"Space saver" spare wheel.

[Franco Cozzo]

Just like to air my grievances with new cars these days, they seem to only have "space saver" spare wheels, which is quite annoying, not only does it look stupid, its limited to 80km/h which is a pain in the *** when you live around roads which are all 100/110km/h.

How much harder is it to make the wheel well a bit deeper like they did a few years ago, so you can fit in a full sized spare wheel, which is actually useful?

I punctured the front right tyre on my Focus two days ago, right through the sidewall, about 500m from home, so I just limped it home on the flat tyre and parked it in the driveway.

I've moved the rear tyre to the front, and put the space saver on the rear, but I'm not going to drive on it because I've got another few cars here, just chuck the wheel in the back of the Falcon and go down to the tyre shop.

80km/h is a big inconvenience to other road users, particularly on the rural highways where you're single lane for long distances.

A selling point with new KIA cars is they all come standard with a full sized spare wheel.

[flappist]

Originally Posted by Big Damo

Just like to air my grievances with new cars these days, they seem to only have "space saver" spare wheels, which is quite annoying, not only does it look stupid, its limited to 80km/h which is a pain in the *** when you live around roads which are all 100/110km/h.

How much harder is it to make the wheel well a bit deeper like they did a few years ago, so you can fit in a full sized spare wheel, which is actually useful?

I punctured the front right tyre on my Focus two days ago, right through the sidewall, about 500m from home, so I just limped it home on the flat tyre and parked it in the driveway.

I've moved the rear tyre to the front, and put the space saver on the rear, but I'm not going to drive on it because I've got another few cars here, just chuck the wheel in the back of the Falcon and go down to the tyre shop.

80km/h is a big inconvenience to other road users, particularly on the rural highways where you're single lane for long distances.

A selling point with new KIA cars is they all come standard with a full sized spare wheel.

The idea is to "encourage" you to get the dead tyre fixed or replaced and not drive around for 20,000 km on a full size spare that has a different tread pattern and is fitted backwards.....

[jpblue1000]

Plus most people demand big boots and low fuel consumption figures, small spares offer low weight and increased packaging opportunities.
I don't run a spare in my town car just a bottle of air and glue and I own a mobile phone.

JP

[Franco Cozzo]

Originally Posted by flappist

The idea is to "encourage" you to get the dead tyre fixed or replaced and not drive around for 20,000 km on a full size spare that has a different tread pattern and is fitted backwards.....

Fair enough, but when we do tyres on our cars we do 5 at a time (on the ones with a full sized spare), regardless of the condition of the spare.

Originally Posted by jpblue1000

Most hatchbacks and small SUV's are 'womens cars' ( oh how much trouble am I going to get into from both genders)
and most women can't lift a full size spare, of course its irrelevant as most can't undo a wheel nut especially if the tyre shop has used the airgun!
Plus most people demand big boots and low fuel consumption figures, small spares offer low weight and increased packaging opportunities.
I don't run a spare in my town car just a bottle of air and glue and I own a mobile phone.

JP

Makes me wonder actually given that little brace they give you, good luck getting a wheel nut off with it thats been done up with an impact gun at the tyre joint.

[flappist]

Originally Posted by Big Damo

Fair enough, but when we do tyres on our cars we do 5 at a time (on the ones with a full sized spare), regardless of the condition of the spare.

So as almost all tyres are unidirectional do you have a separate spare for each side of the car?

[Franco Cozzo]

Originally Posted by flappist

So as almost all tyres are unidirectional do you have a separate spare for each side of the car?

Toyo TEO Plus are all the same on each side which is what I run on the Focus, or BF Goodrich Sport TA which are on the Falcon and BF Goodrich Gforce Sport on our 323.

They don't have to be on a specific side of the car I'm fairly sure.

[2011G6E]

Both the Holden and Ford dealer in Rocky told us that they always fit, usually as a no cost thing, a full sized matching (if possible) spare wheel.

They know that customers often come from a fair way inland "down to the coast" to buy a new car, and don't want to be stuck miles from anywhere with a stupid space saver wheel...our G6E came with a matching 19" wheel at no extra cost, and the Holden dealer told us (when we were car hunting) to ignore the space saver wheel in the SV6, as it was "naturally" replaced with a matching wheel.

[uniacidz]

Originally Posted by Big Damo

Just like to air my grievances with new cars these days, they seem to only have "space saver" spare wheels, which is quite annoying, not only does it look stupid, its limited to 80km/h which is a pain in the *** when you live around roads which are all 100/110km/h.

How much harder is it to make the wheel well a bit deeper like they did a few years ago, so you can fit in a full sized spare wheel, which is actually useful?

I punctured the front right tyre on my Focus two days ago, right through the sidewall, about 500m from home, so I just limped it home on the flat tyre and parked it in the driveway.

