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MK8 Full-Size Spare Fitment Guide — Golf / GTI / R

OverviewThe Clearance ProblemCutting The TrimThe Result
Wheel Accessories
Full-size spare wheel fitted in the spare well of a MK8 Volkswagen Golf GTI

Home / Install Guides / Full-Size Spare

Fitting A Full-Size Spare — MK VIII Golf GTI

A full-size 18" Richmond wheel will sit completely under the MK8 cargo floor — but not out of the box. One piece of hidden trim at the back of the trunk has to be cut away before the wheel drops into the right position. Here's what's involved.

MK8 Golf / GTI / R18" Full-Size SparePermanent Trim CutDremel Required
⚠ Before you start: Test-fit the wheel and confirm exactly how much clearance you need before the cutting wheel touches anything.
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Overview

What you're actually doing.

The MK8 spare well will physically accept a full-size wheel. What stops it is a trim piece at the rear of the well that holds the wheel too high and too far forward to seat properly.

What you'll need

  • Dremel with a composite plastic cutting wheel
  • Safety glasses
  • Old towel

The Clearance Problem

Cutting the trim.

The cut itself is an arc taken out of the trim panel at the rear of the spare well. It does not need to be pretty — none of it is visible once the wheel and the load floor go back in.

The Modification

Cutting the trim.

The cut itself is an arc taken out of the trim panel at the rear of the spare well. It does not need to be pretty — none of it is visible once the wheel and the load floor go back in.

Step 1

Test-fit the spare first

Drop the wheel into the well before you cut anything. The trim at the back of the trunk is what holds it out of position, and seeing exactly where it fouls tells you how much material has to come out.

Full-size spare wheel test-fitted in the MK8 Golf GTI spare well
Check: Note where the tire contacts the trim and how far off the retainer screw the wheel centre sits — that gap is what the cut has to close.
Step 2

Put a towel down in the trunk

A composite cutting wheel throws flying bits of molten plastic.

Check: Cover the well floor and anything carpeted within range of the cut.
Step 3

Cut the arc for clearance

Cut the arc out of the trim to get the clearance needed, using a composite plastic cutting wheel on a Dremel. The cut will look messy — that's fine. It sits hidden under the wheel and the load floor once everything goes back together.

Trim arc cut out for full-size spare clearance in a MK8 Golf GTI trunk
Check: Work back to the line in stages and re-test-fit rather than removing it all in one pass.
Step 4

Safety glasses stay on

Safety first. Hot globs of plastic come off the cutting wheel while you work, and they go where they want. Eye protection stays on for the entire cut.

Step 5

Refit the spare and the load floor

Drop the wheel back into the well, seat it on the retainer screw and nut, and put the load floor back in place.

Full-size spare refitted in the MK8 Golf GTI spare well

The Result

Flat floor, no rubbing.

MK8 Golf GTI trunk with the full-size spare fitted and the load floor in place
Check Result
Wheel under cargo floor Sits completely below
Retainer screw & nut Lines up correctly
Load floor Lays flat
Rubbing on tire / wheel None

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