Got a flat tyre last night, first time ever. Got it all sorted and the spare on. Thankfully enough, it didnt take too long and was fine.

But then I got the genius idea: Next time I'll have a FULL SIZE spare! No 50mph limit! Great!

But I've been told a full size won't fit in the boot spare wheel compartment.. Anyone here who owns a Panda able to confirm or deny this?

I have the standard Dynamic steel wheels with original wheel trims - 13".

Will another identical steel wheel with the same tyre fitted fit in here? I'd much rather lose 2mpg or so (whatever it'll be for the extra weight) and be prepared that bit more if possible!

P.S. Stung me £40 for a new wheel this morning. There was a large nail stuck in the tyre - inside it and poking back out through a side wall. Therefore a repair wasn't possible. My four new tyres are now 3 'newish' tyres and a brand new one.. :-( That's £40 out of the service fund.. Car ownership eh?!

Why don't you take one of your wheels off, and try and fit it in the boot? Takes 10 minutes tops

A full size wheel should fit in terms of radius, though it'll stick up inside the boot more.

As above, it'll fit in but it'll stick up a little bit.

Personally, I wouldn't bother with a full-size spare. It's only there as a precaution. I have actually never used my spare wheel in the last 21 years I've been driving... Fingers crossed and all that!

There's only about an inch difference in width btw. Consider those with sporty models where the spare is about one-third the width of the real one

SB1500 said:

Got it all sorted and the spare on.

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So there you are, spare fitted, punctured wheel in your hands, wondering what to do with it. Surely the well in the boot would be a good place for transporting it to the tyre shop?

But you're asking us if it will fit.

Have I missed something important here?

portland_bill said:

So there you are, spare fitted, punctured wheel in your hands, wondering what to do with it. Surely the well in the boot would be a good place for transporting it to the tyre shop?

But you're asking us if it will fit.

Have I missed something important here?

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OP needed a new wheel apparently.,
with a bit of guesswork, :idea:the new tyre could've tested the Dimensions of the spare wheel well in the floor, much lighter than a new wheel

A short while ago I sold a two seater with a space saver spare. I wondered why the maker provided a big zip bag in the tool kit. When I had a puncture I found out. The punctured wheel wouldn't fit in the boot, and had to sit on the passenger seat in its own zip bag.

Fortunately I was driving alone at the time. Easy way to get rid of an unwanted girlfriend though!

Wee Smurf said:

As above, it'll fit in but it'll stick up a little bit.

Personally, I wouldn't bother with a full-size spare. It's only there as a precaution. I have actually never used my spare wheel in the last 21 years I've been driving...

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correct , when I used to drive across France regularly I added a proper spare wheel , the @50mm it raised the boot carpet by was a good compromise compared to the risk of an extra few hours driving - at 50 mph rather than @80..,

I've only needed to pull over with a puncture once in @30 years .., and it wasn't my car , they'd had a similar puncture on opposing tyre 3 days before,:bang:
in my experience if you drive in the "middle" of lanes - out of the "ditch"..and away from the debris on the "white-line" you wont pick-up all the nails and junk..never mind kerbing your rims

varesecrazy said:

correct , when I used to drive across France regularly I added a proper spare wheel , the @50mm it raised the boot carpet by was a good compromise compared to the risk of an extra few hours driving - at 50 mph rather than @80..,

I've only needed to pull over with a puncture once in @30 years .., and it wasn't my car , they'd had a similar puncture on opposing tyre 3 days before,:bang:
in my experience if you drive in the "middle" of lanes - out of the "ditch"..and away from the debris on the "white-line" you wont pick-up all the nails and junk..never mind kerbing your rims

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I'd say that my driving line is most likely similar to yours!

Hello,

I was in a hurry at the scene of the flat so I didnt have time - as well as passengers who wanted to go home!

I actually asked the people at the tyre shop who said "No, it won't fit", but then again, they're as good as the common mechanic to me! lol


Also, noticed this evening my steering is pulling to the left (front left tyre was the flat) Will it need re-aligned or what? Tested it and it's definitely not normal how much it's pulling to the left :-( Another item of expenditure now!

Are the two tyres on the front axle of the same brand and pattern? Is there much difference in the thread depth? Also have you checked the pressures? I have found in the past that some tyre dealers tend to put a bit too much pressure in so I normally will check mine at home. If things are not balanced between the wheels on the same axle, the car can feel unbalanced.

