbon ceramic rotor! I long ago got two wheel hangers like this. Keep them with the car and insist anyone who works on your car use these when R&R the wheels.

 

OK, my curiosity was piqued so I had a long look at this mystery a few days ago and came to a conclusion after examining how the factory treated collapsible spare wheels in Maseratis and the 458. Ferrari uses leather straps to fasten spare wheels to the trunk walls and/or floor.

I believe the Cali spare wheel is fastened onto the bracket using the tie rod and the toolkit illustrated in the catalogue is then strapped to the bottom of the bracket using the leather strap that is visible in the drawing of the bracket shown in the catalogue page. The whole assembly is then secured to the floor of the trunk using leather straps that are added to the floor with metal plates that are screwed into the floor pan.

Here are some photos and drawings that support my conclusion. First, the Maserati QP spare wheel, notice how a bracket is used to attach tools as well as fasten the spare wheel using a tie rod:

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Now, the 458's spare wheel... notice the 2 leather straps.

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The same arrangement has been used in the 456 and F430... and many other Fcars if you care to look them up. Notice the leather straps and their mounting plates being added to the cars.

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Here's an updated version of the accessories page in the California parts catalogue which actually shows a collapsible (Vredestein) tire, unlike the other version shown in Mario's earlier posting. The tie rod is used to fasten the collapsible wheel onto the bracket.

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When you look closely at the bracket, you can clearly make out a leather strap that is integral to the bracket. The catalogue also shows the tool kit below the bracket. It would therefore seem highly likely the toolkit is strapped to the bracket. The spare wheel is screwed onto the back of the bracket and the whole thing is strapped to the floor of the trunk using 2 straps that your dealer has to first install onto the floor of the trunk in your car.

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Michael since Tom raised this subject I've been also very curious and puzzled but finally by luck I found a California for sale advert in the USA with the picture of the boot below which I think explains it all or may be not. After all the research you've done on the subject can you please confirm if in fact this spare wheel of the picture is the Ferrari original or some kind of adaptation made by this owner.

I take this opportunity to wish you a very happy new year.
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Mario, good job locating a photo of a Cali with a spare wheel!

It certainly looks like the right size rim and collapsible tire. I would assume this is OE as there cannot be many alternative aftermarket retailers for Fcar spare wheels even if the wheels also fit the 599 and 458. Most owners would also have them installed by their dealer so they would probably use OE kits.

However, the OE spare wheel kit is supposed to include the leather tool bag which is not shown in the photo. The tools in the leather tool bag include a jack to raise the car and a tire iron to remove/install wheel studs. Sometimes, people are known to sell leather Ferrari tool bags on eBay so it wouldn't surprise me if a half-baked owner or used car dealer split up the OE spare wheel kit just to make some extra money. I have seen unscrupulous people do this quite often in online auctions with very high quality tools or kits are split up, creating sometimes enormous headaches for unwary buyers who end up with expensive items that "looks nice" but no longer works because some idiot sold off the missing extra parts for extra profit.

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The leather tool bag would also need to be secured. Frankly-speaking, it looks to me the installer was just trying to avoid blocking access to the standard toolkit but the standard toolkit that comes with our Calis is only designed to repair and re-inflate a flat tire. The biggest tool in the standard kit is the park lock manual release key so the tool bag that comes as part of the spare wheel kit is needed.

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Was there another accompanying photo, showing the tool bag? The spare wheel in the photo you posted appears to be just sitting on the carpet. It's simple enough to thread a hole in the trunk floor to take the tie rod. IMO, they should have installed the wheel on top of the bracket and placed the tie-down straps further towards the rear of the car. The cover on the standard tool tray is different from mine and perhaps it is not hinged and can still be accessed.

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There is a good reason why the Ferrari parts catalogue offers a "spare wheel bracket". Brackets are platforms for supporting the weight of objects and this particular bracket also has a leather strap arranged in a rectangular fashion shown above the leather tool bag on the catalogue page. The bag is supposed to sit inside the bracket, under the wheel. And the whole assembly should be tied down with leather wheel straps that are installed on to the floor of the trunk, probably in the locations I suggested above.

When you need to install the spare wheel, you undo 2 straps (left and right), slide the whole assembly towards the rear. Unscrew the tie rod to free the spare wheel, then release the leather strap securing the tool bag. You then lift the bracket off to get at the tool bag.

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Interestingly, the standard tool tray in my Cali30 seems designed to accommodate the spare wheel bracket because the cover for my tool trap is much smaller and is hinged to avoid whatever may be sitting further forward in the trunk, so you can still access the standard tools if there is a large item (spare wheel) behind the hinged cover.

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The "spare wheel bracket" is probably custom designed for the Cali's trunk. I say this because the owner's manual for both the Cali and the 458 use identical verbiage when describing the spare wheel toolkit.

I did a bit of technical writing for a software developer friend when I was in the IT industry and I know how copy-and-paste shortcuts in owner's manuals can result in reduced details. Our owner's manuals do not describe every detail about our cars. The Ferrari technical writer obviously left out discussion of the spare wheel bracket.

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As shown in the photos I posted earlier, the 458's trunk does not have any room for a bracket but the Cali's trunk does and the Cali is a GT, so if a Cali owner decides to go on a long cross-continent trip he/she will need to properly secure the tool bag if the spare wheel kit is used.

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Perhaps the larger flap accommodates the jack and additional hardware? Is the parts diagram for adding the spare tire option and different from what the factory delivers if it is ordered with the car?

 

Michael 2017 is the year when Tom's mystery seems to be completely solved because this time the Cali spare wheel kit shown in the pictures isn't split and the leather tool bag you correctly identified previously as missing this time is there. On the new year and to our surprise we even discovered that there is another fancy item which isn't listed anywhere which is the spare wheel red fabric Ferrari cover.

A very good 2017 to everyone.
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