Buying a Spare Wheel (and do I want one?)

[student91]

Hi all,

 

I did do a search and had a read of some other threads, but pardon me for asking nonetheless! #NewDriver!

 

The Fabia 2 comes without a spare wheel, fine, as did my own used 1.6 tdi SE (which I do find strange, I always thought it was a legal requirement). So as I see it, I want to buy (a) a spare tyre, and (b ) a car jack. Correct? So either I go to one of these dealers (http://www.briskoda.net/forums/forum/72-skoda-dealers-in-the-west-midlands/) or is this something that can be a Halfords job? I want to ensure I get the right stuff that's compatible with the car too. Any thoughts on good prices is appreciated too.

 

-----------------

ACTUALLY - just read this: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/road-safety/9441994/Death-of-the-spare-tyre.html

 

This is very new to me - foam to fill up the tyre and drive around?! I guess there are pros and cons, but I'm doing a fair amount of motorway driving so safety and being able to deal with emergencies is very important to me. What do you reckon, is a space saver the best option?

Edited 9 August, 2013 by student91

[Huskoda]

Its idiotic to me that cars now don't come with spares, for emissions and tax reasons.

 

I would never have a car without a spare in it. The safest bet for you would be to get a full kit from a VAG dealer, failing that ebay or a scrapyard. As the Fabia will fill a full size spare, go for one of those then you're not limited if you need to use it.

 

As to the foam, it is useless. If you squirt it into a tyre, that tyre often will need to be thrown away and replaced as it'll be full of gunk and you will need to buy another foam kit. Plus, the only times I've had a flat, foam wouldn't have helped because of the type of damage to the tyre. Foam won't do anything if your tyre has split, blown out or the rim is damaged.

[awfabia]

Don't get me started - it ought to be compulsory for the manufacturer to fit one! Try 'Skospares', he's helpful & knows Skodas well. Could supply secondhand wheel/tyre plus tool kit.

Punctures ALWAYS happen in the dark on a rainy motorway so you need to be able to change it and get going quickly.

[CRASH67]

Keep it simple go to a dealer and buy the wheel and kit. Which if memeoy serves me correctly is about £125 for that you a full size steel rim with a conti tyre (tbh this brought as a rim and tyre would probely retail at more then the 125 lol) plus you get atool kit with the foam insert and tools required.

The tyre foam does work well on punctures but is only s temp fix plus if you unlucky enough to burst a hole in the side wall (which is possible if pick up a bulge from kerb/road hump impacts) then the foam is useless

[jankph]

I do a fair amount of driving, 20K/year. And I've only had a flat tyre a handful of times in my 30 years of driving, but for peace of mind, if I were you, I would go for a spare tyre. Yes, the added weight will lower your mpg an inkling, but it would do so too if you were to gain, say 15lbs or so, and seriously, who considers their own weight when thinking about mpg. So just go for a spare wheel to keep any worries of fyour mind. 

 

Actually, one easy way to always have a spare wheel is to have to sets of wheels, one with summer tyres, one with winter tyres. Then you can carry a spare summer in winter and a spare winter in summer. Now, obviously this only works if you really have a winter season that requires such tyres, but that's what I did with my old MkI Fabia, and that's what I'm doing now, too.

Edited 9 August, 2013 by jankph

[Igloo Vindaloo]

I haven't seen figures, but I bet most people would not change a wheel themselves - either because they didn't know how or were scared to or just didn't want to get dirty. (not me)

 

They would call someone else to do it. If they are coming, they might as well bring a spare wheel and tyre with them.

 

But even I  would not want to change an offside wheel on a motorway hard shoulder at night in the rain.

 

Fortunately these things hardly ever happen to most people in Europe now - so is it worth carrying around all that extra weight? The manufacturers have decided that for most people, the answer is no. But you have a choice - buy a spare if you like.

[Lee]

Keep it simple go to a dealer and buy the wheel and kit. Which if memeoy serves me correctly is about £125 for that you a full size steel rim with a conti tyre (tbh this brought as a rim and tyre would probely retail at more then the 125 lol) plus you get atool kit with the foam insert and tools required.

