SPARE WHEEL KIT

[Paul_Bowden]

The only real problem I have encountered with my Yeti 2.0 tdi is the lack of a spare wheel.

The difficulty is made worse by the fact that, here in France, the Michelin tyres which I prefer- completely counter to what you'd expect - are extremely hard to come by;  other 'good' brands can also be difficult to find at short notice.

I am tempted to buy the spare wheel kit which is sold by, for example, Horton's, at around £215 and which comes with a 16" Continental tyre and involves sacrificing some boot space (apparently, it brings the floor up to the level of the sill.)

Does anyone have any experience of buying this kit?  Or any other comments?

 

[nomdeplume]

I too live in France and have a Yeti which came without the spare wheel kit. I ended up buying the Skoda kit in the UK, and when the Skoda goes I will sell the kit separately. As for sourcing tyres in France, I buy them online from http://www.123pneus.fr/pneus.html. Prices are OK and include delivery. The local tyre dealer then fits and balances etc. for 15€ a corner. I use Goodyear Vector Four Seasons but they have a full range of Michelins as well. Any help?

[Frenchtone]

have you tried pneus123.fr the French outlet of my tyres, usually a 'full' range of stuff and also quick delivery from munich

[Llanigraham]

I am tempted to buy the spare wheel kit which is sold by, for example, Horton's, at around £215 and which comes with a 16" Continental tyre and involves sacrificing some boot space (apparently, it brings the floor up to the level of the sill.)

Does anyone have any experience of buying this kit?  Or any other comments?

 

A quick look through the history here will find lots of people who have fitted the spare wheel kit after they've bought the car, especially if it was a Greenline.

There is no problem with it.

Worth checking Ebay or the For Sale section here, as well.

[Paul_Bowden]

Thanks to all three (so far) of you for helpful advice.

Re the spare wheel kit (which I'm thinking of buying from Horton's (but I'll check eBay too) in July), is the loss of boot space very noticeable?  I know it's a slightly stupid question, as I know it levels the space more or less with the sill, but I'd just be interested to know whether the space feels significantly reduced!

Re sourcing tyres in France:  it looks like 123pneus is definitely worth a try.  But my last two punctures both destroyed the tyres and it was impossible to get either Continental or Michelin where this occurred (deepest Morbihan once and here in Poitou the second time);  in the event, I had to get something fitted (Barum on both occasions) and then wait - once a week and, second time, two weeks! - for Michelins to arrive.  I think that a proper spare kit - even with an 80 kph speed restriction - will make things a whole lot easier.

Thanks again to all.

[FlintstoneR1]

Just be aware the Skoda spare kit includes a wheel & tyre combo that makes it the right diameter & rolling circumference for either 16" original wheels or 17" with the lower sidewall tyres. Fitted to a 16" steel wheel.  But in order to keep the height occupied lower when laid flat in the boot space, the spare wheel & tyre are narrower than the regular tyres.  By about 2cm from recall. NOT a true super-skinny "space saver".  Just a narrow than standard wheel and tyre.

 

This means that although a "proper" tyre, you can't really use it on the car for prolonged periods due to the width difference. And it comes with a sticker saying a 50mph speed restriction applies.  Fine to use till you get your original repaired or replaced I guess.   

 

I discovered this when I needed 2 new tyres. Having adopted Yorkshire principles of thrift since living here, I was going to buy 1 new tyre online, then swap the spare onto one of the regular wheels. Leaving the better of the two worn tyres to become the spare - or so my theory went.  UNTIL I came to check and found the width difference!  Best laid plans of mice and men came to nought.  I was thwarted and had to buy two new tyres anyway. Drat!

[FlintstoneR1]

Thanks to all three (so far) of you for helpful advice.

Re the spare wheel kit (which I'm thinking of buying from Horton's (but I'll check eBay too) in July), is the loss of boot space very noticeable?  I know it's a slightly stupid question, as I know it levels the space more or less with the sill, but I'd just be interested to know whether the space feels significantly reduced!

Actually Paul, as the spare kit brings the new boot floor level up to match the rear door opening sill, then I find it actually helps with loading / unloading stuff from the boot.

 

The height of the "new" boot floor with spare in place, level with the sill is ideal for transporting the dog + her cage. As it means you can tuck the cage in snugly, then the cage door opens over the sill to let said canine in or out easily.

 

Heavy objects don't need to be hoiked (technical Lancastrian jargon!) up to sill level before lifting them out. You can just slide them in/out (with suitable bumper protection in place!).  Worked well when I needed to shift a handful of full size paving stones recently.

 

On those (rare?) occasions when you really do need ALL the available boot space (like in my case when moving a grandfather clock to the auction rooms, or taking the remains of the old kitchen and its units to the tip), then it's a doddle of job to just whip out the spare and its adjacent storage boxes. Giving you the full boot depth & height again. No more difficult than removing the rear seats - and that's also a doddle.  Just means running around with no spare for a couple of days till I get round to putting it back.  No worries then.  

