Is a space saver tyre on a vRS worth it if I have mileage of approx 8k a year with no motorway driving. I know I can get a puncture anywhere (and I am buying the 19" tyres) but if that happens can't I just call Skoda Assist and they can come out an either fill up the tyre with gunk or tow me to a garage. With the space saver you would have to change it for a real tyre asap anyway wouldn't you? I don't have one with my Elegance but I bought that off showroom floor 2 years ago and didn't even look to see if it had one. Probably because I had moved from Australia where all cars came with a full size spare wheel.

 

Anyway just trying to decide if I spend the £75 on it. Car has already been ordered but I still have time to adjust the spec.

 

 

Buy it, Skoda assist ain't gonna be with as quickly as you need when you get a puncture & sods law states if you ain't got it you'll need it, buy one and you'll never need it.

 

Up to you though, best £75 you can spec on a new car.

Yes defo, if you fill a repairable tyre with gunk you'll be lucky to find someone wiling to repair it so that'll cost you a tyre and a new bottle of gunk, which will be more than £75.

I wouldn't have a car without one. There are too many ways you can damage the wheel so that the gunk will do nothing at all. Any splits or rim damage, for example. If you have kids, it shouldn't even be an option as you don't want to be sat waiting hours in the cold and wet.

 

It also costs at least twice that if you buy it after.

As others have said, it's cheaper than replacing a gunk filled tyre later down the line. Ive also had three punctures in 4 years that couldn't be fixed with gunk and would have meant being towed to a garage. Not ideal outside normal garage working hours.

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I'd rather have a real tyre (even if it had to be speed restricted) than a space saver, but I'd rather a "limp to tyre place" space saver than a can of gunk (reasons already stated).

Thank you everyone. That's a 100% vote for yes get one so that's what I'm going to do. More likelihood of tyre issues with the 19" ones especially on Somerset roads so seems the sensible thing to do.

 

Now just have to decide on Lifeshine and GAP (well GAP is a given though probably not through the dealer)

 

Cheers

Edited 29 October, 201411 yr by tasmanuk

On the same topic, if you opt for a full size (ie buy a spare wheel yourself) does it fit into the wheel well ? (if you remove the various fittings for tow bars and so on) or is it too wide and therefore won't fit under the boot floor gubbins?

Anyone know?

I'm not sure whether there ever really was a proper space saver, my spare is a 205/55R16, which could have been the proper tyre size for the normal wheels, except I've got 225/45R17's (Teron).

 

I guess if you wanted a spare alloy then the extra 20mm might make the difference on the 245 width, but it's not like comparing a real space saver. I might have a look in my boot at lunch time.

I tried ordering run flats but I was told the Skoda rims won't allow for it. I think that's a golden option, saves you a bunch of hassle (especially when it's rainy and/or cold).

£75 well spent. I've used mine twice in 5 months of ownership.

Regarding run-flats, I had them on my last two cars (BMW 320D) and hated them. Unless you got the pressure absolutely 100% correct, they would track and wobble over white lines in a really unnerving manner.

On the same topic, if you opt for a full size (ie buy a spare wheel yourself) does it fit into the wheel well ? (if you remove the various fittings for tow bars and so on) or is it too wide and therefore won't fit under the boot floor gubbins?

Anyone know?

As said many times on this forum, spare wheel well on vRS takes a full-size 18" wheel and tyre, but not 19". If you put an 18" assembly in the well you won't then get the jack etc in as well, though the boot floor does sit flat on the tyre.

Thank you everyone. That's a 100% vote for yes get one so that's what I'm going to do. More likelihood of tyre issues with the 19" ones especially on Somerset roads so seems the sensible thing to do.

 

Now just have to decide on Lifeshine and GAP (well GAP is a given though probably not through the dealer)

 

Cheers

I wouldn't bother with life shine its a way overpriced product and you can buy the products and apply yourself for around 10-20% of the price a dealer charges for it.

I would always have gap and after a recent experience with my 9 week old car being written off the £199 I paid was well worth it as I would be around 5k short otherwise.

You can get gap from many providers on the net I have found it from as little as £97 for 3 years RTI gap.