I've moved the rear tyre to the front, and put the space saver on the rear, but I'm not going to drive on it because I've got another few cars here, just chuck the wheel in the back of the Falcon and go down to the tyre shop.

80km/h is a big inconvenience to other road users, particularly on the rural highways where you're single lane for long distances.

A selling point with new KIA cars is they all come standard with a full sized spare wheel.

I have a full sized mag as a spare, is a stock 17" SS wheel (have 19inch wheels on car). Was standard at the time. To be honest, i have looked at space saver ones, but prefer my full size.

If can fit it in the spare wheel well storage, then just get one off ebay or likewise for a full size spare.

Side note:
One issue i would raise is that you rolled on a flat tyre.

My rim in the below pic, got a flat doing 80kms/h and hard to notice it on 19inch wheels but reckon i rolled on the inner edge rim for about 500-750metres for a safe place to pull over. This was about 14months ago.

Skip ahead to 3 weeks ago after tyres changed, discovered inner flange is cracked in 5 places. Got it replaced saturday just gone for $350. :(

Manufacturer didnt want to know bout it either and to me looks like the flange got stressed and fatigued and over time developed more cracks and got larger.

Picture below.

But recommend anyone, if you get a flat, pull over asap and change it.

[xisled]

On Saturday Night. My friend put 2 space savers on the back of his Soarer. The Soarer is a burnout car and is fully stock. He spun the wheels and the space saver was popped in a minutes.

The thing that I was shocked about, it did not give a warning it was about to pop. It just popped. No belt slap nothing.

Unlike a full size tyre, when it is on the belts you can hear it. The space saver just went bang.

[mik]

We have space savers floating around, that came with cars over the year's, it did enter my head at one stage to use one for some weight saving, but the thought of sitting on 80 kph for an extended drive soon got rid of that idea, the ones I have seem pretty weighty anyway.

[flappist]

Originally Posted by Big Damo

Toyo TEO Plus are all the same on each side which is what I run on the Focus, or BF Goodrich Sport TA which are on the Falcon and BF Goodrich Gforce Sport on our 323.

They don't have to be on a specific side of the car I'm fairly sure.

Well every single tyre fitted to every single vehicle I have bought in the last decade has been unidirectional including all of my FPVs and Falcons.

The replacement tyres have also always been unidirectional, as in Dunlop, Bridgestone and Yokahama.

Of course all my cars have been performance models that get driven enthusiastically so I fit expensive tyres that are focussed on grip in all conditions rather than ones ones focussed on lower cost and operating expenses.

[Franco Cozzo]

Originally Posted by flappist

Well every single tyre fitted to every single vehicle I have bought in the last decade has been unidirectional including all of my FPVs and Falcons.

The replacement tyres have also always been unidirectional, as in Dunlop, Bridgestone and Yokahama.

Of course all my cars have been performance models that get driven enthusiastically so I fit expensive tyres that are focussed on grip in all conditions rather than ones ones focussed on lower cost and operating expenses.

Doesn't really make sense to fit $1200 of tyres to an EL Fairmont Ghia, LV TDCI Focus, an 03' Mazda 323 or a WS Fiesta

None of those cars would push the limits of a decent sports tyre.

Anyways, got back from the tyre shop, I buckled the rim, needed 96 grams on the inside and 20g on the outside, they said I can get the rim "re-rolled" at some place in Heidelburg to fix it, or just put it on the back of the car.

I'm going to buy a set of 16" steelies and swap the tyres over

[Linkachu]

My mate had an MX-5 (unsure what year 95 maybe) and had a flat that i changed for him on day with a space saver. One issue, the 15" rim would not fit in the boot it had to sit in the passenger seat. Imagine youre on a highway with 2 people in the car, you have to leave either your rim or passenger behind!

[Yellow_Festiva]

I actually don't mind the space saver Damo. Driving a little slower is better than the repair in a can some cars come with. It sounded like you got a nasty puncture, I'm sure a can of glue would have been useless in that situation.

Also, I tried to put a full size spare into the Focus and it actually won't fit, so on the trip to QLD I left the space saver in there to support the boot floor and threw in an extra full sized tyre. I didn't bother on my trip to Melbourne.

I have suggested this to a whole heap of people who don't want a space saver but don't want to spend the cash on a extra alloy wheel and tyre to match the rest. Get a steel wheel that fits and clears any fancy brakes and put a taller 165 or 175 tyre on it. You would obviously drive to the conditions but the extra width would support cruising at 110 no worries.

[uniacidz]

Originally Posted by Big Damo

Doesn't really make sense to fit $1200 of tyres to an EL Fairmont Ghia, LV TDCI Focus, an 03' Mazda 323 or a WS Fiesta

None of those cars would push the limits of a decent sports tyre.