The tyre foam does work well on punctures but is only s temp fix plus if you unlucky enough to burst a hole in the side wall (which is possible if pick up a bulge from kerb/road hump impacts) then the foam is useless

 

When I specc'd my vRS the spare tyre, jack & tools kit was around £57 but prices may have risen since then.

[adam1985]

take a look on ebay plenty of ones for sale there some with jack kits http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_trksid=p2050601.m570.l1313.TR0.TRC0.Xfabia+spare+wheel&_nkw=fabia+spare+wheel&_sacat=0&_from=R40

Edited 9 August, 2013 by adam1985

[Ootohere]

Lee,

if there is a charge for the wheel/kit on your invoice, they are due you a refund.

 

A  mk2 vRS Fabia comes with the Spare Wheel and jack as standard not an extra cost option,

and if it is not there its because someone removed it at the Dealership before delivery

& someone has not done a proper check at the PDI.

(as happened recently to a member on here.)

 

george

[horkin]

If the spare kit was indeed purloined by the dealer you jolly well want it back  Otherwise as has been said the most satisfactory way is to buy a kit from Skoda. If you are wanting to keep costs down (aren't we all?) I would go the ebay route.

 

I have 16" wheels with a 15" spare which baffled me a bit until some kind soul on here pointed out that the tyre profile on the spare was such that the running circumference is the same.

 

It has been established in previous threads that the wheel well will take a full size regular tyre unless you have silly big ones you should be fine just buying the same size as the ones on your car.

 

Just one word of caution, as you are a new driver. YOU MUST buy a Skoda Fabia MK 11 wheel as any other is unlikely to fit.

[Ootohere]

A Small aside.

 

Manufacturers are not really ripping everyone off by not fitting a Spare wheel and jack kit as standard.

 

The vehicles/model type/engine type when new get their Taxation Class/Emissions decided as the First Production Models are Tested.

To get the cars in a low Class/Band and look Economic the Base Car is as Light as Possible.

No extra Options fitted just the car as it comes. No Options on it.

 

That can mean the customer gets a car with a £30 or even Zero road tax, instead of maybe £120.

So straight off you have saved money on the first cost of buying & each time you get Road Tax every year.,

so you can spend 1 years saved money and buy a spare and put it in the car.

 

Where they want cars to not compete or beat on performance or cost or equal the Tax Band, with one of their other more expensive brands, like say a vRS, Polo GTI. Audi A1 or Seat Ibiza.

they can put the Spare wheel in the Skoda & make it an Option in the VW, Audi & Seat.

Then they can also quote lower Unladen or Kerb weights on the more expensive cars. they are in a lower Tax Band,

ie as they came off the production line or just a few cars did.

 

george

[Lee]

Lee,

if there is a charge for the wheel/kit on your invoice, they are due you a refund.

 

A  mk2 vRS Fabia comes with the Spare Wheel and jack as standard not an extra cost option,

and if it is not there its because someone removed it at the Dealership before delivery

& someone has not done a proper check at the PDI.

(as happened recently to a member on here.)

 

george

 

Thanks for the head-up George. I will investigate further and speak to the supplying dealer.

[CRASH67]

When I specc'd my vRS the spare tyre, jack & tools kit was around £57 but prices may have risen since then.

The prices im qouting is to buy from a dealer parts departments and not specing a new vehicle two different things entirely

[lol-lol]

Buying the spare wheel kit is pretty cheap, should not be much more than £100 or so.

Or the option is to buy a 5th wheel rim and get a proper full sized 17" tyre on it. Yes it will cost £250-300 but you will have a proper full spec no worries 5th wheel you can use the tread on.

Or you can, as I did, buy two spare rims, fit them with Winter tyres and have them ready for the temperatures drop to below 7C ie sometime in November usually. Carry one and have the other one in the garage ready to go on. Bst to buy your winter tyres soon as the price is at its best now. You can buy winter tyres at around £60 delivered. Save you Summer tyres for the good weather and you only have to pay to swap two tyres when seasons change.

