Spare Wheel Dilemna

[dawpooldad]

Hi,

I have a 2013 Octavia 1.2 Tsi hatchback that doesn't have a spare wheel, relying on the inflation kit.

If I buy a spare wheel kit, can I have a full size wheel or does it have to be a space saver.

I picked up somewhere that the full size spare won't fit in the wheel well.

If anyone can help I'd be grateful.

Thanks

dawpooldad

[gregoir]

I paid for  a kit, comprising a full size tyre for my 1.4l TSI , on a full steel rim, rather than alloy. So  full size for my car. It fits into my spare wheel well. 

[Gabbo]

I'm sure a full size space should fit as my vRS has a full size 17" spare.

Definately worth having a real spare as my only tyre issue in the last 15-years was a missing valve which no amount of gunk would fix.

Sods law would say it happens when you are far away from home or doing something really urgent too.

[flybynite]

Depends on what wheels you have on your car, the usual Skoda spare is (to all intents and purposes) a full size steel wheel (6.5x16 with a 205/55 tyre) That fits in the well perfectly.

 

Only if you have big brakes (vRS) do you need a 17" spare. A full size 17" wheel will fit but raises the boot floor a bit so those cars tended to have thin space savers fitted. In those cases I find an aftermarket 6.5"x17" steel fitted with a 205 tyre a good compromise.

[SWBoy]

6 hours ago, flybynite said:

Depends on what wheels you have on your car, the usual Skoda spare is (to all intents and purposes) a full size steel wheel (6.5x16 with a 205/55 tyre) That fits in the well perfectly.

+1

 

My 2015 1.4 TSI Elegance estate has 17" wheels and when we bought it (as a one year old) came with a "full size" 16" steel wheel which, because it's a different size to the other wheels, has a 50kph speed limit label even though it has a "normal" tyre.

Edited 18 July, 2017 by SWBoy

[Mouldy]

We usually take our annual holidays driving in France.  Because I don't fancy sitting on the side of a French motorway with a flat tyre or suffering a long journey at 50mph, I have bought a full size spare wheel for each of the three vRS's Ive owned so far.

 

I currently own a mk3 with 18" Geminis.  Complete with a 225/40 18 tyre, it fits in the spare wheel well with no problems.  There are always spare alloys on eBay and they can usually be bought at a fraction of the price of a new one, even if a refurb is required.

 

The only issue is getting the correct polystyrene insert for the tools.  The one that came with the spacesaver supplied with my car was too big, so I managed to find a suitable one on eBay  too.

[SWBoy]

10 hours ago, Mouldy said:

I currently own a mk3 with 18" Geminis.  Complete with a 225/40 18 tyre, it fits in the spare wheel well with no problems.

That's good to know, I'll have to start looking for a full size spare as we too holiday in France, often in very rural areas.

[Spongefactory]

If you're considering winter wheels and tyres you have spares...

In summer I have a 17" winter as a spare, in winter I run my summer 18" as a spare.

They both fit fine in the wheel well.

[juan27]

13 hours ago, Mouldy said:

We usually take our annual holidays driving in France.  Because I don't fancy sitting on the side of a French motorway with a flat tyre or suffering a long journey at 50mph, I have bought a full size spare wheel for each of the three vRS's Ive owned so far.

 

 

1 hour ago, Spongefactory said:

If you're considering winter wheels and tyres you have spares...

In summer I have a 17" winter as a spare, in winter I run my summer 18" as a spare.

They both fit fine in the wheel well.

 

I have 18s and I would personally as soon drive on the 16" spare at 130kmph on the autoroute as an odd 17" winter tyre. The spare is a standard 16" summer tyre and feels fine.  

 

To be honest I have done so in the past on a French autoroute, but obviously that should not be seen as a recommendation.  

 

[Spongefactory]

2 minutes ago, juan27 said:

 

 

I have 18s and I would personally as soon drive on the 16" spare at 130kmph on the autoroute as an odd 17" winter tyre. The spare is a standard 16" summer tyre and feels fine.  

 

To be honest I have done so in the past on a French autoroute, but obviously that should not be seen as a recommendation.  

 

 

The 'odd' 17" winter is a 225/45 R17 so same width and rolling radius as a 225/40 R18, sure the compound is a little soft but perfectly safe up to illegal speeds.

[HotVRs]

My previous Octavia 3 had 18" Golus, and the spare was a 17" with a larger profile tyre. I suspect the rolling diameter was about the same. I drove with that spare on the front from the M5/M6 interchange north of Birmingham to Manchester (after a hole in the M5 took a chunk out of the wheel) with no issue, no warning lights even for tyre pressure.

[juan27]

Just now, Spongefactory said:

 

The 'odd' 17" winter is a 225/45 R17 so same width and rolling radius as a 225/40 R18, sure the compound is a little soft but perfectly safe up to illegal speeds.

 

Its a sound solution if you've no other spare. The 16" spare is the same rolling diameter too. Granted it is stickered as having a speed limit but I think that's just because you will be mixing tyre sizes on the same axle (as you are with the winter tyre) which used to be illegal before "true" (ie skinny 125 width) spacesavers were introduced.  

