Well indeed, Tintowellfan. I presume your spare has a speed restriction marking on its reverse? So it looks as though all Fabias can be supplied with one sized spare; a 185/60R15. On 15" fitted cars it's a fully conventional spare wheel. On 16" and 17" fitted cars its a speed restricted spare (though to call it a space saver (ie'skinny') is arguable). It seems that the two offers illustrated by DerekU are for the very same item, except one will have speed restricted stickers and of course should only be used for taking your punctured tyre to be repaired. That ties in with a comment made by the Skoda salesman who arranged our purchase, "They tend to supply a 15" spare no matter what size your wheels have". Have I got all that right do you think? Thanks for the pic of your very neat boot BTW. Is that some packing under the wheel? Stops movement or deadens sound?

It is actually a 185/65R15. I will check later for speed restriction marking, but not sure why it would need it as it a 185/65 R15 88H Nexen Nblue HD Plus, H rated to 130MPH and has same rolling circumferance as my 17" wheel. Maybe I am showing my ignorance of these matters!

Edit. No extra packing, what you can see other than factory installed packing pieces, the grey squares, is a couple of plastic bags to accommodate the removed wheel should I get a puncture. Sods law it would happen when the wheel was manky with dirt, also keeking in at the left side is a rubber floor mat should I ever need to give someone a lift who has manky feet. Haha. I really am quite obsessive about keeping my cars in immaculate condition.

Edited 22 June, 20241 yr by Tintowellfan

The Wheels tyres of the car do fit in the Spare Tyre well.  There are models of cars where the floor might sit on the rim / sidewall a few mm higher.

 

If you have a puncture, car full of stuff or people and the boot full, then you might put on the Spare.  reset the TPMS.  Put the deflated or partially deflated wheel / tyre into the spare tyre well, load up and set off, remembering it is an odd size tyre, maybe just narrower, maybe a few mm less circumference, maybe brand new , GREEN. 

& maybe at a different pressure, compound and tread. 

 

It matters not if that Full Sized Steel wheel spare has a 'Speed restriction warning sticker' to say it is an emergency spare, you know it is. 

Doubt if the spare will have a TPMS sensor fitted.

On 06/06/2024 at 20:17, Tintowellfan said:

Having owned possibly some 30 odd cars over the years, and regularly serviced several family members cars over these years, I was only too happy to pay £100 to avoid rear drums/shoes. They can be an absolute nightmare in wet weather, particularly in the winter. My wife's VW UP is the worst ever, common talking point on VW UP forums. Have on numerous occasions had to remove and stripdown/clean them as they became seized solid. I now do it every Autumn and then again pre- MOT time in March, total pain in the ar.e

That possibly shows poorer quality of the drum brake components used/bought by VW than the actual need for rear disc brakes, all the cars I've had with drum brakes have only needed adjustment at servicing and occasional clean but it would depend on vehicle and driver, modern cars are so heavy now, in four plus decades  I've never had any issues in the winter with drum brakes, better really when wet.

 

 

For spare wheel nothing wrong with the 15" wheel or tyre size it's just that when using it it's not the the same size, and possibly make and model, as the other three on the car so should be used with the restrictions, all the driver aids in the world can only do so much the physics of the tyre (hopefully) contacting the road is the deciding factor.  The  15" Nexen N blue HD and later  the 15" Nexen N Blue HD plus tyres when fitted to my wife's 2015 Fabia Mk3 were not the grippest tyres.

 

For decades off and on I never carried the extra weight of a spare wheel (tyre, jack and tools) instead a manual foot pump but I know others don't like that, I don't like all the spare wheels that are carried that are not checked so often not at the correct pressure or even flat but that driver error.

 

I know many like the fashion of bigger wheel sizes (kinda unnecessary party frock and high heels to me) but other than getting over oversized brakes perhaps the size isn't needed and a smaller wheel means a tyre with more sidewall height so more cushioning for car and occupants from the 3rd-world roads we have.  185/65 r15 gives 24% more sidewall height than 215/45r17 and the grip, handling and ride will be as much about the tyres used as the difference in width and profile.

 

I'll leave ootohere to answer the TPMS bit. 🙂

 

Edited 22 June, 20241 yr by nta16
typo

@Tintowellfan  1st Prize. 

 

 But then the 4 on the car do not have TPMS Sensors fitted either, did you not notice? 