Lots of ways to get the best from the car and tyres whatever the ambient temperature.

[CRASH67]

You shouldnt really just fit two winter tyres it harms the balence of the car

[lol-lol]

The winters I use are 17 inch and V rated like mt summers and I switch to all four winters as soon as I an get to the tyre depot and change to all winters.

Struggling to find Winters in 225-40-18s for the OCtavia VRS but it is pretty useless in the white stuff compare to the Fabias we have.

[Huskoda]

You shouldnt really just fit two winter tyres it harms the balence of the car

Indeed. I personally know someone who thought it would be ok and spun off into a ditch on a corner.

[Ootohere]

Not to get in too big a debate because it gets done here every winter.

General Car Chat section has many debates on the matter

 

4 Winter tyres are the recommended thing by manufacturers, safety experts, all the links to magazine tests

and vids are there etc etc. Every winter every forum.

 

We all know people that have slid off the road with 4 matching Summer or all season tyres on, in rain, snow, cold or even mid summer heat.

If you do not want 2 not matching cold weather tyres on to aid Steering and braking and are prepared to drive to the conditions and weather,

then just do not do it.

(others will continue as they have for years/winters, thinking and considering and going by experience to their vehicles and the tyres they have thought about and are using.

 

Stick with your 4 tyres that are maybe not great if thats what you want to do,,

or put on 4 Winter tyres, and you still need to drive to the conditions.

If sometimes 2 different treads and compounds on different axles work, matching load and speed rating, then maybe thats what some will use.

 

george

[CRASH67]

Tbh i managed this winter with Summer tyres always have done. Thats not say i think winters are bad idea its just a case money.

What i have learnt and tried to do now more then i used to make sure i matching tyres the only odd one i have now is my spare with a brand new conti on it.

[Ootohere]

There does seem to be quite a short winter sports and ski season in Kent.

 

george

[lol-lol]

Tbh i managed this winter with Summer tyres always have done. Thats not say i think winters are bad idea its just a case money.

What i have learnt and tried to do now more then i used to make sure i matching tyres the only odd one i have now is my spare with a brand new conti on it.

 

 

Some of the worse weather I have seen in the last 3 years has been in Kent.  Dec 2010 and then earlier this year in Kent/Sussex has been quite a bit of snow etc.

 

Our smaller engined Fabia only has 185/55-15 on it so they seem to work quite well in the bad weather but the Fabia and Octavia VRS with their 205s and 225s definitely do not do well with their wide and plain tread patterns and the Fabia VRS is transformed with the Winter Snow and Mud patterns.

 

Also try to have the same make of tyre on the same axle and on both axles preferably.

 

As to money my Summer tyres on th Fabia VRS are over £100 a corner and the winters were less than £60 a corner so as to wear it is cheaper to use the winter tyres than leave the summers on and have them spinning up in the colder conditions. The only dead money is the change costs and as I have the two rims already with the winters on it is only two tyres to change ie £24 so is probably cost neutral changing to winters but much, much safer with the much better perfromance of the respective tyre in the respective weather condition.  

 

In many countries it is not only sensible but law and could go the same way here as our climate changes from maritime to continental.

[gerryfr]

I read about a year ago that the average rate of puncture is once every 90,000 miles in modern cars on modern roads.. This would fit with my expreience over many decades of driving

One might iimagine that a puncture is more likely on local journeys than on motorways.

 

I would not travel without a spare wheel. I'd be surprised if most blokes could not change a wheel easily themselves. Wimmin might not to be able to undo the bolts so might need some help from a passing chivalrous male or one of the motoring organisations.

[horkin]

I also always carry a 12v pump as most punctures are likely to be slow ( screw nail etc., ) and you can usually inflate the tyre enough to get you to a tyre shop.

[Carlodiesel]

Anyway Student 91 go do a search on e,bay, search nearest first & collect it, if it's to far

Try Local breakers yard & get wheel with tyre jack & brace there.

And don't forget to haggle on the price.