Wee Smurf said:

Are the two tyres on the front axle of the same brand and pattern? Is there much difference in the thread depth? Also have you checked the pressures? I have found in the past that some tyre dealers tend to put a bit too much pressure in so I normally will check mine at home. If things are not balanced between the wheels on the same axle, the car can feel unbalanced.

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All the same brand. The new one is the exact same - and from the same place too.
Same pattern.
Just newer.
Others are around a year old. I did ask about whether I'd need to replace both front ones they said it was fine as the others aren't really worn in too much. Tread it well within legal limit and still looks 'neat'.


Certainly does feel 'high pressure', they didn't pump up the other three - probably put off by the screw in- dust caps.


Here's an interesting point however...

Last Thursday I was passing by and got the same guy to pump up my pressure in the wheels...

I noticed TWO looking a bit flat - perhaps after a battering the car took on some rough across the border roads the other night?!

That's the only reason I can think they went down. Not sure if it's normal or if they had over pumped them up ..

They are relatively new tires, when you took the dust caps off the valves were all shiny - outstanding 'looking', you'd know they weren't old!

I don't have a decent pump, but tomorrow I will make the effort to go to a family member with a garage who will and I'll pump them up equally.

The side wall has a 'Range' of PSI they can be pumped to, how do I tell which I need? It has a Maximum too and I'm just not sure :-S

** as with many of my posts I probably seem a bit un-logical as I'm new to car ownership and am quite young - thank you all for your extended patience with me! **

SB1500 said:

The side wall has a 'Range' of PSI they can be pumped to, how do I tell which I need? It has a Maximum too and I'm just not sure :-S

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You are new to driving. so you should remember your 'show/tell' questions then. How do you check the pressures, and where do you find the required pressure?

Look in the handbook. Do not use the figures on the side of the tyre. They are not specific to the vehicle application, but are there to comply with safety legislation to discourage people inflating them until they burst.

Better still, have a look at the tyre manufacturer's website. Many will have a vehicle listing with their recommended pressures. If different that the handbook, use the tyre manufacturer pressure. Often higher than Fiat recommend.

With my Continental and Vredestein tyres, both summer and winter, the pressures recommended by the tyre manufacturers were significantly higher. The car rides more smoothly, and handles better. Sorry I can't give figures, don't have the car until Saturday.

portland_bill said:

You are new to driving. so you should remember your 'show/tell' questions then. How do you check the pressures, and where do you find the required pressure?



Look in the handbook. Do not use the figures on the side of the tyre. They are not specific to the vehicle application, but are there to comply with safety legislation to discourage people inflating them until they burst.



Better still, have a look at the tyre manufacturer's website. Many will have a vehicle listing with their recommended pressures. If different that the handbook, use the tyre manufacturer pressure. Often higher than Fiat recommend.



With my Continental and Vredestein tyres, both summer and winter, the pressures recommended by the tyre manufacturers were significantly higher. The car rides more smoothly, and handles better. Sorry I can't give figures, don't have the car until Saturday.

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I know it's in the Handbook but due to getting the car from my sister she lost it and other useful documentation so unfortunately I'll have to scour the downloads section for one. I did assume it'd refer me to the manufacturers figure for it though?

SB1500 said:

I know it's in the Handbook but due to getting the car from my sister she lost it and other useful documentation so unfortunately I'll have to scour the downloads section for one. I did assume it'd refer me to the manufacturers figure for it though?

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I'll look for you tomorrow (if I remember). Pressures for the diesel are different to your petrol. You have 13s on?

For petrol Pandas, it's 2.0 bar in front and 1.8 bar to the rear.

Several variants in handbook. Wee Smurf has given you one.
Running light, I'd suggest (in old money) 30psi front and 28 rear, with 32 front and 30 rear when loaded.

To help sort your problem make sure that, whatever pressure you pick near those figures, the fronts are the same both sides and so are the rears, and the pressure on the front is a couple of psi higher than the rear.

Wee Smurf said:

I'll look for you tomorrow (if I remember). Pressures for the diesel are different to your petrol. You have 13s on?

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Yeah, 13" steels , and the 1.2 Petrol is my engine.

Thanks, I appreciate it btw!

My LHD 2004 panda came with a full size and fits in the boot fine. My RHD English panda came with a space saver. Both fit fine. That said you're going to be going to a tyre place really quickly after a puncture so it doesn't make too much difference.