From http://www.odyclub.com/forums/showthread.php?t=300801:
"A temporary spare tire mounted on a steel rim is located beneath the floor between the front and second-row seats."

 

No spare or undersized spares are leveraged to reduce vehicle weight. Somewhat minor, but in the grand scheme of things, it helps manufacturers post better mpg and etc.

 

Glad to hear that the Odyssey is keeping the spare. I too am disgruntled with other manufacturers chimping on the spare tire.

 

Wish they'd kept the spare location from the 2010... Spare in the aft/left side, so the in-floor area between first and second row seats can still be used for other storage. Hope they actually used that space in the rear for something, if the spare isn't there anymore. Plus removing the rear AC unit... There better be a LOT more usable room back there to justify those moves.

 

As others have mentioned, I have read that it's in the same location as the current/previous generation in between row #1 & #2.
I also am very glad they kept the spare. When looking at both of our current vehicles that was one of the deciding factors. My wife and I would have loved the AWD Sienna but after learning it only came with run flats, we didn't even test drive it. Same thing occurred with several cars when I purchased my sedan. I had run flats on one car and will NEVER have them again. I'd much rather have the ability to use a spare and patch my tire than use a run flat and buy a new tire.

 

So just for fun I had a look at the spare. Anyone try to take it out? I removed the floor mat and the lid but didn't try to remove the tire itself because it doesn't look easy and I'm pretty lazy. Not sure if the prev Odys are the same. You remove the lid so that helps. But the 2nd row middle seat is kind of in the way, which you can remove. But the centre console juts out well into the 2nd row and it also gets in the way, and that you can't remove. In all my previous vehicles I always wanted to familiarize myself with where the spare was, how to extract it quickly, and eve give the jack a quick test. But getting to this spare is definitely a bit more work than any other vehicle I've owned. Hope I never have to use it.

 

Yeah, I recommend everyone interested to look at the spare and try and access it. It's incredibly difficult and almost unusable. The tolerances for access are incredibly tight. Frankly, I wish they didn't have a spare and left it as a storage space like our 08 Ody.

 

Take it out and use it as storage.

 

In our 2008 Sienna, the spare is between the front and second row seats in the passenger side, but it is actually underneath the car secured tight by wire. You open a panel in inside the van and crank the spare down to the ground and release the wire and slide it out. At least you don't get the inside of the car dirty this way. Wish Honda used a similar mechanism.

 

Mounting a spare under the car sounds like a great solution as it solves many problems BUT it isn't such a great idea.

We had a tire mounted the same way, under the body with a cable to lower it. When I finally needed a spare after several years of driving I lowered it only to see that the sidewall that had been on top was thoroughly rotten, cracks down to the cord and you could dig chunks out of it with your thumbnail. Bottom sidewall, all I ever saw when checking the air pressure was still just fine so it was a big surprise.

My VW Vanagon had an under body mounted spare too, but it was at the front and set at an angle so water didn't pool between the sidewall and wheel flange. It was still good when I sold the VW 8 years later.

 

Agreed. Our MPV also had the spare under the 2nd row passenger side. Arguably easier to get to than in the Ody, but the tire at best looked like crap, and at worst could be damaged as Stan says. No protection from dirt, mud, rocks, and whatever else hits the bottom of the vehicle.

The Ody tire may not be easy to get to, but at least it's protected from the elements.

For those who say the space should be used just for storage, 1) Doesn't anyone want to have a spare tire anymore???, and 2) That storage better be for something you don't need very often because it's still a bit of a pain to take out the floor mat and lift the cover.

 

That cubby looks interesting, my Ody is in the shop for a few days but when I get it back I think I'll open that up and see if there is space to store things like jumper cables and a few tools that are rarely used.

Does the spare mount with the valve stem up or down? MY Venza mounted down which gave more storage space inside the rim but meant pulling the tire every couple months to check and top up the air pressure.

 

Unfortunately I had to use the spare last week, one month after I got my new Odyssey. Fortunately I had AAA change the tire for me and after I bought a new tire (yup, put a hole in the original -- don't ask how), the guys put the spare and the tool kit back in its storage place. However they didn't put the "plug" back and now I can't figure out where it goes. The diagram in the manual is worthless and I haven't found a video yet that shows me where it goes. I don't know if that tool kit fits only one way or if it depends on how the spare is put in. I'm happy there's a spare but man it is a royal pain dealing with it. Thank goodness the AAA guy (who may have weighed 350 pounds) could get at it!! TIA for help.