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I recently aquired an Mazda RX-7 Aluminum Jack. It is nice and light weight. and and marked as rated for 800kgs, which is ~1700lbs, which I think should be enough for 1/4 of the weight of the car. My intent is to mill down a StreetRays jack pad to fit into the slot. It cleaned up nicely.

View attachment 23054
That aluminum jack looks identical to the older Porsche jack I got.

See

https://teslamotorsclub.com/tmc/threads/the-perfect-model-3-emergency-jack.136523/

I find jacking under the suspension 10x easier/safer.
 
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It's definitely made by the same people. Where did you get the socket adapter? Or did you manufacture it?

The Mazda jack has a centered slot that works better with the body jack pad adapter, I think. I see your point on using the suspension though.
Bought it on amazon. There are several.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07GYR28VM
 
@mswlogo thanks. I didn't know that was a thing, nor what to search for.

I keep jack and associated accessories in a cheap Harbor Freight tool bag that's jut about the right size. This would probably add some length and prevent it from fitting, but I might buy it anyway and just toss it in the bag.
 
Torin Big Red T10152 Steel Scissor Jack 1.5 ton. These are on ebay about $25. This jack has the low profile to fit under the car and jack pad. Beware that the tempting next jack model up, the 2 ton jack, will not fit under the car especially f it has a flat tire.
Did you find it very difficult to lift the car at the body jack points using this jack? I have the same jack and when I try it on the body jack points, I find it very hard to crank it up and have to use considerable force. Yet if I use the same jack on my Honda Odyssey which is a few hundred point heavier than my M3, I can crank the jack up effortlessly. So I am not sure what is making the M3 so hard to lift with this scissor jack. Someone said maybe because of stiff suspension or because the car sits low to the ground, so it's hard to get leverage. So just wondering what your experience is.
 
Did you find it very difficult to lift the car at the body jack points using this jack? I have the same jack and when I try it on the body jack points, I find it very hard to crank it up and have to use considerable force. Yet if I use the same jack on my Honda Odyssey which is a few hundred point heavier than my M3, I can crank the jack up effortlessly. So I am not sure what is making the M3 so hard to lift with this scissor jack. Someone said maybe because of stiff suspension or because the car sits low to the ground, so it's hard to get leverage. So just wondering what your experience is.
Because the car is low, the jack starts at a low position, this is always the least amount of leverage, as the jack gets higher, it should crank easier. Your Honda Odyssey as it is higher the jack starts out less compressed.
 
So an 18" spare from a Genesis works as a spare for the TM3. The holes have little to no slack as a genesis has 12mm studs and the TM3 has 14mm studs. However I see no reason to enlarge the holes. There's about 3/16" to 1/4" clearance between the wheel and caliper so I doubt a 17" spare would fit. These pictures should answer any further questions:

For those worried about weight capacity:

So for less than $115 I put together my spare kit.

For now just gets tossed in the trunk. May figure out how / where to mount it later. Also I may fab up a nub/plate to weld to the jack so it mates firmly to the jacking points. For anyone who gets a model 3 I'd highly recommend torquing down the lug nuts after a couple hundred miles. Mine couldn't have been tighter than 60 ft-lbs according to my highly calibrated arm. IIRC the manual says the lug nuts are to be torqued to 129 ft-lbs. That seems a little tight. I would have expected the spec to be 80 ft-lbs or so. But I do not want a wheel coming off so 129 ft-lbs it is. I also read somewhere that you can get a higher speed rated tire in this donut size, I forget where I saw that, probably somewhere earlier in this thread.
Did you have any trouble removing the genesis wheel from the car due to the tight hole fit?
Someone on TMC forum mentioned they were concerned the wheel would get stuck after they put it on, so they reamed out the hole.
But I would like to avoid doing so unless necessary. So I am wondering if you had issues with the tight fit both installing the wheel and removing it.
 
I am looking for a compatible 18" compact spare(donut). The only thing I've located is from ModernSpare at $330+. This seems nuts for a temporary tire to me. I don't need a spare to fully function as a replacement tire, but one that will allow me to limp to a repair shop if need be. Are there any cars out there with compatible OEM donuts? I'm thinking junkyard if I can determine what will fit. Anyone solved this already? Suggestions? @Mad Hungarian?
 