[fabdavrav]

The spare wheel well can accept a space saver & the vario boot floor can got to the lowest position. If you fit a full size (any diameter suitable but max 225mm wide tyre) the boot floor has to be in the highest (load level) position only...

 

One advantage of your optional top hifi is the subwoofer is in the space next to the wheel arch, mine (MK7 Golf) is in the spare wheel dish face, & it requires 18" minimum to fit into..& my alloys are 17"...bugger!

[dawpooldad]

Well thanks fellas,

It seems to me, from all the very knowledgeable and experienced replies, that the standard steel wheel (6.5x16 with a 205/55 tyre) will be OK. 

All I've got to do is find one with the kit and sooner rather than later!!

Thanks again

dawpooldad

[gregoir]

Remember you will need a jack and the tools etc. in the plastic tray along with the wheel.  I went the whole hog and bought it from the dealer. £150 plus IIRC.

The compressor now resides in my garage and is useful for topping the tyres up and is much quieter than my previous electric pump.

[RupertsTrooper]

Just had delivered the Skoda spare wheel and tool kit, from Bickertons, for my lad's 2016 Octavia Estate 2.0TDi SE-L which has 205/55 R16 91V tyres - I'm baffled as the spare is the same size but the steel wheel is marked up with 50 mph limit - why, if the tyre is the same size as the 4 road wheels - any ideas?

[Rodge]

22 minutes ago, RupertsTrooper said:

Just had delivered the Skoda spare wheel and tool kit, from Bickertons, for my lad's 2016 Octavia Estate 2.0TDi SE-L which has 205/55 R16 91V tyres - I'm baffled as the spare is the same size but the steel wheel is marked up with 50 mph limit - why, if the tyre is the same size as the 4 road wheels - any ideas?

I think it's because the same wheel is used as a big "space saver" spare in cars with bigger wheels, so they put the 50 mph sticker on just in case. Even though a proper space saver is a fraction of the width.

My full size 16" steel spare supplied with the car from the factory two years ago does not have a warning sticker, but I gather some newer ones do.

[juan27]

2 hours ago, RupertsTrooper said:

Just had delivered the Skoda spare wheel and tool kit, from Bickertons, for my lad's 2016 Octavia Estate 2.0TDi SE-L which has 205/55 R16 91V tyres - I'm baffled as the spare is the same size but the steel wheel is marked up with 50 mph limit - why, if the tyre is the same size as the 4 road wheels - any ideas?

 

+1 for it being used for the bigger wheeled cars.  

[RupertsTrooper]

so - I wonder if it's legal to remove the sticker in our case?

[philbes]

On ‎19‎/‎07‎/‎2017 at 10:53, Spongefactory said:

If you're considering winter wheels and tyres you have spares...

In summer I have a 17" winter as a spare, in winter I run my summer 18" as a spare.

They both fit fine in the wheel well.

What an excellent idea.  I never thought of that.  About to go out to my garage to put a winter 225/45-17 (on alloy wheel) into the boot well as a spare for my summer 225/40-18 tyres.  As both spare tyres will be a different size to the fitted tyres I will still be legally limited to 50mph (80kph) if either spare is used.  Either spare is closer in spec. to the fitted tyres than the current 205/55-16 spare on a steel wheel.  I just have to remember that the summer and winter wheels use different bolts ( summer - conical seat / winter - tapered seat), so have 5 spare bolts ready in the boot.

[juan27]

44 minutes ago, RupertsTrooper said:

so - I wonder if it's legal to remove the sticker in our case?

Yes absolutely if it's the same size wheel and standard tyre as fitted on the car then it is a full size spare.  Not even sure if it's illegal to remove the sticker from a "real" space saver in any case. Does anyone know if spacesavers are legal at all strictly speaking in the UK? I'm pretty sure they weren't when they first appeared. Would a car pass an MOT with one fitted?

[RupertsTrooper]

For many years, space-savers weren't technically legal in the UK but tolerated without prosecution by the authorities - more recently, regulations have been changed to remove the legal anomally.

[gregoir]

I asked this question before. Lots of opinions but no definite answers. I'm happy to treat it as a normal wheel on my car - regarding speed rating.

[tomsimes]

On 18/07/2017 at 10:54, flybynite said:

Only if you have big brakes (vRS) do you need a 17" spare.

Not necessarily, you don't need a 17" for the rear. It's more faff, but if the puncture is on the front you fit the spare to the rear and the old rear wheel to the front.

 

Identical set up was on my old Honda S2000 - spacesaver spare couldn't be used on the rear due to the LSD, so a rear puncture required a front wheel to replace it, wth the spare then fitted to the front.

[SWBoy]

15 hours ago, RupertsTrooper said:

For many years, space-savers weren't technically legal in the UK but tolerated without prosecution by the authorities - more recently, regulations have been changed to remove the legal anomally.

Isn't that because they have always been legal in at least one EU country, which be default makes them legal in the UK (unless that is repealed after Brexit?).