I would always have gap and after a recent experience with my 9 week old car being written off the £199 I paid was well worth it as I would be around 5k short otherwise.

 

Don't most insurance companies replace with new within 12 months of purchase on a brand new car, making GAP a bit of a waste of money?

Don't most insurance companies replace with new within 12 months of purchase on a brand new car, making GAP a bit of a waste of money?

 

Yep, although it could prove worthwhile in years 2 and 3...

Can you only take GAP out when brand new, or could you wait for 12 months and then buy it?

Don't most insurance companies replace with new within 12 months of purchase on a brand new car, making GAP a bit of a waste of money?

If only if only, I am with Admiral and they don't offer this they just get a figure for what the car is worth at the time of the crash and pay out, which has left me without gap around 5k short back to the finance amount owed as I'd only made two payment but of course lost 20% due to the vat as I drove it away.

As the ret have said, go for the space saver, for the money an absolute no brainer.

You can't plan for a flat so the next best thing is a spare.

When I ordered my vRS recently (mid-Sept), the dealer told me I couldn't have the space saver spare wheel as it is incompatible with the 19" Xtreme wheels. Is this not true? I'm still at Code 10 (provisionally BW47), so if the space saver would in fact be compatible with the 19s, I'd definitely want to add it to the order (especially having seen the cost of buying the kit separately!).

I don't see how the two can be related. Its not like you have different wheel hubs if you have the 19s. Dealer talking rubbish and being lazy.

Wouldn't it be down to having a different size wheel, rather than the hubs?  I assume the space saver isn't 19", but then, I have no idea if it's 18" either - nor do I know the ramifications of driving with a smaller wheel on one hub.  It doesn't sound like a good idea though!

Wouldn't it be down to having a different size wheel, rather than the hubs?  I assume the space saver isn't 19", but then, I have no idea if it's 18" either - nor do I know the ramifications of driving with a smaller wheel on one hub.  It doesn't sound like a good idea though!

That's what I was wondering. I suppose it comes down to the difference in wheel+tyre diameter between the 19s with 35 profile tyres and the standard 18s with 40 profile. To be fair to the dealer, the brochure does specifically state that the space saver is available for 17" and 18" wheels only (or there is a separate option for 16" wheels)...

Edited 30 October, 201411 yr by anDJ

According to http://www.etyres.co.uk/tyre-size-calculator , the difference in size between 225/40/18 and 225/35/19 would be 0.47% (3 mm actual difference). Anyone know the actual dimensions of the space saver? Is it different for 17" or 18" wheels (I ask because the 17" or 18" space saver spare is listed as one item in the brochure, rather than two separate ones).

The separate option for 16s is a wheel that is exactly the same as the normal wheels, just steel rather than alloy.

 

It will be fine, just tell the dealer to add it and you'll worry about any issues.

As said many times on this forum, spare wheel well on vRS takes a full-size 18" wheel and tyre, but not 19". If you put an 18" assembly in the well you won't then get the jack etc in as well, though the boot floor does sit flat on the tyre.

 

 

That's what I was wondering. I suppose it comes down to the difference in wheel+tyre diameter between the 19s with 35 profile tyres and the standard 18s with 40 profile.

 

I'm either being very dim. or neither of these statements make any sense. The 18" and 19" rims are both intended for 225 wide tyres. The overall diameter of the tyre/rim combination differs by about 3mm, which is less than 0.5% of the total size.

 

For what it's worth, my 205/55R16 "space saver" spare looks like it pretty well fills the space, with the floor pretty much resting on the tyre. I would expect any 225 wide wheel to have an issue, but this would start with a 17" Teron. Also, the kit sits pretty well inside the wheel, and doesn't seem to protrude above the tyre.

 

Actually, I may have thought of a diameter argument to the use of the space saver with 18" but not 19". That 3mm difference in diameter puts the 18" total diameter at 5mm bigger than the spare and the 19" total diameter at 8mm larger. This means the spare has a diameter (and therefore circumference) that is 0.8% smaller than the 18" and 1.3% smaller than the 19". I can imagine an arbitrary rule that says you shouldn't fit wheels with more than 1% difference. Although for emergency situations I would consider the rule arbitrary.