5 minutes ago, Ootohere said:

@Tintowellfan  1st Prize. 

 

 But then the 4 on the car do not have TPMS Sensors fitted either, did you not notice? 

Aye, it is a passive system. I blooming new that. Showing my age, silly auld fecker!! My wife's UP is the same as all VW group cars, I believe.

Edited 22 June, 20241 yr by Tintowellfan

You guys are a hard bunch on newer members. Maybe i need to develop a thicker skin!

The four tyre sizes available for Fabia Mk4 cars and (using Continental's data) their rolling circumference in millimetres are 185/65 R15 (1894mm), 195/55 R16 (1891mm), 215/45 R17 (1909mm) and 215/40 R18 (1918mm). This means that, as the wheel with the 185/65 R15 tyre will definitely fit in the Fabia's spare-wheel well the other three wheels should too, though (as has been already mentioned) the wider tyres of the 16", 17" and 18" wheels might stop the boot floor shutting properly.

 

The difference between the two Skoda spare-wheel options may simply be due to their labelling. If both spare-wheel options provide the same steel wheel and 185/65 R15 tyre, this will only exactly match the size and tyre specification of a Fabia that has 15" alloy wheels - so the steel wheel is then a 'genuine' spare-wheel, not an 'emergency' wheel, and need not carry speed-restriction labelling. For Fabias with 16", 17" or 18" wheels, the steel wheel and 185/65 R15 tyre will NOT exactly match the car's alloy wheels/tyres, so the steel wheel cannot be considered a 'genuine' spare-wheel and, as an 'emergency' wheel, needs to carry speed-restriction labelling.

 

This is just theorising - but, if any forum member has a Fabia Mk4 with 15" alloy wheels and the steel  spare-wheel option, it would be interesting to know whether or not the spare-wheel carries any emergency-use-only labelling.

Edited 22 June, 20241 yr by DerekU

2 minutes ago, Tintowellfan said:

You guys are a hard bunch on newer members. Maybe i need to develop a thicker skin!

Sorry didn't mean to be or seem hard, I can't stand macho b*ll*cks (and I'll punch the first bloke that sez I do 😆) I was just putting my side and experience and I think ootohere was being humorous, and I thought your reply was being humorous - and good in admitting you'd made a mistake like we all do, me very often, numerous times, it's the internet full of errors. 

 

Nothing wrong with debate, different ideas, opinions and beliefs and friendly disagreements, I've not seen ootohere be nasty (unlike some others here sometimes) but a bit of leg-puling, humour, perhaps even a slight urine extraction perhaps but I'd only know for sure if I was the author.

 

To me somethings about cars can be serious but 'talking' about them generally isn't, unless it's a matter about safety or breaking any laws.   

Just to add to DerekU's last post, the bits that ootohere put about the spare tyre possibly/probably being as new, unused "green". possibly at a different pressure, possibly different design, build, compound and tread still apply with 15" spare wheel on a car with (more sensible) 15" wheels fitted.

 

On a side note my wife's 2015 Mk3 came with 185/60 r15 tyres (rather than 185/65 r15) that may just be changes in prices or availability or VW supply contracts in the intervening years.

 

A few of us here will remember when 70 ratio tyre sidewall height was the low profile for tyres for sports and family cars. 🙃 

2 hours ago, Tintowellfan said:

It is actually a 185/65R15. I will check later for speed restriction marking, but not sure why it would need it as it a 185/65 R15 88H Nexen Nblue HD Plus, H rated to 130MPH and has same rolling circumferance as my 17" wheel. Maybe I am showing my ignorance of these matters!

Edit. No extra packing, what you can see other than factory installed packing pieces, the grey squares, is a couple of plastic bags to accommodate the removed wheel should I get a puncture. Sods law it would happen when the wheel was manky with dirt, also keeking in at the left side is a rubber floor mat should I ever need to give someone a lift who has manky feet. Haha. I really am quite obsessive about keeping my cars in immaculate condition.

Ah, the plot thickens, and is certainly not as simple as I had hoped! Given that the wheel/tyre diameter of the 'space saver' spare should be as  close as possible to that of the fitted road wheels it would make sense that those for a 17" fitted vehicle should have a slightly higher aspect ratio (65) than a 16" wheel (60). The aspect ratio being the tyre height/widthx100%. My road wheels are 215/45R17, if they are the same as yours then it would seem I'm after the same spare as you were supplied with by Skoda, ie a 185/65R15. Are we the same? Thanks. 