Anyways, got back from the tyre shop, I buckled the rim, needed 96 grams on the inside and 20g on the outside, they said I can get the rim "re-rolled" at some place in Heidelburg to fix it, or just put it on the back of the car.

I'm going to buy a set of 16" steelies and swap the tyres over

Yeh thought you might have done some damage being the front which would support more weight.

Glad you got it looked at.

Best to just replace it. I'm thinking of turning mine to a coffee table or something



Sent from my HTC Aria using Tapatalk II.IV.X

[Nikked]

Limited to 80kms/h...shouldn't matter...the way things are going it would be hard to find 100km/h roads lol

[Franco Cozzo]

Originally Posted by Yellow_Festiva

I actually don't mind the space saver Damo. Driving a little slower is better than the repair in a can some cars come with. It sounded like you got a nasty puncture, I'm sure a can of glue would have been useless in that situation.

Also, I tried to put a full size spare into the Focus and it actually won't fit, so on the trip to QLD I left the space saver in there to support the boot floor and threw in an extra full sized tyre. I didn't bother on my trip to Melbourne.

I have suggested this to a whole heap of people who don't want a space saver but don't want to spend the cash on a extra alloy wheel and tyre to match the rest. Get a steel wheel that fits and clears any fancy brakes and put a taller 165 or 175 tyre on it. You would obviously drive to the conditions but the extra width would support cruising at 110 no worries.

I noticed that without the spare in there the boot floor isn't supported with anything, hmm. I might chuck the space saver back in there, and chuck another full sized steelie in the boot standing up next to my toolbox tied up with the toolbox.

Sidewall had a chunk taken out of it, looking at the tyre, normal passenger tyre doesn't seem too strong.

Originally Posted by uniacidz

Yeh thought you might have done some damage being the front which would support more weight.

Glad you got it looked at.

Best to just replace it. I'm thinking of turning mine to a coffee table or something



Sent from my HTC Aria using Tapatalk II.IV.X

Yeah it won't be going back on the car just in case, knowing my luck it'll probably break on me while driving to work.

[Crazy Dazz]

I HATE them.
For starters, they are usually steel, so not sure how much weight you save over a full-sized alloy.
If you can’t fit a full sized spare, then where the hell do you put the flat tyre when you change it?!?
In so many cars I look at, there is no conceivable reason why they couldn’t have made the tyre well a little deeper/wider.
If you NEVER rotate or replace the spare, then when that car is 10 years old, you have 10 yr old rubber in your boot. What is the shelf life on these things?
This IS still Australia, and SOME of us drive long distances with not much in between. If YOUR car never leaves the metro area, fair enough, leave your spare at home and when you get a flat call the mobile tyre dude.
Its an absolute PITA when I get a flat on the front because I first have to put the SS on the back, then put the back on the front.
Got a flat whilst on holidays, and both tyre shops in town just rolled their eyes at my uber low-profile “city tyres.” Fortunately we were still in town for a while so he ordered one in specially.
How many people, stranded 400km from home on a SS are going to stick to the rated 80kph? Especially in WA where the limit is 110? Not very safe.
Apparently it can be quite difficult finding a replacement SS, if you are unlucky enough to one. My wife’s car has an SS rim, but NOT a SS tyre.

With modern tyres, I don’t get many flats, but those that happen are often quite major holes. Your average screw or nail isn’t going to get through a modern radial, but a lump of angle iron is a different story. Not sure a bottle of glue is going to hold that.

[Silver Ghia]

The type of spare wheel is definitely a consideration when I purchase a car. When I bought the XR50, I was also looking at the Mondeo XR5 which has a space saver, not sure why it is because the boot is huge in that car. The XR50 was ordered with a full size spare for $250, which is good value IMO.

I had two full size spares for the BA Ghia bought from eBay for $200 the pair, and sold them on to a colleague who also had a BA Ghia, when I traded the car in.

I went for many years without having a flat tyre, but then had to use the full size spare on the BA twice. Also had a sidewall puncture in my wifes Polo due to pavers on the road, just caught the edge of one which caused a hole that would have made a puncture repair kit useless. You just don't know when you need the spare wheel, it could easily be a long distance away from a tyre repair shop.

[Franco Cozzo]

I get punctures fairly regularly because of what happens at work, people work outside because the workshop is full, so they grab extra self tappers, tek screws etc and then when they've finished the job they throw them on the floor, and we end up driving over them when its time to go home, so I've done maybe 5 or 6 puncture repairs on this set of tyres.

Between the workshop staff we've probably had around 150 punctures between us from the workshop car park, you know its work when you recognise the screw thats in the tyre.

But I've never had anything this bad before enough to deflate the tyre completely.

I guess its one of those things you don't give a rats *** about until you actually need it and then think, damn that would be nice right about now.

