Motoring Discussion > Spare wheel	Miscellaneous
Thread Author: Boxsterboy	Replies: 31

Sun 8 Jan 12 22:16   Spare wheel - Boxsterboy

Weve had this discussion many times before on here, and I am in the camp of wanting a spare wheel, rather than a can of gunk. But when I bought my S-Max there was no choice of 7-seater with spare wheel in the size I was looking. And so I have no spare - well, it's been a long time since I had a puncture, and I bought a Mondeo space-saver for emergency use on continental jaunts. Yesterday I had a puncture. Luckily only a mile from home, and so I pumped up the tyre without the gunk in the hope that it could be repaired (rather written off as it would be if I used the gunk). The tyre fitter says no the tyre can't be repaired. And no they don't have one in stock. So I limped home and the car now sits unusable on the drive. This highlights perfectly the folly of those manufacturers who say we don't need spare wheels. They are wrong. My next car WILL have a full-sized spare wheel! Reply to this message | Report message       3

Sun 8 Jan 12 22:33   Spare wheel - Zero

Its a natural consequence of having a seven seater. Unless its the size of a small bus or a large van there is never going to be room for a spare, not if you want folding seats or luggage space with all 7 seats in use, AND the handling of a road car. Its a compromise you made. Reply to this message | Report message

Sun 8 Jan 12 22:44   Spare wheel - zippy

I miss the spare. Suited and booted, I didn't see a square of metal about 3 inches by 3 inches sticking up from the ground as I reversed out of the car park and it ripped my side wall. No amount of glue and compressor was going to fix that! Called the fleet recovery service who told me that they could get out to fix it 3 days later. Great with a flat 70 odd miles from home and a 150 odd mile trip to a hotel that night with a total flat. On explaining that I had no other transport they did send out KwikFit with a replacement tyre. Last edited by: zippy on Sun 8 Jan 12 at 22:46 Reply to this message | Report message       1

Sun 8 Jan 12 23:16   Spare wheel - Bromptonaut

>> Its a natural consequence of having a seven seater. Unless its the size of a >> small bus or a large van there So none of these vehicles can stow a spare caged under the boot floor like a BX/Xantia/205/Berlingo/406 or zillion other types? Reply to this message | Report message       1

Sun 8 Jan 12 23:21   Spare wheel - Zero

not when you want to fold or mount another row of seats* down in there they cant no. *Specially with a fancy one finger trick folding mechanism. Last edited by: Zero on Sun 8 Jan 12 at 23:22 Reply to this message | Report message

Mon 9 Jan 12 01:05   Spare wheel - VxFan

>> not when you want to fold or mount another row of seats* down in there >> they cant no. >> >> *Specially with a fancy one finger trick folding mechanism. Yet the Zafira-A had a full sized spare slung underneath the car in a metal cradle. Reply to this message | Report message       1

Mon 9 Jan 12 07:44   Spare wheel - Zero

>> Yet the Zafira-A had a full sized spare slung underneath the car in a metal >> cradle. No it didnt, it was never there when you needed it, tealeaves had had it away. Zaf A drivers bought more spare tyres than the winter tyre freaks. Reply to this message | Report message

Mon 9 Jan 12 08:02   Spare wheel - -

>> No it didnt, it was never there when you needed it, tealeaves had had it >> away. Pick ups suffer the same problem, why don't people wrap a motorcycle anti theft chain and proper padlock round the thing or similar deterrent, doesn't stop the bloke with the angle grinder, but he'll be making a hell of a row and i will. Reply to this message | Report message

Mon 9 Jan 12 10:18   Spare wheel - VxFan

>> No it didnt, it was never there when you needed it, tealeaves had had it >> away. Zaf A drivers bought more spare tyres than the winter tyre freaks. The point is the manufacturer supplied one. If the buyer couldn't stop it from being nicked, then that something else. e.g. A k-lok is available for only a few £££. Mind you, it might have helped if Vauxhall had fitted one in the fisrt place! Reply to this message | Report message

Sun 8 Jan 12 22:49   Spare wheel - zippy

>>>>My next car WILL have a full-sized spare wheel! The manufacturers don't like them because of cost and added CO2 emissions due to the extra weight. But I totally understand and agree with you. Cars need a proper spare. Reply to this message | Report message       1

