V50 Wheels/Tyres : Spare Wheel Options please

[doxxie]

Hi

My 55 plate V50 SE Sport has 18" wheels and the awful space saver spare. Does anyone know if I can fit a 'full size' 16" wheel in the spare well? I can't see me towing with a space saver and the 18" alloys aren't going to fit.

Many thanks

[Ninja59]

eh? i really do not see what you will gain in all honesty you will still have incorrect sized wheels and it might cause more problems than it is worth.

[doxxie]

Speed rating, handling and braking performance of space saver vs 55 profile 16" tyre..........er, not too hard to see why.

[Ninja59]

Originally Posted by doxxie

Speed rating, handling and braking performance of space saver vs 55 profile 16" tyre..........er, not too hard to see why.

However you put it though you are still going to have a different wheel and tyre with a different size,profile, load rating and speed rating on an axle with an 18' wheel so you run into the same problem.

[Wooders]

Are you towing all the time? If only when going on holiday i would get a spare 18" (or a full set with snow tyres?) and throw a blanket around it and leave the card cover in the house.Just use the space saver when not towing.

[EricMe]

Originally Posted by doxxie

Hi

My 55 plate V50 SE Sport has 18" wheels and the awful space saver spare. Does anyone know if I can fit a 'full size' 16" wheel in the spare well? I can't see me towing with a space saver and the 18" alloys aren't going to fit.

Many thanks

There's no real substitute for a proper spare wheel - i.e. one with exact same characteristics as the ones fitted on the car. Anything else at all you'll be forced to crawl along at silly speeds to the nearest (& probably dearest) tyre fitter.

Whichever wheel size you have, the rolling radius should be the same so if the so-called 'space-saver' fits in the spare wheel well, a real spare will too. The only issue you might have (and it isn't an issue with my 205/50-17 tyres) is that the wheel might be too thick to let the false floor sit properly. On a previous car I overcame that problem by cutting an sheet of 'Kingspan' insulation to fit the floor area and cutting a hole in it the same diameter as the wheel. That meant that the false floor was properly supported but approx an inch higher than normal (insulation comes in a range of thicknesses so choose the grade that suits you best) giving room for the wheel to fit.

Never understood why maufacturers insist on calling them 'space-savers' ! If you have a puncture, you need to put the damaged spare somewhere to transport it and if the spare wheel compartment has been made too small for that job then your only option is to stuff it loose in the boot and waste an awful lot of space.

[iandonnadnjess]

er i think you might find it illegal to mix 16" & 18" on the same axle you would not pass an mot that way anyway

[Ninja59]

Originally Posted by iandonnadnjess

er i think you might find it illegal to mix 16" & 18" on the same axle you would not pass an mot that way anyway

you would not pass on a space saver...either way.

[Daim]

Originally Posted by iandonnadnjess

er i think you might find it illegal to mix 16" & 18" on the same axle you would not pass an mot that way anyway

It's not about MOT. It is about an emergency spare.

@ TE

I wouldn't bother. Either way, you need a new tire. So why bother buying a possibly more expensive wheel you'll probably never need? And when you need it, you can be sure, the tire will be too old or brittle... You can't rotate it as you could years ago, as you can't drive 3 18s and 1 16" for a while...

A full size wheel will not fit in the well. It is neither deep enough for it, nor will it fit from diameter... The space saver is already a smaller diameter and fills the well to the brim.