I would have been screwed on the side of the road, because the wheel nuts on these things are a different story, its some sort of cap to make it to 19mm from 18mm, and it rounds off easily, you can strip them with a cross brace, I had to hammer on a 19mm socket and spin them up hard with the impact gun to get them to come off, sometimes the cap separates and leaves you with the wheel nut, perfect, other times it rounds off so badly you can't separate them at all, I had spare wheelnuts just in case it happened.

[FGII-XR6]

your friend is an idiot. this is why we have hoon laws

Originally Posted by xisled

On Saturday Night. My friend put 2 space savers on the back of his Soarer. The Soarer is a burnout car and is fully stock. He spun the wheels and the space saver was popped in a minutes.

The thing that I was shocked about, it did not give a warning it was about to pop. It just popped. No belt slap nothing.

Unlike a full size tyre, when it is on the belts you can hear it. The space saver just went bang.

[Werd.]

Originally Posted by au3xr6

your friend is an idiot. this is why we have hoon laws

I didn't read the part where he said it was on public roads?

whats it to you if someone wants to trash some space savers in their own backyard, or god forbid a burnout competition.

[FGII-XR6]

that's the stock response when someone is called out on burnouts ( who said it was on a public road) but doing burnout even on private property till the tyres pop is dangerous and stupid. space savers are only meant to be driven gently and treating them like this is a recipe for disaster. when someone gets killed in a situation like this you get the hoon beat up in the media and we all suffer.

Originally Posted by Werd.

I didn't read the part where he said it was on public roads?

whats it to you if someone wants to trash some space savers in their own backyard, or god forbid a burnout competition.

[pottery beige]

Originally Posted by au3xr6

your friend is an idiot. this is why we have hoon laws

no.. we have hoon laws because of over reactive twats that watch too much fat Tracey....

[mike_nofx]

Originally Posted by Werd.

I didn't read the part where he said it was on public roads?

whats it to you if someone wants to trash some space savers in their own backyard, or god forbid a burnout competition.

Wouldn't any official burnout competition have scrutineering, and therefore not pass a space saver as safe?

And I don't think the "I'm on private property, I have immunity to all vehicle laws" is quite true. Particularly in residential areas.

I love burnouts as much as the next bogan, but its just not true to think you are above all laws in your backyard.

More discussion on the topic:
http://www.fordforums.com.au/showthread.php?t=11226580

[brydie76]

Yup, there is definitely worse than the space saver- the Swift has a good old can of goo. As the guy put it when I got the car, if I get a puncture, I may as well call the NRMA as nobody can figure out the instructions on how to use it and it will be easier/won't mean wrecking the tyre with the goo anyway. Given the most 'rural' I go regularly is Maitland and my Sydney trips aren't very common, works for me. Might look into a space saver in the future if I do need to go anywhere regularly, but for now I don't mind. (Touch wood)

Of course though I got a stupid screw in the tyre of this car though the other day, fortunately just needed a patch repair but ironic given I'd just gotten rid of the Fiesta with a semi decent spare!

[xisled]

Originally Posted by au3xr6

your friend is an idiot. this is why we have hoon laws

For starters, I said the car is a burnout car. This car does not even have rego, so it does not get driven on the road. Two my friends owns 200 acres, and I never said that it was done on a public road.

So please tell me more about the hoons laws.

With the link above, no one has been charged with doing burnouts, it more drink driving and noise.

[Poetic Justice]

I think in a lot of cases it's not actually the manufacturer making the wheel well smaller, in fact, in most new Toyota's that have the space saver (Yaris, Rukus, Prius) the wheel well can hold the wheel it's that they choose to go with the spacer saver for two reasons: Money, and weight.

It's just a few more dollars to their bottom line, and an extra few km's out of a tank for not carrying the weight.

Furthermore I don't think they had Australian rural drivers when they were thinking about it, the idea for most of these vehicles is that the driver lives in a metropolitan area where a trip to the local tyre place is not as much of an inconvenience as you'd think.

[ryeman]

If so, why is it called a SPACE saver?

[FGII-XR6]

a 200 acre property with a hard paved area large enough and far enough away from buildings to safely do burnouts? yea right. and what I said about using space saver tyres ( low speed limp home tyres) for burnouts still stands, no sanctioned burnout comp would allow them for safety reasons. private property is no excuse to engage in dangerous behaviour that workcover ( yes they still apply on private property) or any motorsport body would say no to.
my comment stands using low speed limp home tyres for burnouts is stupid

Originally Posted by xisled

For starters, I said the car is a burnout car. This car does not even have rego, so it does not get driven on the road. Two my friends owns 200 acres, and I never said that it was done on a public road.

So please tell me more about the hoons laws.

With the link above, no one has been charged with doing burnouts, it more drink driving and noise.