Variable Boot Floor

[JanetR]

I have to decide between ordering a Variable Boot Floor or a Spare Wheel (including false boot floor and tool kit) for my new Yeti. The price quoted for Variable Boot Floor is £263 and for Spare Wheel etc is £239. It appears to make sense to have the Spare Wheel option but why does the Variable Boot Floor cost more? The Dealer says it is because it is more versatile! Does anyone know what the difference is, apart from gaining a Spare Wheel? JanetR

[Gyp]

The variable floor is a couple of narrow side rails that sit on the boot floor, and a heavy bit of wood that sits between the two.

The variable floor is substantial as it has to carry the weight of the boot contents whilst only being supported along each side.

It's also hinged/foldable, so the cavity between the boot floor proper and the new raised boot floor can be accessed easily, or, of left folded have a partial full depth boot.

By undoing a couple of clips, the variable floor can be removed to give you the full boot capacity.

The spare wheel kit on the other hand is a wheel that sits on top of the boot floor, a tool kit to allow wheel changes, a set of polystyrene boxes that fill surround the wheel, and a thin replacement boot floor.

In this case, the new boot floor is one thin flat piece; it's not hinged/foldable as it doesn't need to be and it's a lot less substantial than the variable floor as the new floor is well supported by the wheel and polystyrene boxes. The spare wheel kit can still be removed should you need the full boot again, but it's a 5-minute job rather than the 5-second job with the variable floor.

If your intent is to raise the boot floor to ease access then the spare wheel option is cheaper and you have the advantage that you end up with a spare wheel :-)

If your goal is under floor storage, then depending on how much space you need you have a choice; the variable floor gives you a full boot sized cavity, where the spare wheel kit only gives you the polystyrene boxes that surround the wheel.

Despite having the variable floor in my Octavia estate, I opted for the spare wheel kit in the yeti as it gave me the reassurance of the spare and some under floor space and was (in terms of what you get for your money) significantly better value.

That help?

[nomdeplume]

Quite apart from the possible benefits of the variable floor as described so well by Gyp, I would recommend the spare wheel option every time. The aerosol of tyre repair gloop that comes with the variable floor option is not a guaranteed puncture fix and, when used on a tyre, renders the tyre unrepairable. So you would be faced with the prospect of replacing a possibly quite new tyre.

Having a spare wheel, jack etc. as an extra enables the manufacturer to minimise weight of the 'standard' spec. in order to enhance fuel consumption and emission figures. Unless you really need that boot depth, go for the spare!

[Urrell]

Quite apart from the possible benefits of the variable floor as described so well by Gyp, I would recommend the spare wheel option every time. The aerosol of tyre repair gloop that comes with the variable floor option is not a guaranteed puncture fix and, when used on a tyre, renders the tyre unrepairable. So you would be faced with the prospect of replacing a possibly quite new tyre.

Having a spare wheel, jack etc. as an extra enables the manufacturer to minimise weight of the 'standard' spec. in order to enhance fuel consumption and emission figures. Unless you really need that boot depth, go for the spare!

Only places that are intent on maximising their profit will say that a tyre with "gloop" in cannot be repaired.

It can be washed out and the tyre repaired if the "damage" is repairable.

I am sure that quite a few get duped by this and get sold a new tyre + pay for the disposal of the "damaged" one only for it to be repaired when you've gone and it finds it's way onto the used tyre circuit

 

 

[Gyp]

Only places that are intent on maximising their profit will say that a tyre with "gloop" in cannot be repaired.

It can be washed out and the tyre repaired if the "damage" is repairable.

 

possibly, but the thing that irked me more when I had the puncture repair kit in the Octavia was that it only had a 3 or 4 year shelf life and was then £40+ to replace.

