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View Full Version : Making a replacement trunk mat



vtluu
03-19-2005, 10:25 PM
If like me you've taken out your trunk mat many times, the padding on the bottom of it tends to come apart and the mat no longer sticks very well to the particle-board that goes over the spare-tire well. As a result, anything slightly heavy in the trunk (like a toolbox) slides around and the trunk mat just bunches up and becomes somewhat useless.

So, there I was loading up the car for tomorrow's autocross, assessing the disintegrating trunk mat and thinking to myself, "I wish I had one made of some sort of tough, grippy rubber material." And then it occurred to me, what did I have lying around the house? A big roll of TirePlast (http://www.tapplastics.com/shop/product.php?pid=322&)--tough, grippy rubber material. :D I'd bought the stuff to make mudflaps for the rally car, but one roll was enough to make six sets so I had quite a bit left over.

http://www.tapplastics.com/uploads/products/images/fullsize/standard/526_tireplast.jpg

So, I lay the stock mat on top of the TirePlast roll, and used half-width masking tape to trace out the outline of the mat; chalk would have been a bit faster but I didn't have any.

http://www.we-todd-did-racing.com/wetoddimage.wtdr?i=wODM1NTc2NnM0MTNkZmQzMXk1NDE%3D

Then I used a pair of kitchen shears to cut out the new mat:

http://www.we-todd-did-racing.com/wetoddimage.wtdr?i=wODM1NTc3NnM0MTNkZmQzMXk1NDE%3D

There's plenty of room for error so precision isn't terribly important. Here's the new mat, installed in the trunk:

http://www.we-todd-did-racing.com/wetoddimage.wtdr?i=wODM1NTc4NnM0MTNkZmQzMXk1NDE%3D

An easy, worthwhile and inexpensive DIY project. TirePlast is available for $40 from Tap Plastics (http://www.tapplastics.com/) in 4'x8' rolls; one roll is enough to make one, maybe two mats. It's a fairly tough non-slip material made of recycled tires and plastic, also useful as a mat to put down on the ground while working on the car, etc.

wilson1
03-19-2005, 10:51 PM
looking good!

V8KiLL3R
03-19-2005, 10:54 PM
good idea specially if you put a lot on your trunk (tool box etc)

Whooopasss
03-19-2005, 11:36 PM
damn!! I need one.. thanks for the tip..

nut_tool
03-20-2005, 12:04 AM
Nice job! You're always posting cool tips.

SJCoruja
03-20-2005, 01:13 AM
Sweet idea! I am definitely going to make one for my trunk. The stock mat is dying swiftly.

cerebus
03-20-2005, 10:14 AM
How thick is the material? It looks great! The "carpet" in my RS is about as thick as a piece of paper. I bought some carpet padding remnant and put that underneath it, but now I always have these little pieces of foam debris in the trunk. Looks great!

vtluu
03-20-2005, 10:25 PM
The material is 1/10th of an inch (2.5 mm) thick. One other thing I should note is that because it's basically tire rubber, it will give your trunk a bit of a "new tire smell" at least for a bit. I don't find it that bothersome but I'm airing out the trunk expecting the smell will dimish after a while.