I managed to get a 'full sized' steel spare wheel from my dealer which he delivered a couple of weeks ago. I had assumed it was the same size as the alloy ones which are 16" Crateris Alloys 6.5J x 16" with 205/55 R16 tyres but I've just looked today and the steel spare has a 195/65 R15 tyre on it.

Does anyone know if this the standard size for the optional 'steel spare wheel' or have they given me the wrong one ?

The size of the wheel is not really important. Typically steel wheels are not the same size as the alloys. The important thing is whether the tyre on the steel wheel gives the same rolling radius as the alloy wheel + tyre.

The 'full size spare' on both of my MkIIs is 205/55/R16. 65/R15 will give the same circumference as 55/R16 but I would expect it to be a 16" spare unless they have changed the spec.

Either way the limit on such a wheel is something in the region of 50mph max.

Either way the limit on such a wheel is something in the region of 50mph max.

Is this because it's a different size ? The salesman said that the so called 'full size' spare wheel he gave me does not have a 50mph speed limitation.

I did have an Audi once which came with a 'space saver' spare wheel which was about two thirds the width of the normal wheel and had to be inflated to a high PSI which did have warnings not to use it above 80kph.

The size of the wheel is not really important. Typically steel wheels are not the same size as the alloys. The important thing is whether the tyre on the steel wheel gives the same rolling radius as the alloy wheel + tyre.

Quite possibly, I did notice that the tyres on the alloy wheel whilst not what you would describe as low profile did seem to have a lower profile than the spare. I expect I'll have to check the sizes but I'm not sure whether it's possible to measure the ones on the car accurately enough as the weight of the car alters the radius slightly.

As other have said, the important thing is the rolling radius of the spare - this needs to be the same as the road wheel. If you want an accurate rolling radius, this is sometimes available from the tyre manufacturer's website (it is very difficult to measure, and tyre pressures and load can also affect the actual rolling radius).

On my vRS the tyre on the spare (16" steel vs 18" alloy) has the same rolling radius but is 20mm narrower. It isn't speed limited (well not to any speed I'm likely to exceed in Australia), but prudence would suggest driving with some caution with it mounted, as it won't have the same grip as the other 3 tyres. In fact, if I ever need to use it for any distance I will be mounting it on the back, not the front, even if that means a double wheel change.

I still regard it as a "space saver" wheel (it is narrower, the full size alloy wheel would protrude from the spare wheel compartment somewhat), but it is superior to the 80kmh-limited skinny spares some VAG cars get, and infinitely better than a can of "goop".

In my opinion a proper "full sized spare" would have a rim the same diameter and width as the road wheels, and have an identical sized tyre as well. Anything smaller just isn't "full sized", is it ?

Edited 5 October, 200916 yr by gregozedobe

My F/L came in the good ole days when Skoda supplied, as standard, a matching Crateris alloy spare with the Elegance. It is a 16" 205/55 and this appears to be the maximum tyre width for the boot cover to close in a flat position. Anything wider than 205 would prevent this.

That's what I bought on Ebay a 16" 205/55 with a Bridgestone Turanza ER300 for £42.

Bargain.

Update:

I have just checked my spare wheel, it is a steel wheel with a 205/55 R16 91V Continental SportContact2 tyre on it. Load rating 91 means max load of 615kg (per tyre).

"V" means the tyre is speed rated to 240Kmh, but there is a big yellow sticker on the wheel saying " Temporary use only. Max 50mph Max 80kmh", so Skoda are being very conservative indeed (1/3 of the actual tyre rating).

And just out of curiosity, how often do people check the pressure in their spare tyre ?

I'll be honest and admit that this is the first time I've checked, and I've owned my Octy for over 15 months ! Part of the reason is that you have to take the wheel right out of the boot just to get access to the valve. In fact I'll go so far as to say if you don't know how to get your spare wheel out then it is likely you have never checked it's pressure either. It would be more than a little annoying to have a flat tyre and then discover your spare is flat too :(

I would guess they have a 50mph limit as that spare could be used on a car with 225/40/R18 tyres leading to unpredictable handling characteristics.

The spare is at least checked on a service. I'll be honest when I say I hardly ever check it as my boot is always full of tools.

Checked my FL Elegance steel spare at the weekend and the tyre is exactly the same as the alloys and no 50mph sticker either.