spare wheel

M

muggles

Member
Got caught out a few weeks ago by the lack of a spare... Large nail in shoulder of tyre = flat. With great difficulty managed to make sense of the instructions for the tyre mobility system (glue) and fill my tyre with goo in the dark / rain on the side of the A1 - to no avail.

So left stranded 100 miles from home only option was to wait for recovery - who turned up with a pick up that could only tow on the front wheels... so waited a further hour for a flatbed to get me home. THe lesson..... buy a spare.

Rather than buy a spacesaver have opted for an Audi 15" steel rim for the A2 8ZO601027A and put a 175/60/15 T Tyre on it. Ideally would have bought a budget tyre but none available. Advantage of this is that I can drive at 70mph rather than be limited to 50 and vehicle should handle reasonably well with this tyre. (Same overall diameter as 17" Sport wheel with 205/40 tyre +/-3mm)

What I need to know now is whether I could mount this in the boot by using / modifying the kit for the spacesaver.....

Need some measurements please peeps....
1) Length of thread protruding through boot floor.
2) Distance of bolts from seat back / rear of boot floor / near side boot lining

Thanks.
 
Hi Muggles,

Firstly, sorry to hear of you being stranded at the side of the A1 - never the best road to be stuck on.

Secondly, the measurements you asked for:

the original bracket to fix a spare in place has the fixing hole 285mm in from the nearside boot lining and 343mm back from the rear seats. There is no protruding thread, as the wheel is secured by a bolt going into the bracket (looks like an M6 thread).

So, you are going to be restricted by the 285mm measurement to a wheel which will be smaller than the 17" sport by quite a margin (you're basically looking at a 15" wheel with a 185/50 R15 on it).

Hope this helps,
 
Muggles

You should be aware that as your "spare" is not the same size as the other wheels on the car it is illegal.

Car will behave oddly under braking/cornering (why space savers are limited to 50) and if you have an accident with it fitted your insurance company will walk away.
 
legally...

seems that if it is labelled with a Max 50mph sticker it will be legal as a spare just like the spacesaver...

no real advantage though
 
muggles said:
seems that if it is labelled with a Max 50mph sticker it will be legal as a spare just like the spacesaver...

no real advantage though
Click to expand...

I've done the same with an A3 Alloy I picked up for a tenner on Ebay. I've put on some 50mph max stickers and treat it like a space saver. The advantages for me are mine came in at less than 50 quid all in (Part worn tyre fitted for 30) whereas the space saver and its collapsible tyre are quite rare and expensive.

I realise that technically a different size tyre is illegal but even so I'm happier about using my odd sized wheel at 50 than a proper space saver which is even more skinnier and smaller.

Mine fits in the boot and strap down to the luggage loops with a small rachet strap. I plan on making an MDF false floor to rest on the top at some point.
 
ianjohnsonws14 said:
Muggles

You should be aware that as your "spare" is not the same size as the other wheels on the car it is illegal.

Car will behave oddly under braking/cornering (why space savers are limited to 50) and if you have an accident with it fitted your insurance company will walk away.
Click to expand...
Not sure about this. Our C43AMG Mercedes comes as standard with a cheaper alloy wheel and different size spare to the alloys/tyres fitted to the car. As the car has different widths and tyres front to back, then it is inevitable!

As this is how the car came from the factory, it must be type approved I would have thought. And, no, the spare is not labelled in any way...
 
Anything other than a wheel and tyre of the same size is not legal in the UK.

What makes it difficult (and your AMG probably has them) are directional tyres since you then need TWO spares to be legal.

Manufacturers have started fitting them in the boot (not illegal there) and the police generally turn a blind eye when fitted but they remain illegal.
 
Hi Muggles
Just to add to Skiptons mail, the hold-down bolt for the spare passes through a hole in the boot floor and screws into a threaded insert in the battery hold down strap - see galery link below
I have a full size wheel in the boot. I'll double check but am fairly sure the wheel centre does not align with the original fixing for the smaller dia spacesaver so don't start drilling before you get a wheel.
The wheel is a fairly tight fit so it wont go anywhere in a crash unless you turn the car over or have the back seats folded up.
http://www.a2oc.net/gallery/showimage.php?i=466&c=10

Cheers Spike
 
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does anybody know how much a space saver is and is it a 15in wheel. May invest in one as I dont like to use the gunk as i believe that once used then the tyre needs to be replaced
 
In the cold climate here I have two sets of tires, summer and winter tires. I can use one of the summer tires as a spare in the winter and vice versa.
 
I saw it too. Couldn't believe the price people were prepared to pay. I bid up to £35 and I thought that was dear!
Mad.
 
With the 1.2 TDI the wheel is 14inch (alloy) with 145/80R14 fitted. I bought 4 extra wheels with the car so i have a set of winter tyres (Continental) same size) and the amazingly efficient Bridgestone B381s for normal use. This means I can carry one as a spare and it fits perfectly under the false floor.
 
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