 

How do I work out the space saver size I need? | Ask the Car Expert

Edited 22 June, 20241 yr by Chug41
for 15 read 17!

12 minutes ago, Chug41 said:

The aspect ratio being the tyre height/widthx100%

Be aware that the sizes of tyres given are nominal and actual inflated sizes of the tyres in a boot well may vary a very little.  The tyre manufacturers catalogue or website might give you actual sizes, and tyre tread depth from new can vary, say between 6.5mm to 8mm so be wary of tight squeezes if not getting official wheels.

 

You can use the hyperlink Tintowellfan posted to compare nominal sizes of tyres (in mm or inches).

 

About a quarter of a century ago I had to put a space saver tyre or a car that didn't have such overspec'd wheels and tyres as now (and much lighter car with much less electronic driver "aids") and going up hill in town at less than 30 mph when braking on a dry road I could feel the difference in grip and how it affected the braking (no power steering).  That wasn't a very powerful car (but much lighter than now) but it put me off carrying a spacer or using one unless really necessary which was just to hold that corner of the car up whilst I got the tyre repaired or replaced.

 

I'm not sure that the goo couldn't be sorted with a bit of effort but I'd sooner use a manual footpump, the plug in electric one are generally wheezy, very noisy and can get sometimes get hot and take a fuse out if used to fully inflate a flat tyre on a big wheel if not given rest and cooling down breaks and the pressure gauges well out - but perhaps  the VW provided ones are of better quality now, I've tested the one in my wife's car a little but I only know for sure it's a bit wheezy, very noisy and gauge is out and no real idea of it's full inflation capabilities, it might surprise me - my wife bought a cheap manual footpump and put that in the boot as well.

 

1 hour ago, Chug41 said:

Ah, the plot thickens, and is certainly not as simple as I had hoped! Given that the wheel/tyre diameter of the 'space saver' spare should be as  close as possible to that of the fitted road wheels it would make sense that those for a 17" fitted vehicle should have a slightly higher aspect ratio (65) than a 16" wheel (60). The aspect ratio being the tyre height/widthx100%. My road wheels are 215/45R17, if they are the same as yours then it would seem I'm after the same spare as you were supplied with by Skoda, ie a 185/65R15. Are we the same? Thanks. 

 

How do I work out the space saver size I need? | Ask the Car Expert

Yep, Skoda supplied, paid for by me at time of order, is 185/65R15. My car has 215/45R17 fitted.

1 hour ago, Tintowellfan said:

Yep, Skoda supplied, paid for by me at time of order, is 185/65R15. My car has 215/45R17 fitted.

Bingo! Thanks a lot, that answers that! As to a full sized 17" spare, the problem is not that it won't fit in the stowage but that it would protrude into the boot floor as stated by nta16. The Fabia tyre sizes listed by DerekU show that our 215/45R17s are the only 17" ones supplied, and hence the 185/65R15 'space saver' is what I need. My thanks to all. A perfect example of a forum working at its best! 

5 hours ago, Chug41 said:

As to a full sized 17" spare, the problem is not that it won't fit in the stowage but that it would protrude into the boot floor as stated by nta16.

It was Ootohere that mention that and not me but all posters contributed to your pot of info on this.

 

oops! Apologies Ootohere. As nta16 said, every one chipped in and made a totally bewildering subject understandable even to me. A belated thanks indeed! 

Back in the late-1980s/early-1990s I owned four VW Golf GTi cars in succession. All of these had alloy wheels with a steel spare-wheel as standard, except the last one (a 1.8 16-valve) had the skinny space-saver type. During a short trip to France, staying in a privately-owned gite located down a very rural narrow country farm track, I noticed on the Sunday that one of that car's rear tyres was flat. I put on the skinny spare-wheel and immediately realised that its overall diameter was significantly smaller than the standard alloy wheels as the car was now visibly lower on that rear corner. I next found that I couldn't drive down the farm track that had a prominent ridge in its centre. The gite's owner saw me looking disconsolately at the car and, when I explained the problem, said "I'll phone my son". The son came over and said "I'll phone my mechanic/blacksmith pal". He then drove me and the wheel with the punctured tyre to his mate's workshop who removed the tyre (a large metal staple was found in the tread) and carried out a very professional repair. I said "What do I owe you both?" and the reply was "It's midday, so you can just buy us a drink." Off to the local bar and, when I returned to the gite much later, I was well drunk (and my wife was not well pleased!) To guard against a repeat episode, I bought a wheel and tyre that matched the Golf's standard alloy wheels size-wise, but, although this fitted OK in the Golf's spare-wheel well, its width prevented the boot floor from closing down properly. When driving in the UK, I carried the skinny spare-wheel and when going abroad I carried the full size spare wheel. Of course, after that, I never had another puncture with that car.

