Yeti boot...higher or lower for my Labrador?

[darkblue]

Hi

My Yeti has a raised floor and spare wheel. I'm wondering whether to stick with this or go lower for extra space.

I've a Labrador who will be using the boot most often.

On one hand higher is easier for the dog to get in with the raised floor (no drop) but the dog will sit much higher and above the rear seats (she's never needed a dog guard as she's not boisterous so I don't want to get one).

Only disadvantage of lower would be the drop for her to get in plus I guess I'd need a new floor as the one with the raised floor doesn't seem to fit properly without being raised.

So I'd need a compressor and tyre repair kit too for the lower. can anyone tell me what is supplied with a yeti if it comes with a lower floor anyway? E,g, do you still get a wheel wrench, jack and towing loop? and if so, where are they stored?

Thanks

Tom

[CFB]

Hi, with the low floor you get a mini compressor, tyre gunk, locking wheel nut key and towing loop, that's it.

They're stored in a polystyrene tray which sits in the wheel well and is flush with the boot floor

[darkblue]

Thanks CFB. I guessed that you'd need that towing loop as an essential.

[eribaMotters]

On one hand higher is easier for the dog to get in with the raised floor (no drop) but the dog will sit much higher and above the rear seats (she's never needed a dog guard as she's not boisterous so I don't want to get one).

 

 

You may have a wonderful obedient dog, but where would she end up in the event of an accident. Dosen't the dog guard also act as a safety measure?

 

Colin

Edited 20 December, 2014 by eribaMotters

[Llanigraham]

Totally agree with Colin, above. Not only can the dog become a deadly missile to the 'umans in the car, but it also doesn't do the dog much good either.

 

Will 3 or 4 inches really make a difference?

[g7eor]

I carry 2 std poodles in the boot. I have the spare wheel and the raised floor, also a dog guard is fitted Both dogs were a harness witch is clipped to the rail on either side of the boot.the dog can jump into the boot no problem and wait to be harnessed the only problem is catching a tail in the boot lid.

[JulieD]

If you want to remove the spare wheel and revert to the lower boot floor you will need the large, slim polystyrene filler piece that comes with the standard (non spare wheel) floor, and also a different boot carpet as they are different depending on whether or not you have the spare.  You'll also need the gunk and compressor, but you should already have the towing eye.  Yetis without a spare wheel do not come with the jack and wheel brace (as they would be pretty pointless with no wheel to swap).   

 

Removing the spare will give you a drop in boot floor height.  We have three greyhounds and no spare wheel, but we put a couple of duvets in to make it more comfortable and that brings the level back up a bit. 

 

If you do decide to go for the lower boot flor option then I would suggest you track down one of the many Yeti owners who do not have a spare wheel and want one.  Sell your spare and toolkit to them and do a swap with them for the carpet and polystyrene trim pieces.  A couple of your pieces are secured to the boot floor with the big round trim retainers that just screw onto short threaded rods in the boot floor.

 

As you only have one medium sized dog in the car and presumably keep the back seats up I very much doubt that she'll catapult over the seats like some people appear to be suggesting! 

[jerbear]

We have a Labrador and our car is fitted with spare wheel. He finds it easier to jump with the floor level than a lower floor with no spare.

I personally wanted a spare so ordered it with our new car and bought a second hand dog guard from fellow Briskodian for the very reason that Llanigraham and eribamotters mentioned, added safety for all in the unfortunate event of an accident.

[Llanigraham]

As you only have one medium sized dog in the car and presumably keep the back seats up I very much doubt that she'll catapult over the seats like some people appear to be suggesting! 

 

It might not come over the seat, but it might do itself a lot of damage hitting the seatback hard.

[JulieD]

It might not come over the seat, but it might do itself a lot of damage hitting the seatback hard.

 

and how exactly is a dog guard going to change that?

[Paul52]

I have a Golden Retriever and find she has plenty of room with the raised floor (thanks to the high roof in a Yeti) . She's now thirteen years old and has arthritis in her feet so is at an age where she needs some help to get in and out so the raised floor means I can lift the front paws into the car then lift her back end in - on a good day she'll help by walking the front end into the car, but it depends on how she feels! - rather than have to lift the whole dog. This wouldn't be as easy with the lower floor and the same getting her out - I don't have to worry about lifting her feet over a lip.

[Gizmo]

It might not come over the seat, but it might do itself a lot of damage hitting the seatback hard.

 

 

and how exactly is a dog guard going to change that?

 

+1

 

Not quite sure how the dog would hit the rear seats that hard anyway, it’s not as if there will loads of momentum with the Yeti boot being so small, now in a Octavia or Superb I would agree there would be loads of momentum.

[darkblue]

FYI My dog is happiest with the raised floor so I think I'll stick with that.

Currently using it without the spare but with compressor/sealant kit instead. If I do a long trip away I'll probably fit the spare again for peace of mind. So gone for best of both. May get a dog guard too.

Thanks for the feedback to all!

[muddyboots]

As you only have one medium sized dog in the car and presumably keep the back seats up I very much doubt that she'll catapult over the seats like some people appear to be suggesting! 

 

Well the rear end of a car tends to lift up off the ground during a frontal impact, so I could definitely imagine this happening - goto the Yeti NCAP test and click on "films" to see a video of a Yeti in a frontal crash: http://www.euroncap.com/results/skoda/yeti/368.aspx

Remember this video is slowed down, the reality is very violent.

 

Spare wheels are even lower down than a dog, but they're securely tethered down, for a reason.

 

Crashes can involve all sorts of violent movements of a car, not just a simple front/rear/side crash. And other cars can then hit you afterwards.

In a previous car of mine, I had a 50mph+ frontal impact followed by two rollovers, I can tell you two things:

1) The level of force is immense (I had badly bruised hips/shoulders and seatbelt imprints for a while after)

2) Anything in the car becomes a missile that will be flung in all directions and quite likely to hit you.

 

If I had a dog in the car I'd definitely have a guard in the back.

Horrible as it is to think about, in a bad crash there's a high chance your dog won't survive anyway, but the last thing you want is it to be flung round the car and possibly causing you further injury and/or distress.

Or if it does survive, you want to minimise the chance of it legging it into the road through broken screens, open doors etc and then getting run over by other traffic.