 

The last puncture I had was made with a discarded 1/4" socket drive bar. No gloop would have sealed that hole :-(

 

One thing I didn't mention about the Yeti spare wheel kit is that the yeti spare isn't quite full width; it's not a traditional skinny space saver, but just different enough that the wheel you take off would not allow the boot floor to be fully supported if it were put in the place of the spare. Only an issue if you have a loaded boot when you have a puncture though I guess

[Llanigraham]

Quite apart from the possible benefits of the variable floor as described so well by Gyp, I would recommend the spare wheel option every time. The aerosol of tyre repair gloop that comes with the variable floor option is not a guaranteed puncture fix and, when used on a tyre, renders the tyre unrepairable. So you would be faced with the prospect of replacing a possibly quite new tyre.

Having a spare wheel, jack etc. as an extra enables the manufacturer to minimise weight of the 'standard' spec. in order to enhance fuel consumption and emission figures. Unless you really need that boot depth, go for the spare!

 

How many times does this "lie" have to be said.

 

It does NOT make the tyre irreparable!! The "gunk" can be washed out with warm water and if necessary the tyre can then be repaired with a vulcanising kit. What you will find is that the retailers will tell you this "lie" as they then make a bigger profit selling you a new tyre (or 2!!)

[JanetR]

Thank you for your replies. I want to raise the boot floor so that I can fit a large dog cage. The strength of the floor is an important factor. Do you think that the thinner replacement floor that comes with the Spare Wheel will be as strong as the Variable Boot Floor. I don't need the storage underneath the floor and I wouldn't be able to access it anyway! JanetR

[Merlinman]

We have an 'after purchase' spare wheel with the supplied 'light duty' floor. 

 

Our Irish Terrier (13.6kg) sits happily in an almost full width cage without any adverse effect on the boot floor.

 

If you're bothered, just cut a 6mm sheet of MDF to shape and put it under the cage?

 

HTH

[g6zru]

Have I misunderstood something here? (not impossible at my age).

I specced a spare wheel with my first Yeti and it came with the variable floor, when I got my FL the dealer swapped the wheel , floor and all the bits to the new car.

 

Fred

[Gyp]

Fred, does the floor fold in thirds, or is it one complete piece?

[Llanigraham]

Fred, does the floor fold in thirds, or is it one complete piece?

 

The floor over my spare has 2 folds over the "trays" on either side of the spare wheel, so that you can get into them without lifting the whole thing.

I thought that was the standard "spare wheel" floor.

[Paul52]

Thank you for your replies. I want to raise the boot floor so that I can fit a large dog cage. The strength of the floor is an important factor. Do you think that the thinner replacement floor that comes with the Spare Wheel will be as strong as the Variable Boot Floor. I don't need the storage underneath the floor and I wouldn't be able to access it anyway! JanetR

 

With the spare wheel and polystyrene "fillers" in place  the thin floor is perfectly well supported - my 33kg Golden Retriever travels pretty much everywhere in the back of the car and I've never had a problem - and she tends to sit up in one or other of the front two corners concentrating her weight whereas with a cage it will be pretty evenly distributed. I've never had to test it but even if you had a puncture and had to put the spare on the car and complete the journey carrying the wheel with the punctured tyre in the boot (so the floor isn't supported on the fillers) I think the floor would still be carried across the full diameter of the tyre and  cage would sit on that so I think you would be fine - and of course you are limited to 50mph anyway.

 

If you are not planning to store anything under either floor option I would say it's an easy choice to go with the spare wheel option. If you never need it then other than carrying that bit of extra weight there's no harm done but if you get a serious puncture somewhere remote and late at night you could be glad you can be on your way in 10 -15 minutes without relying on the rescue services.  

[preston334]

Thank you for your replies. I want to raise the boot floor so that I can fit a large dog cage. The strength of the floor is an important factor. Do you think that the thinner replacement floor that comes with the Spare Wheel will be as strong as the Variable Boot Floor. I don't need the storage underneath the floor and I wouldn't be able to access it anyway! JanetR

I got the spare wheel set up and I had a pull along tool box and power tools in the back without problems on a regular basis. I have 5 x 25kg bags of anthracite in the back without any issues. Being level as well helps with loading and unloading the tool box

[Gyp]

The floor over my spare has 2 folds over the "trays" on either side of the spare wheel, so that you can get into them without lifting the whole thing.