Sun 8 Jan 12 23:07   Spare wheel - -

BB, would it be a good idea to obtain a suitable full size proper wheel from ebay as soon as you buy a car with no spare anyway, or even a space saver. Wouldn't matter if the tyre was half worn, it could be kept at home for local joureys and only slung in the boot for longer trips. Don't know how this would work as i've never had a car with no spare and unlikely to buy one. By the way some Citroen C4 Picassos come (or did when i last carried them) with a spare wheel, others have the goo and toy pump. I don't know about other MPV's. The reason i like to keep a complete wheel anyway, should a tyre get damnaged you have a complete full time use tyre and wheel so don't have to get bent over with a tyre twice its normal price when they have you by the cobblers. Last edited by: gordonbennet on Sun 8 Jan 12 at 23:10 Reply to this message | Report message

Mon 9 Jan 12 14:49   Spare wheel - Boxsterboy

>> By the way some Citroen C4 Picassos come (or did when i last carried them) >> with a spare wheel, others have the goo and toy pump. >> Steel-sprung C4 Picassos have a spare, air-sprung ones don't. I had a C4 Picasso a few years ago, but it gave me chronic back-ache and had to go. I don't know of any other 7-seat car-based MPVs that have spare wheels. It is of course a compromise, as Z points out. Life is full of compromises, but my experience shows that not having a spare wheel is a compromise too far. Reply to this message | Report message       1

Mon 9 Jan 12 15:14   Spare wheel - WillDeBeest

I don't know of any other 7-seat car-based MPVs that have spare wheels. Our 2008 Toyota Verso has one. Don't know about the post-2009 model. Reply to this message | Report message

Sun 8 Jan 12 23:11   Spare wheel - BobbyG

Boxsterboy, why don't you put the Mondeo Space Saver wheel you bought on it until you can get the new tyre? Or alternatively, try another tyre fitter, surely the S Max tyres aren't that unusual? I agree with your point however - my Altea has a spacesaver, never had to use it but wouldn't be without it. Reply to this message | Report message

Sun 8 Jan 12 23:13   Spare wheel - Zero

>> I agree with your point however - my Altea has a spacesaver, never had to >> use it but wouldn't be without it. Does it? mine came with a full size (non alloy) spare. Reply to this message | Report message

Sun 8 Jan 12 23:33   Spare wheel - BobbyG

Yeah its just a spacesaver. Must be cos you only had the Perouda powered 1.9 whereas I have the Bugatti rivalling 2.0 :) Reply to this message | Report message

Sun 8 Jan 12 23:46   Spare wheel - Ted

The 17 new Fiestas I keep an eye on in the city have no spares, just gunk 'n pump. The daft thing is, the repair bits fit into a wheel shaped foam thingy which in turn sits in a wheel shaped recess in the boot. The firm has picked up a few spare wheels here and there and they fit perfectly in the space. Maybe they're options but it seems sensible to me to put a hire car out with a proper spare. I've asked them to get me one....by having one, I can cut the ' downtime ' on a car with a damaged tyre considerably. Turning a recovery and wait for a new tyre into a simple quick roadside wheelchange. Makes sense to me. Ted Reply to this message | Report message

Sun 8 Jan 12 23:55   Spare wheel - rtj70

I am pleasantly surprised with VW in providing not only a full size spare but an alloy spare. And it's an 18" wheel. With the hunt for lower CO2 emissions, getting rid of weight is one approach and the car comes like this as standard. Boot space is generous too. Even a space saver or a metal full size would be okay to me... but this is a matching alloy. My previous Passat (from 2000-2003) had the same, albeit a 15" wheel. Reply to this message | Report message

Mon 9 Jan 12 07:16   Spare wheel - Iffy

I'm not bothered about spares, despite having had two punctures in the spare-less CC3. First was flat overnight, so I pumped up the tyre with the little compressor, drove to a tyre place and had it fixed for a tenner. Second was a knife blade a long way from home, so I called the recovery service who took me to a tyre place which fitted a new tyre. A spare would not have helped in either situation, and would have made the job more complicated. Pratting around changing a tyre while smartly dressed and a long way from home is pointless - I'd only have to change it again when I got back. No point in a spare for the at home puncture with a tyre place less than a mile away. My next car will be specified without a spare, if I can be bothered to ask about it. Reply to this message | Report message

