Spare Wheel

[jakk]

Hi, I'm still toying between Ocatavia mk4 and latest Superb - cost of purchase will be a factor. Anyway, I've rung a few main dealers, and one delaer has an Octavia with a spare wheel - it's 16 inches - however, the wheels on the car are 17 inches. I asked the sales guy - how does that work, if I have a flat, how can I have one 16 inch wheel and three 17 inch wheels - he was confused as well as no one had asked that question.....Not sure if that was his way of saying "I have no clue"....

 

Anyway, I thought I'd ask this forum - If the car has 17 inch wheels - does that mean it requires a 17 inch spare wheel as well? - my gut feeling is yes - unless someone can explain how this would work if I ever had flat.

 

Thanks in advance for any replies.

Jay,

[SkOmk4]

Imagine that for the same car you topically have 2 wheel sizes specified; 16&17, 17&18 or 18&19 - depending on the model. That means there will be a negligible speed difference between those two.
The spare wheel is not intended as a long-term use - it is meant to take you to the nearest tire service in order to repair your flat... So there's no problem with that.

 

e.g.:

My 14 years Megane 2 was delivered with 4 16" alloys (205 wide tires) and the spare is a 16" steel (195 wide tire).

My GT arrived with 4 18" alloys (225 wide) and the spare is a 17" steel rim (145 wide 😒) limited to 80km/h... 

[FlyingGecko]

Jay, you'll see many cars using a spacesaver spare that's smaller in diameter and width (tyre included in the measurements)  than the other three wheels.  As SkOmk4 said, they're designed to get you to the nearest repairers, and used no more than for a couple of hundred miles.  So any difference in rotation speed, handling characteristics etc, is irrelevant, from a safety point of view because they also have a maximum speed limit, usually 50mph.  But I've been overtaken by an Audi doing well over 80...  must have had a death wish.

 

I wouldn't make my decision between the Octavia and the Superb based on the spare wheel - there are a number of reputable sellers of spare wheel kits in the UK, I've used one near Manchester for our past three cars.  There's a good saving over dealer prices.  FWIW, of those two I'd have the Superb - even if only for the proper physical controls for the aircon!

Edited 7 December, 2021 by FlyingGecko

[jakk]

Thanks for your replies. So, it seems that I can drive with 3 17 inche wheels and 1 16 inch - as you say, it's only to get you to local garage. I was thinking the balance of the car will be compromised, but if that's not the case, then I'll discount that.

 

I'm not comparing a car with spare wheel or not - I just found it a little strange to have a spare wheel that was smaller than what is on the car.

 

Anyway, thanks for your reponses.

 

Have Fun

Jay

[SurreyJohn]

37 minutes ago, jakk said:

Thanks for your replies. So, it seems that I can drive with 3 17 inche wheels and 1 16 inch - as you say, it's only to get you to local garage. I was thinking the balance of the car will be compromised, but if that's not the case, then I'll discount that.

 

I'm not comparing a car with spare wheel or not - I just found it a little strange to have a spare wheel that was smaller than what is on the car.

 

Anyway, thanks for your reponses.

 

Have Fun

Jay

It’s not just the rim diameter, it’s the overall diameter with the tyre.  The smaller rims come with deeper tyres so it will be similar overall.   But spares are usually narrower as they are to get you to a repair centre at reduced speed.

If you look on page 4 of the Octavia accessories brochure there are a mix of 16, 17, 18 inch wheels, with deeper tyres on the smaller sizes, but outside diameter are all similar

 

https://www.skoda.co.uk/_doc/43543ebe-b876-4be5-9692-5aa8d68b302b
 

 

 

Edited 7 December, 2021 by SurreyJohn

[J.R.]

A differing wheel rim diameter does not mean that the rolling diameter of the tyre will be different, conversely you could search for a 17" space saver wheel and find that its much smaller, the rolling diameter is a function of the rim diameter, width and the tyre section, if you have the time you should search for the closest equivalent to your existing wheels.

 

I have 16" rims but I chose an 18" space saver spare to get the closest rolling diameter and higher load capacity, boy is it heavy though, the rim is 5mm thick and the tyre feels solid like a fork lift truck tyre.

[Carlston]

What size is the 16" spare tyre?

 

It might be a 205/55R16 or 205/60R16 fitted to a 6.5Jx16 ET46 steel rim.

 

Out of those two sizes, it would be best if it's the 205/60R16 size as that's a standard Octavia MK4 tyre size.