[Paul_Bowden]

Thanks to FlinstoneR1:  all that really does make sense and convinces me.  (Incidentally, the grandfather clock anecdote is crucial:  I am HOPING (if my family read this) that I might actually receive one of said items for my next birthday which, having an 0 on the end, is a Significant One!)

[FlintstoneR1]

The clock fitted, but it wasn't a max size one!  Had to move the passenger seat fully forward and wind the backrest forward so it was level with the dashboard. Top of clock rested on dash (with suitable protection/padding). foot against the rear sill. Shows how versatile the Yeti can be! On the other max bulky load occasion recently, with all the rear seats and spare out then Yeti held all the old kitchen units in one load to the tip. Everything kind of deconstructed back to flat pack principles, if I'm making sense. Packed up to the roof in Yeti. Chap at the tip came over to take a look half way through unloading.  Said he couldn't believe how much stuff we were taking out of the back of a Yeti and thought he'd discovered a real life Tardis. Said he'd been thinking about a Yeti to replace his current Mondeo Estate and was now convinced when he saw how much more we could pack in Yeti compared to his Mondeo. Explained how easy it was to remove the rear seats. He hadn't realised that was possible.

 

He was even more gobsmacked when SWMBO and I came back half an hour later with a dysfunctional chest freezer in the back.  He came and helped us unload that!  

[pootler]

We have only recently taken delivery of our yeti, which has the spare wheel fitted.  I did find it awkward to load flat pack furniture from Ikea, because when the back seats are folded forward then then the load area is compromised in that you have to pack the space left by the seats to create a flat surface. Not insurmountable but I had not foreseen this when I specified the spare wheel.

[g6zru]

I've had the spare in both my Yetis and never had loading problems, following on from the comments above, remember that the "false floor" also has numerous storage compartments below the floor alongside the spare wheel and all the wheel accessories "jack, wheel brace, wheel nut cap remover, tow bar if fitted, ect" are stowed inside the spare wheel centre therefore taking no additional storage space.

You still have to unpack the boot to gain access so there's no difference there either.

Vertical packing soon becomes a habit!

 

Fred

[gjscott]

I have a 2013 (63) Yeti Adventure with Matterhorn wheels and 225/50 17 tyres.

 

What size space saver spare do I need to keep the circumference the same ?

 

Thanks in anticipation. 

[Llanigraham]

34 minutes ago, gjscott said:

I have a 2013 (63) Yeti Adventure with Matterhorn wheels and 225/50 17 tyres.

 

What size space saver spare do I need to keep the circumference the same ?

 

Thanks in anticipation. 

 

195/65r16 tyre on a 16" wheel.

Edited 24 February, 2017 by Llanigraham

[gjscott]

On 2/24/2017 at 11:15, Llanigraham said:

 

195/65r16 tyre on a 16" wheel.

 

This kit quotes a 195/60 R16 tyre.

 

http://caffynsparts.co.uk/skoda-yeti-4wd-spare-wheel-kit-including-false-floor.html

[Sad555]

THATS WHAT I HAVE the 195/60/ r16 spare

Edited 27 February, 2017 by Sad555

[nugbuv]

On 28/04/2015 at 16:56, Paul_Bowden said:

The only real problem I have encountered with my Yeti 2.0 tdi is the lack of a spare wheel.

The difficulty is made worse by the fact that, here in France, the Michelin tyres which I prefer- completely counter to what you'd expect - are extremely hard to come by;  other 'good' brands can also be difficult to find at short notice.

I am tempted to buy the spare wheel kit which is sold by, for example, Horton's, at around £215 and which comes with a 16" Continental tyre and involves sacrificing some boot space (apparently, it brings the floor up to the level of the sill.)

Does anyone have any experience of buying this kit?  Or any other comments?

 

 

[nugbuv]

Last month, I was in a similar situation. I didn't order my new Yeti with a spare wheel. I looked on ebay etc for a spare wheel, but, following insights of Briskodians, I decided to do things properly (I have, after all, invested a lot of hard-earned on a first-rate vehicle) and got Horton's to retro fit the spare wheel kit.

This weekend, I took my first proper look. The kit comes with moulded spacers, in which there are storage nooks and crannies, that helps hold the wheel and maximises space. Also included are the jack, brace and bits to be able to expedite a wheel change.

Although I kicked myself for not pre-ordering (it would have been cheaper), I consider the retro-fit wheel kit by Horton's to be a very good investment.... especially if I never need to use it.

[gjscott]

Here are the numbers. Looks like the 195/65 R16 is the closest. 

 

225/50 R17 - The tyre size on my Yeti. 

Diameter = 657.86 mm 

Circumference = (πxd)

 = 2,066.73 mm

 

195/60 R16:

Diameter =  640.08 mm

Circumference = (πxd)  = 2010.87 mm

 

195/65 R16:

Diameter =  660.40mm

Circumference = (πxd)  = 2072.71 mm

 

 

REF:

http://www.tyresizecalculator.com/tyre-wheel-calculators/tire-size-calculator-tire-dimensions