Spare wheel

[carlmthompson]

ORIGINAL: colin129

I'm not sure how they managed to do the complete deflation, unless they have a reverse inflator, or such like.

Same principle as how an airline spraycan works (apart from the paint?) so it sucks the air oot!

Just to show off, mine has the original compressor, with the rubber gloves and bits in the little bag (the size of the compressor is fairly impressively large!), the full toolkit, the plastic bag to put the dirty wheel you take off back in so you don't dirty the boot, and the webbing that your supposed to secure the sunroof into if you ever work out how the bloody thing comes out (manual reads like the options when you ring BT!)

Berg - is this a good time to see which swear words get past the **** filter?

 

[sawood12]

I'm pretty sure mine is an alloy rim with the full size tyre on. It's pretty heavy though so I was thinking about replacing with a more modern skinny space saver from something like an Audi A4 or something. It would free up some space in the spare wheel well - for what I don't know but it might come in handy sometime. However I don't like the idea of the collapsable spare. I wouldn't want to rely on having to use the compressor. Knowing my luck it would either blow a fuse therefore preventing me from fully inflating the tyre or I would get a puncture in a torrential rain storm and the water and moisture would cause the compressor to short and break down before I'd fully inflated the tyre. Similarly I don't like the idea of ditching the spare wheel altogether and relying totally on those 'foam in a can' things. At least with a modern skinny space saver the tyre is already inflated therefore minimising the time to change the tyre.

I once tried out the alloy scissor jack. I wasn't too impressed with that. It seemed to bend and sway alot so didn't inspire alot of confidence.

 

[Fen]

Tin of spray and an AA card for backup. Job done.

How many punctures that leave you unable to get home without a spare has anyone actually had anyway? I can't remember the last one I had in the UK (used to get them quite often sitting on the max speed limiter in F350 pick-ups in Saudi sunshine though). I'd say I've not had one in well over 300,000 miles. By my reckoning I'd be better served carrying a spare sump...

 

[sawood12]

I suppose you're right Fen. I struggle to think of any puncture i've had that has necessitated road-site action. In that case we could start a new thread along the same lines of the recent "what do you keep in your cassette box" i.e. "what could you keep in your spare wheel well"?

Has anyone acutally used those foam in a can things? do they work?

 

[944Turbo]

I have had one in the 944 - a rear on a welsh pothole that the foam wouldn't have touched - it sliced the sidewall, however it wasnt that pleasant driving back with the spacesaver on one side and a 255 on the other,
Tony

 

[zcacogp]

I had one where I caught the sidewall of a tyre on a rock in the road once. It tore a hole in the sidewall and was definately not fixable by the side of the road.

I also recall as a very young child a complete blow-out on the M1 in my folks' Renault 12 (anyone remember those things.) I must have been 5 or 6, and the tyre was, quite literally, shredded. (The tread had peeled away from thew sidewalls for 270degrees of the tyre ...) That wasn't fixable by the side of the road either.


Oli.

 

[carlmthompson]

It's a good point Fen - my last non getty homey puncture was around 1993. I was going to work so wasn't too gutted[]
I also remember a motorway blow out on the way to Lightwater Valley in the early 80's - my Grandad's Skoda - can't remember which one, but it was the coupe one which they rallied around the time - looked pretty good, but was made completely out of rust!

Scott - Mine's a ready inflated skinny spare, so you can get them. It's red, supposedly made out of alloy even though it's still heavy, and looks a bit like a narrow Pug 205 Gti 1.9 alloy. It sits in the wheel well with enough space left to put the compressor into it, the toolkit and brace in the gap, and whateveer else takes your fancy. Keeps the space at the RHS rear free for whatever you fancy - A litre of oil and the sunroof webbing in my case!

 

[Fen]

I had all the toolkit, compressor, wheel, sunroof bag and webbing in my car when I used it on the road. All bar the tool roll are now with new owners or in the garage.

I use the space for the spare wheel to carry my 2 drawer tool box when I go to track days, otherwise it's empty. Oil is in the right hand well along with the tyre repair spray.

 

[zcacogp]

ORIGINAL: carlmthompson
It's red, supposedly made out of alloy even though it's still heavy, and looks a bit like a narrow Pug 205 Gti 1.9 alloy.

Good description. Mine is just the same but with the collapsible spare.

Keeps the space at the RHS rear free for whatever you fancy - A litre of oil and the sunroof webbing in my case!