 

If 205/60R16 fits in the spare wheel well, then so will the standard 205/55R17 tyre size...in which case you could order one of those as a spare to match the other four tyre sizes already fitted to the car.

 

"skoda eshop cz" Octavia MK4 alloy rims

https://eshop.skoda-auto.cz/cs_CZ/hlinikove-disky/c/alloyWheels?sort=priceAsc&q=%3AscoreDesc%3AcarType%3AOctavia%2BIV%2B%282019%2B%29&show=Page#

 

Edited 7 December, 2021 by Carlston

[jakk]

2 hours ago, SurreyJohn said:

It’s not just the rim diameter, it’s the overall diameter with the tyre.  The smaller rims come with deeper tyres so it will be similar overall.   But spares are usually narrower as they are to get you to a repair centre at reduced speed.

If you look on page 4 of the Octavia accessories brochure there are a mix of 16, 17, 18 inch wheels, with deeper tyres on the smaller sizes, but outside diameter are all similar

 

https://www.skoda.co.uk/_doc/43543ebe-b876-4be5-9692-5aa8d68b302b
 

 

 

OK - brilliant thanks for the explanation - it does make sense now - shame the Skoda Main Dealer salesman didn't know this. 

Thanks everyone.

Jay

[nbramwel]

My previous Fabia came from the factory with 16 inch wheels and a 15 inch spare with a 50mph warning sticker on it.  Wasn't a problem at all as the tyre sidewall on the spare was bigger than the sidewall on the 16 inch wheels.

[szking]

Picked up spare wheel from dealer only to discover when I got home that it was a 205/55 R16 which is smaller than the 205/55 R17 fitted to the car. According to Skoda brochure the spare wheel option is 205/60 R16 which is the same diameter as the 205/55 R17. The dealer is saying the 1 inch smaller spare is what Skoda provide. I have now raised this with Skoda and await their reply. I really don't think Skoda should be supplying different sizes.

[Ootohere]

If it was Skoda - John Clark Aberdeen that got you the wrong spare wheel then they need to get the correct one.

Same if it was no John Clarks.

 

The Spare wheel / tyre for emergency use in the circumference that matches the models standard wheel circumference has worked OK for decades

If you want a size that matches the 4 wheels tyres on the car then there is nothing to stop you getting that, but the boot floor might sit high on many vehicles.

(The punctured tyre / wheel needs putting in there anyway if taken off the car.)

[szking]

Just a thought. If I fit a 205/55 R16 spare with a 205/55 R17 opposite the tyre monitoring system will activate due to different rolling speeds as the 16 inch tyre covers less distance per revolution.

[Carlston]

21 hours ago, szking said:

Picked up spare wheel from dealer only to discover when I got home that it was a 205/55 R16 which is smaller than the 205/55 R17 fitted to the car. According to Skoda brochure the spare wheel option is 205/60 R16 which is the same diameter as the 205/55 R17. The dealer is saying the 1 inch smaller spare is what Skoda provide. I have now raised this with Skoda and await their reply. I really don't think Skoda should be supplying different sizes.

 

The 125/70R18 space saver tyre has the same outside diameter as 205/55R16, and is being sold by Skoda for the Octavia MK3, Octavia MK4, Superb MK3, and Karoq.

 

https://eshop.skoda-auto.cz/cs_CZ/kompletni-rezervni-kolo-18/p/5E3601011B

 

Edited 29 January, 2022 by Carlston

[J.R.]

That is what I use on the Yeti.

 

Incredibly heavy, the rim is made of 5mm steel and the tyre rubber feels like it is a solid tyre, I guess the only way that they could match the load rating.

 

I have a 4x4 so no spare wheel well, I also have a variofloor crammed full of junk, if I take the space saver (not) spare with me on a long journey there is no room for anything else on the boot floor and precious little room above it, if I am not pulling a trailer where I can put it I have to remove the rear seats.

 

I would dearly love to mount it externally.

[Ootohere]

@szking If you get a puncture the TPMS will give a warning. So put on the tyre / wheel which is an emergency spare and reset the TPMS just as you do if you adjust tyre pressures, fit new tyres or refit the punctured one.

That should be it logged to not give a warning, if it does try again.   It is the Skoda standard spare tyre size and what is supplied to fit and you to be able to use without a warning.

 

Just the one the Dealer got you is the wrong one.