Does anybody else have the white styrofoam piece still wedged under the spare tire, or is that only used during shipping from the factory and was left in due to an oversight by the new car prep people?
Looks like some added space for tools and gear could be found once that piece is removed.
By "full size" spare, does that mean one which is the same size as a normal road wheel? One could find out roughly by measuring a road wheel and then the space in the well, or by removing a road wheel and trying it in the well.. Or, would a full-sized diameter wheel but thinner than a normal road wheel spare fit? My wife's CR-V has a full-sized diameter but thinner than a normal road wheel spare in the CR-V's spare tire under the floor well.
I'm not 100% sure, but I assumed it was there to support the deck above from sagging downward when heavy objects are placed there. I may have assumed in-correctly though.
That sounds about right. Also if you have the cargo cover, you can stow it in the slots in the tire well to help support heavy objects placed in the rear cargo area.
I would like to think that the design folks at Toyota could come up with a more aesthetic looking way to dampen/prevent noise then to use a piece of white styrofoam!
I say it is used for shipping purposes. I will remove it as soon as the weather warms and report the results.
Of all the vehicles I've ever driven/owned with a spare tire carried inside the vehicle, this is the first one to use styrofoam in that manner to prevent movement, noise, or vibration.
I think pretty much every Toyota I've been near has one. My Yaris has one, my moms Corolla has a smaller piece, my friends Prius C has a LOT of Styrofoam holding everything in (spare, jack, parts etc)
Thanks for sharing. That looks very interesting...a couple of foam/rubber pieces strategically placed instead of the Styrofoam and viol-la...reclaimed storage space! :wink
Is the following of use ?
The trim at the bottom of the rear door is also different (narrower) if raised boot is fitted. In UK these parts are not available Are they available in the USA.
Alby: I had the same question. Last fall when I installed my winter tires and rims, I removed the styrofoam insert and threw in my oem rim to see if it would fit. It didn't fit as the height was too high. The circumference of the tire did fit inside the wheel well. One would have to modify the edge with some sort of a riser and some center support in order for the deck cover to sit flat. I will be re examining this issue come spring when I re install my summers....
Didn't even realize that my RAV4 had a different cover for the spare, just now realizing after reading this post that mine has the raised (taller) option since it does have the full size/alloy wheel, I will check to see if I can find any part numbers for those who are interested, it will have to be after my trip though. Going back to the topic, I ended up removing my styrofoam from mine because it was making squeaking noises