I am looking for a compatible 18" compact spare(donut). The only thing I've located is from ModernSpare at $330+. This seems nuts for a temporary tire to me. I don't need a spare to fully function as a replacement tire, but one that will allow me to limp to a repair shop if need be. Are there any cars out there with compatible OEM donuts? I'm thinking junkyard if I can determine what will fit. Anyone solved this already? Suggestions? @Mad Hungarian?
I've seen one report that an 18x4 spare from a Hyundai Genesis works. I have not tried it myself. It might be worth trying.


I just received a like-new Hyundai 18x4 spare for $96 shipped off eBay. I don't really intend to carry it regularly, but it will come in handy for doing my own tire rotations. I might carry it on long trips and the like.

A few questions about that 10mm bolt if I may.
1. Is the 10mm bolt PUP only or is it on the standard trim as well? I just just have 18" aeros without the fancy sports brakes and whatnot. (Yeah I could take off a wheel to find out but I'm guessing someone knows)
2. I don't suppose anyone has measured the height of the 10mm bolt head? How much clearance is needed for the 10mm bolt? The Hyundai spare has recesses, and I'm curious to know if they are sufficient to clear the 10mm bolt head.

Thanks for a great informative discussion on spare tires.
 
I am looking for a compatible 18" compact spare(donut). The only thing I've located is from ModernSpare at $330+. This seems nuts for a temporary tire to me. I don't need a spare to fully function as a replacement tire, but one that will allow me to limp to a repair shop if need be. Are there any cars out there with compatible OEM donuts? I'm thinking junkyard if I can determine what will fit. Anyone solved this already? Suggestions? @Mad Hungarian?
Thanks to input from @garsh and others, I located a compact spare at a junkyard that came off a Hyundai Genesis. Kia Stinger and Kia Telluride should also work. I paid $110, and it works perfectly with one minor exception. The bore size for the studs is quite snug. The tire goes on easily but is difficult to remove. By measuring the bore size I discovered that OEM is about 1/8" larger stud bore than the donut. I'm going to talk to a local shop about the possibility of reaming out the bore size. If it's not advisable, I'll live with it as is. This will be huge piece of mind for me on my frequent road trips. Thanks all!
 
As an update to my reply about using the Mustang spare, instead of using the Mustang jack which is too tall and heavy I bought the jack from a Porsche 944. It took about 10 minutes with a 1" hole saw to modify the locating pin to be round instead of oblong to fit the sockets on the Model 3. The Porsche jack is made out of aluminum with a Chrome moly tubing handle. The jack and handle weigh about 5 pounds and fit the car like they were designed by Tesla. For a total cash outlay of $100, I have spare and jack setup to take my Model 3 on trips. When I'm home, I leave the spare and jack in my garage.
 
Thanks to input from @garsh and others, I located a compact spare at a junkyard that came off a Hyundai Genesis. Kia Stinger and Kia Telluride should also work. I paid $110, and it works perfectly with one minor exception. The bore size for the studs is quite snug. The tire goes on easily but is difficult to remove. By measuring the bore size I discovered that OEM is about 1/8" larger stud bore than the donut. I'm going to talk to a local shop about the possibility of reaming out the bore size. If it's not advisable, I'll live with it as is. This will be huge piece of mind for me on my frequent road trips. Thanks all!
@FRC and I were just talking about this (in meat-space). @FRC, can you post a photo of your spare? I'm going to try to find one, and I'd like to make sure I get the same one.

EDIT: and can you tell me the size of the tire that it has mounted?
 
This person originally said that a 2014-2016 Hyundai Equus spare will work. 19x4, 155/70R19
He shows it clearing the front calipers, but doesn't show it clearing the rear.
But it also doesn't seat a tapered lug nut correctly - it expects mag-style.

 
@FRC and I were just talking about this (in meat-space). @FRC, can you post a photo of your spare? I'm going to try to find one, and I'd like to make sure I get the same one.
FRC shared the following photos with me. Thought I'd post them here in case anybody else finds them useful too.



 
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