Mon 9 Jan 12 07:41   Spare wheel - Zero

>> Yeah its just a spacesaver. >> >> Must be cos you only had the Perouda powered 1.9 whereas I have the Bugatti >> rivalling 2.0 :) Oh yes thats right, and mine came with the 50mpg, despite the extra weight of the false boot floor and tray dividers. Reply to this message | Report message

Mon 9 Jan 12 11:27   Spare wheel - BobbyG

and sound deadening cover...... Reply to this message | Report message

Mon 9 Jan 12 11:45   Spare wheel - FocalPoint

When I got my 55-plate Focus 2 litre Titanium last year, I found that there was a full-sized (steel) spare, which did not fit into the well provided. It rested on some black polystyrene, stood well proud of the boot (about 20cm) and it was surrounded with more classy black polystyrene. Result - high boot floor and the loss of a lot of luggage space. At first I thought this was some bodge by a previous owner, but later realised that more down-market versions of the car have a space-saver (which fits into the well) and the penalty for having a posh version is a loss of boot space. Probably designing a larger well would mean a smaller petrol tank or something; it's small enough already - one of my gripes. I bought a space-saver on e-Bay. I can't remember the last time I had a puncture - many years ago, anyway. Reply to this message | Report message

Mon 9 Jan 12 12:44   Spare wheel - TheManWithNoName

Perhaps if this re-invented wheel called the 'Tweel' got the go ahead, we could all enjoy full size lightweight spares. Reply to this message | Report message

Mon 9 Jan 12 13:56   Spare wheel - Dutchie

First thing I did changed the space saver for a full spare in the Focus. Lost some luggage space but worth it peace of mind. Reply to this message | Report message

Mon 9 Jan 12 14:21   Spare wheel - FocalPoint

We could have done a swap, Dutchie! Reply to this message | Report message

Mon 9 Jan 12 14:45   Spare wheel - Dutchie

Could have done Focal to late now.,;) I got a bit worried we drive on the continent once in a while.Very rarely have a puncture but sods law. Reply to this message | Report message

Mon 9 Jan 12 14:05   Spare wheel - Iffy

...At first I thought this was some bodge by a previous owner... Around the time your car was made some of the hire companies specced a full-size spare. Presumably, the orders were large enough to make it worth Ford's while to have made the extra bits of polystyrene and board for the raised boot floor. Reply to this message | Report message

Mon 9 Jan 12 14:08   Spare wheel - Runfer D'Hills

Taxis have to have a full size spare in some places I think. Reply to this message | Report message

Mon 9 Jan 12 14:31   Spare wheel - TheManWithNoName

>> Taxis have to have a full size spare in some places I think. >> Yeah, usually the end of the axle. I'll get my er...coat. Reply to this message | Report message

Mon 9 Jan 12 14:40   Spare wheel - Meldrew

My car came with a spare wheel well and a huge lump of polystyrene containing an electric pump and a goo can; something to with getting the weight down and getting into a low(er) tax band. I went straight out and bought a spare wheel, a jack and a wheelbrace. They fitted into the place where they should have been in the first place, Job done. Last edited by: Meldrew on Mon 9 Jan 12 at 14:40 Reply to this message | Report message

Mon 9 Jan 12 14:56   Spare wheel - -

something to with >> saving them some money x however many they make = a nice little earner. Reply to this message | Report message

Tue 10 Jan 12 12:34   Spare wheel - Dave_

>> saving them some money x however many they make = a nice little earner. I've been doing a bit of single new vehicle transporting GB, all the lease cars going out are the low- or no-VED models (for cheapest BIK I assume). None of them have had a spare wheel. I've carried Insignia ecoFlexes, MINI diesels, SEAT Ibiza Ecomotives and several BMW 320d and X3 E/Ds and it's goo plus compressor every time. It's not just the savings per car, but these models seem to be making up the bulk of new registrations. The fleet prep centres' fields are full of sub-120g/km cars. Reply to this message | Report message