I could almost sense another thread coming on about "What do you keep in your right hand side storage locker?" Mine has a small audio amplifier in it, which makes a world of difference to the sound of the CD player.


Oli.

 

[sawood12]

ORIGINAL: carlmthompson

Scott - Mine's a ready inflated skinny spare, so you can get them. It's red, supposedly made out of alloy even though it's still heavy, and looks a bit like a narrow Pug 205 Gti 1.9 alloy. It sits in the wheel well with enough space left to put the compressor into it, the toolkit and brace in the gap, and whateveer else takes your fancy. Keeps the space at the RHS rear free for whatever you fancy - A litre of oil and the sunroof webbing in my case!

Mines the same Carl but I was thinking about replacing it with something like this....

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ih=019&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWA%3AIT&viewitem=&item=290056716549&rd=1&rd=1

I imagine this would be significantly lighter and with it being an 18" rim it would fit over my big blacks up front which need at least a 17" rim. I don't much fancy putting a rear wheel on the front and the spare on the rear in the event of a front wheel puncture.

 

[carlmthompson]

ORIGINAL: sawood12

Mines the same Carl but I was thinking about replacing it with something like this....

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ih=019&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWA%3AIT&viewitem=&item=290056716549&rd=1&rd=1

I imagine this would be significantly lighter and with it being an 18" rim it would fit over my big blacks up front which need at least a 17" rim. I don't much fancy putting a rear wheel on the front and the spare on the rear in the event of a front wheel puncture.

Looks like it would fit, but I guess you need to know what size the tyre is. I've got a spreadsheet (from somewhere!) which calculates diameter of wheels and tyres if anybody wants it.

I could almost sense another thread coming on about "What do you keep in your right hand side storage locker?" Mine has a small audio amplifier in it, which makes a world of difference to the sound of the CD player.

Me to! Good place for an Amplifier - no room for it hidden anywhere else!

Edited to say I thought the thread idea was good - not that I have an amplifier in the RHS well!

 

[Fen]

That wheel won't fit, Scott. It's 5x112 PCD and you need 5x130. I think you're stuck with Porsche or air-cooled / commercial VW for sources and unless a modern VW Transporter has a spacesaver that suits I imagine all the other VW stuff had a full-size 13 or 14" spare with a balloon profile tyre on it.

I forgot about the big black thing. I never checked if my spare would fit over them, but if it doesn't it's another reason to ditch it in favour of the can of spray and AA card approach.

 

[sawood12]

Didn't realise that Fen, I suppose because i've seen so many Audi's and VW's with Porsche wheels and brakes on I assumed they were the same PCD - maybe they've all got some sort of adapters on.

 

[Hilux]

I tried it.......it's fun if you haven't actually got a puncture.

Then you realise its got to fit back into the boot[]

Then it took a few weeks before the carpet would fit properly.

Me too. Blew it up as it is 1988 vintage and I thought I`d better have a look at it to make sure its ok. Took no time at all with the original compressor, I was quite impressed but it took bl**dy ages to deflate fully. Left it with valve removed in garage but it still didnt fit for a coupla weeks []

If I could find a burgundy carpet with the larger hump I`d rather have a proper spare but front and rear wheels are different sizes, ho hum []

It sits in the wheel well with enough space left to put the compressor into it

The original compressor case is designed to fit inside the spare wheel as an interference fit.

 

[cococola]

My 1985 944 had a steel spare and my latest 1986 944 had a colapsable spare that also had a smaller humped boot carpet to hide it until I swopped them with my earlier model as I hate these skinny spares.[:'(]

 

[random hero]

ORIGINAL: Fen

That wheel won't fit, Scott. It's 5x112 PCD and you need 5x130. I think you're stuck with Porsche or air-cooled / commercial VW for sources and unless a modern VW Transporter has a spacesaver that suits I imagine all the other VW stuff had a full-size 13 or 14" spare with a balloon profile tyre on it.

The Vw lt's have a spare which is the same size as the other wheels,(225/70/15 ) the merc sprinter has the same pcd and ive even seen a sprinter with a set of c/cutters on a few years back !!!

 

[JamesO]

Should be a space saver

 

[niagra]

thanks for that

 

[Wigeon Incognito]

You should have one but many are missing, they crop up on Ebay quite often.

It could be anywhere, although most likely somewhere in the boot. Actually, more likely still is it'll be in the garage/loft of a previous owner.

You do need one to use the spare, but there's no reason to go for the original Porsche type.

 

[Fen]

It should be a plastic "briefcase" which fits in the middle of the wheel itself.