General Space saver spare wheel

[Gazz71]

Hi not long got a 500 x plus 1.6 diesel and looking for advise on getting a space saver wheel instead of the inflation kit. Loving the car having traded in our 63reg 500s for it .

 

[Gazz71]

Hi not long got a 500 x plus 1.6 diesel and looking for advise on getting a space saver wheel instead of the inflation kit. Loving the car having traded in our 63reg 500s for it .

Will any other fiat space saver wheel fit the 500x plus it's now on 18" alloys

 

[Alanw47]

Hi not long got a 500 x plus 1.6 diesel and looking for advise on getting a space saver wheel instead of the inflation kit. Loving the car having traded in our 63reg 500s for it .

Do you have the adjustable height boot floor? You'll lose that with a spacesaver spare

 

[cowabunga]

I got the spacesaver on mine with the car, didn't order it, just came with it.

Be careful what you wish for, it does eat into the boot space a lot. If you can live with a flat boot floor, which is handy and smaller boot then go for it, otherwise stay as you are.

Easiest think to do is to move the boot floor to the top position and see what you think.

 

[s130]

I'll try to remember to ckeck the exact details but the space save that came with my 500X Cross Plus 18" is a 195 sized tyre (not listed in any of the handbooks I've seen).

For me, a caravan tower (NO NOT A WOBBLY BOX ) then having a real spare, even space saver is if real importance.

I've mention in another post (elsewhere) then with the space saver you discard the foam insert. With the boot floor in the upper position then yes "above" space is reduce but actually with the foam insert removed there is loads off space around and above the space saver wheel to lose all the other motorists clap trap out of sight and give you a clean boot space.

If not enough then chuck the kids out and re-use their space (only joking - our house rabbits who travel with us would kill us!)

 

[cowabunga]

I think mine's something like a 145/155 80 profile tyre or summat, remember it was narrow with a big sidewall.

Good point on the foam insert etc, that area underneath is useful for keeping all your cr@p in.

 

[damomca]

The proper sized spare is 145/90 R16

 

[s130]

Yes confirm 145/90 R16 even though my wheels are 18inch.

 

[s130]

I'll try to remember to ckeck the exact details but the space save that came with my 500X Cross Plus 18" is a 195 sized tyre (not listed in any of the handbooks I've seen)

Well I looked and it is a 145/90 R16 (not 195)

 

[TrevC]

I spent an hour or so experimenting with producing a dual height boot floor, keeping the space saver and all the tools. I discarded the foam tray and the foam tool "box". I have some thin grey carpet, with no backing (more like coarse felt). I stuck pieces of this around the wheel well to provide a rattle proof lining for stored items. The jack is placed near the front right corner of the boot, with its base sticking down into the well. It doesn't protude above the tyre, and I shaped some dense foam to wedge it in place. I've wrapped the remaining tools in a piece of my "carpet" and they fit in the rear right corner.

There is space to the left of the wheel for my first aid kit and other odds and ends.

The boot floor sits nicely on the spare, held down at the front by pieces of foam stuck to the bottom of the mouldings that support the floor in its factory position. With the floor in the new lower position, I've gained 8cm of boot depth, and about 57 litres of volume. I'll keep the foam bits I've removed so I can restore it to "factory spec" at any time. Test drive tomorrow will reveal any rattles.

If anyone is interested I'll try to post some photos - not done it before in over 6 years of membership, so it will be a learning curve.

 

[cowabunga]

Great idea. I wondered if this was possible myself as the foam is higher than the spare wheel and there is a fair amount of space under the boot floor in the high position.

It's not 100% clear from your post, but if you make the modifications you mention can you get the boot floor to sit in the lower position, i.e. where it would sit normally without a spare tyre, or is there a few cm difference which is why your using the foam to jack the removable floor up a bit?

I'd be very interested to hear how you get on and what modifications are necessary, and I'll probably end up doing the same. I have seen cars with the lower boot floor in the showroom and the boot looks a lot bigger with it set to the lower position.

Please post pics if you can.

 

[Alanw47]

Agreed, a few pics would be most welcome. Adjustable floor and spacesaver wheel is a huge frustration

 

[TrevC]

Ok, I'll have a go at some pictures tomorrow. The modified position of the boot floor is not as low as it would be without the space saver. The plastic moulding across the rear of the boot has a small shelf for the boot floor to rest on, and mine sits above that as it is effectively resting on the spare. With my mod the boot height from floor to parcel shelf has increased from 45cm to 53cm (approx).

 

[TrevC]

Ok, I need some help here. If I get some photos on my tablet, how do I post them here? The picture icon seems to expect a URL for the picture, not sure how to enter this for images stored on my tablet. On another forum I use, you have to first upload pictures to an album on the forum. Do you have to do something similar here? Sorry if I'm being dense, but I've not been able to find any guide.

 

[twobigdogs]

Just click the + sign by comments box then click the little pic of the mountains after allowing access to your pics.

 

[TrevC]

Feeling really thick now. I post these messages by touching "Reply" in the previous post. This puts the cursor in the "Message" window, whose icons include the mountains picture. If I select that, it asks me for the URL of my pictures, and I don't know what to enter. I can't see a + symbol anywhere. I usually post on my Android tablet, does it look different on a PC screen?

 

[TrevC]

Right, logged in on my PC for more clarity, and found I had to upload photos to a gallery first. So, here are a few of my modification:

They seem to be displayed in random order without my captions, but give the general idea. You can see before and after shots of the boot, the small blocks of foam I stuck on to press on the front of the floor, and the jack location.

 

[twobigdogs]

Feeling really thick now. I post these messages by touching "Reply" in the previous post. This puts the cursor in the "Message" window, whose icons include the mountains picture. If I select that, it asks me for the URL of my pictures, and I don't know what to enter. I can't see a + symbol anywhere. I usually post on my Android tablet, does it look different on a PC screen?

Sorry I didn’t realise you were using android. iPhone etc does it direct to forum.

 

[cowabunga]

Trev

Thanks for the pics.

Just wondering can you turn the spare upside down? if so I'd expect it to create more space.

 

[TrevC]

You could do, although you would have to use some kind of spacer under the retaining disc "nut" - it won't screw down enough to clamp the wheel otherwise. I would have done this if the jack had fitted in the centre of the wheel, but it's too big.