I notice that there was a similar 'spare-wheel size?' discussion here in 2020/2021 relating to Fabia Mk3 cars.

 

https://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/488255-spare-steel-wheel-different-size/

 

(I particularly liked the comment "Anyone can do what ever they want, there is no one policing stupidity")

 

As a rule of thumb, the size and specification of the tyre on the optional steel spare-wheel of a VW Group car will match the size and specification (though not necessarily the make) of the tyre fitted to the standard road wheels fitted to the lowest 'trim' specification for that particular model. Hence the optional steel spare-wheel for all Fabia Mk3 cars had a 185/60 R15 tyre and, for all Fabia Mk4 cars, the optional steel spare-wheel has a 185/65 R15 tyre.

Thanks DerekU, a very interesting thread you linked to. The  Skoda policy on spare wheels for the Fabia Mk3 clearly explained which ensured that the same spare wheels were fitted to all versions of the model, with the proviso that if it was not the base model they are speed restricted and labelled as such. A lot of i's and t's dotted and crossed here, and I for one now have a clearer idea of the limitations of the spare wheels supplied in order that; they not only fit in the stowage, but still stay below the boot floor, and still tick the regulations for an emergency spare wheel size. Time to give a half hour lecture down at the pub? Or perhaps not...

I liked the post of Carlston's that corrected the idea that steel wheels are heavier than alloy.

 

The belief that a wider wheel will give better handling and road grip just by being wider totally neglects the greater importance of the tyre fitted, again a wider tyre may not be better and can be worse, all depends on the tyre.  Most don't know or realise what a very important car component tyres are and how complex their design and build is and it great effect on the car, it braking, steering, suspension, handling, grip, ride quality and comfort, 

 

In very broad terms the wheel size was about the weight of the vehicle and getting over the size of the brakes now it's a lot more about fashion and "filling the wheel arch" to look good (fashionable at a particular time).

 

Thanks for all the replies here.

I actually went to collect a spare wheel for my Fabia mk4 on Saturday morning and found out, when I got there, that the 16 inch steel wheel I'd ordered had the wrong stud displacement. I'd bought a one which was advertised as a 16“ spare for an Octavia on eBay.

 

The guy was super-helpful and friendly when I turned up to collect it and informed me that the Octavia stud pattern is 5x112mm hexagonally arranged, whereas for the smaller Fabia/Polo/Ibiza models you needed a 5x100mm arrangement of stud holes.

 

He offered me a full refund and I felt it was worth a wasted trip out just to gain a bit of wisdom about hub stud arrangements.

 

After reading this thread, in hindsight, I will look for a 15 inch steel wheel for my Fabia rather than seeking a 16 because, as has been mentioned, it doesn't have to be an exact match if it's only for driving a handful of miles in an emergency.

 

Thanks to all who contributed. 👍

Edited 25 June, 20241 yr by JFrankMiller
Got a number wrong

Bookmark this website for future reference, save you another wasted journey.

Saved me a few anyway.

 

https://www.wheelfitment.eu/car/Skoda/Fabia (2021 - ).html

More knowledge and advice for you. 

 

The cars have a stupid bolt instead of stud arrangement this means fitting the wheel with the car on the ground can be a PITA (or back more accurately) so you need a bit more in the spare wheel kit that isn't provided to make the job easier.  This is what some call a VW wheel alignment / fitting tool better than a single one is to buy a set of two.  (Another example of German engineering "quality".

Edited 25 June, 20241 yr by nta16
missing words

This 'tool' is widely advertised on eBay/Amazon for around £7-upwards and the M14 x 1.50 version will be required. (Example advert here)

 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/223480382915

 

(Also advertised on AliExpress for a couple of quid.)

 

This link may be of interest (though the basic 'European' argument is incorrect.)

 

https://www.reddit.com/r/AskMechanics/comments/qhlc51/why_do_european_cars_use_lug_bolts_rather_than/