I thought that was the standard "spare wheel" floor.

You're completely right; the spare wheel floor has the access flaps. I keep forgetting as I've got the raised floor protection tray from the Skoda pensioner-goes-to-the-allotment collection.

The variable floor concertinas back on itself

[Gyp]

Let's see if i can link some pics from my phone...

Variable boot floor:

Spare wheel raised floor:

http://s691.photobucket.com/user/jst_at_home/media/IMG_0247.jpg

(Can't see an action shot of the spare wheel floor and my boot is too full of rubbish to photograph)

Doesn't quite show it, but the key thing is that that variable is "hinged" side to side to allow it to fold back on itself, the spare wheel floor is "hinged" front to back so bags hung on the bag hooks can rest in the poly boxes by the spare wheel

[137699]

Quite apart from the possible benefits of the variable floor as described so well by Gyp, I would recommend the spare wheel option every time. The aerosol of tyre repair gloop that comes with the variable floor option is not a guaranteed puncture fix and, when used on a tyre, renders the tyre unrepairable. So you would be faced with the prospect of replacing a possibly quite new tyre.

 

Total and utter rubbish.

 

The gloop does NOT cause a tyre to be unrepairable.  I have had about 5 or 6 tyres repaired without any issue after being "gloop'd".

 

This is just nonsense sprouted by the likes of Kwik-Fit and ATS to con you into buying a new tyre when the old one is perfectly repairable. And people fall for it.

[ejstubbs]

the spare wheel floor is "hinged" front to back so bags hung on the bag hooks can rest in the poly boxes by the spare wheel

 

Or so that you can get at the stuff you've stashed in the poly boxes (screenwash, ice scraper, tyre pressure gauge etc etc) without having to lift the entire false floor - which could mean having to most of what's sitting on the false floor.

[g6zru]

Fred, does the floor fold in thirds, or is it one complete piece?

What Graham says!

 

Fred

[Gyp]

What Graham says!

Fred

Folds up at the sides? That'll be the spare wheel floor not the variable floor you've got there then

[rickym]

Just a quick question......on a Yeti 1.6 Greenline there is a floor mat there already.....what is the difference in size between this and the 'new' spare wheel floor ??

 

Could you use the original floor mat + hardboard/plyboard to make a 'home made' spare when floor (minus any folding bit)

 

Thanks in advance Richard

 

I can see from GYP's photobucket photo the wheel is below the tail gate egde.....is the tyre in the photo a space saver one or a full sized wheel ??

 

Thanks again

[Zarniwoop]

The spare wheel floor is the same size as the removable floor mat in the non-spare wheel version.  So you could, therefore, in theory,  just buy a spare wheel and a jack/tool kit,  and make some spacers to serve in the same way as the polystyrene storage boxes... you will need to do that to support the outer edges of the bendy floor mat.  In my view you might just as well buy the whole kit and be done with it....it will come with all the screws and fittings you will need,  and it will fit perfectly and save you lots of trouble.  And I suspect it won't cost that much more than buying the wheel plus the tool kit and insert,  mounting screw etc separately.

The wheel shown in the picture is the spacesaver (witness the 80kph speed restriction sticker).  A full size wheel will bring the floor slightly proud of the boot lip.

[Gyp]

Note that whilst it is a space saver, it's still a 195/60R16, so it's *not* a particularly skinny little tyre, but just a little smaller than the original tyres
 

 

 

Post edited to add in the "not" that I mysteriously omitted - I blame trying to reply quickly on my phone

 

See.. Sent from my Nexus 6 using Tapatalk

Edited 24 June, 2015 by Gyp

[DGW]

... not a particularly skinny little tyre ...

[HorneyMX5]

Same width as the tyres on my race car! 

[Gyp]

... not a particularly skinny little tyre ...

Yes, that's what I meant to say