Space-saving wheels dont actually save space!

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Space-saving wheels dont actually save space!

MaxHeadroom

2014 PANDA 4x4 TwinAir
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As per the title; all comments would be very welcome...

I was staring into space - that is, the boot-space of my 2014 Panda yesterday (as you do), and I noticed that the space-saving wheel is all wrong... It doesn't save any space at all. On the contrary, it actually takes up space!

With the spare wheel held in by it's screw-down clamp (that has an unnecessarly long thread!) I noticed there is a lot of wasted space below the wheel. There's not much space in the boot of a Panda anyway so I had an idea...

:idea:
Why not turn the wheel over? That way it could then be filled with a whole load of stuff - tools, spares, and other bits and bobs etc
(Yes I realise the screw-down clamp would now no longer do anything, but it wouldn't be difficult to make up a suitable spacer in order to keep it utilised.

What beggars the question however, is why did FIAT design the spare wheel to fit in this way?

Does fitting it in like that create some extra strength to the boot floor or am I missing something? It just seems so (obviously) wrong!
 

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"Space saver" was a phrase coined early on when these things were first presented. The name is a misnomer, as most vehicles still have enough space for the removed full-size wheel. I think it may have originally been proposed by a supercar manufacturer, to provide a spare, when otherwise there would be none. They never did address the problem of having the passenger carry the punctured wheel for the remainder of the journey.

Once the idea was out, legislation had to be changed to allow the fitment and use of an odd-sized wheel on the road. This is why they have a legal max speed of 80kph/50mph, although my experience of these is that 50mph is quite frightening when presented with a bend. Effects will differ dependent on which corner wears the spare.

In reality, car manufacturers are using these initially to save money, theirs, not yours, and later the weight saving was suggested to help save fuel. (My experience with a couple of Fiestas with/without spare brought slightly better fuel consumption with the spare in the boot.)

When a replacement tyre is needed for the silly spare, it is expensive, often a full-size wheel and tyre is cheaper. A small spare is acceptable for most users, although a bit of a pain on a long journey, but a full-size one is a must for the learner car.

Any spare is better than a pot of sealant.

Whilst watching YouTube this morning, there was an advert for a Ford (Kuga I think), happily presenting its special storage area under the boot floor, for muddy boots and such. So the spare wheel well is being repurposed and presented as a feature. The muddy wellies may not be of use when a puncture is suffered.
 
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"Space saver" was a phrase coined early on when these things were first presented. The name is a misnomer, as most vehicles still have enough space for the removed full-size wheel.

Whilst watching YouTube this morning, there was an advert for a Ford (Kuga I think), happily presenting its special storage area under the boot floor, for muddy boots and such. So the spare wheel well is being repurposed and presented as a feature. The muddy wellies may not be of use when a puncture is suffered.

Somebody asked about the 'hardboard' lid that stopped the boot carpet sinking around the spare wheel

My 1992 Tempra S.W.

Had a hard lid: cover.. and a vast storage tray

IIRC the skinny spare was in the rear wing
Palio could probably clarify

My 2012 punto had a plastic case in the 'wheel well' from new
I turfed it out and fitted a 175/65/15 steel wheel ;)
 
Ah - ok - thanks for that excellent link Eklipze3k - now it all makes good sense (y)

I have all the tools but they're in a bag in the boot - goodness knows what happened to the original round thing for the tools to sit in. :confused:

It's a good job I didnt get round to cutting the threads down on the screw-down clamp! :eek::D
 
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Ah - ok - thanks for that excellent link Eklipze3k - now it all makes good sense (y)

I have all the tools but they're in a bag in the boot - goodness knows what happened to the original round thing for the tools to sit in. :confused:

It's a good job I didnt get round to cutting the threads down on the screw-down clamp! :eek::D

Probably no tools ( or wheel..) when supplied new..

Most stop.start cars just came with a tin of goo and a naff compressor ;)
 
Probably no tools ( or wheel..) when supplied new..

Most stop.start cars just came with a tin of goo and a naff compressor ;)


My SAAB had a stupid space-saving wheel that I was dreading ever having to use, but luckily I found that a full-sized wheel could fit - so a money saving excercise rather than space saving; I duly acquired a proper spare wheel.

My neighbour's Peugeot Cabrio came with the next-to-useless 'tin of glue' - she threw that away and bought a s/h space-saver wheel and tools for next to nothing off eBay.

As for the round thing that the tools sat in, having re-read Eklipze3k's linked thread it now seems that the 4x4 doesn't have one, but rather a bag that the tools are in - which is exactly what I have, and they're still in their individual polythene sealed bags so have clearly never even been used.

That thread also talks about the jack for the 4x4 being larger than standard Panda jacks, so perhaps my original question about space-saving wheels not actually saving any space might have an unintentional ounce of truth in it! A little more investigation required on my part I think - I'll need to ensure that the jack will in fact lift the car high enough to remove a wheel and investigate turning the space-saver wheel over to utilise and create storage space.
 
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Ah - ok - thanks for that excellent link Eklipze3k - now it all makes good sense (y)

I have all the tools but they're in a bag in the boot - goodness knows what happened to the original round thing for the tools to sit in. :confused:

It's a good job I didnt get round to cutting the threads down on the screw-down clamp! :eek::D

You don’t get one with the 4x4. The standard Panda jack won’t lift a 4x4 high enough, so it has a 4x4 specific jack. This 4x4 jack is too big to fit in the plastic rubbish fitted to lesser Pandas, and so the tools are in a bag designed to Velcro under the front seat. (y)
 
As stated in an earlier post, I have indeed got the bag - I've just got to get round to checking the jack is the correct one, and that it will in fact lift the car high enough to get the wheel(s) off
 
Not with the 4x4. The 4x4 jack doesn’t fit in the plastic thing,

I still regard the mk1 pandas jack as a missed opportunity..



It stood upright.. so you could too

It clipped into a box section of the floor pan.. it even had a handle that was nice to use (y)

It took 25 years to replace it with an aerosol product that sticks to your clothes
:eek:
 
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I still regard the mk1 pandas jack as a missed opportunity..



It stood upright.. so you could too

It clipped into a box section of the floor pan.. it even had a handle that was nice to use (y)

It took 25 years to replace it with an aerosol product that sticks to your clothes
:eek:

Progress is not always positive :(
 
Thanks
Was this all 'at cost options'

Or does the 4x4 actually come with a 5th wheel and tyre as stock..?

Charlie

Not with the 4x4. The 4x4 jack doesn’t fit in the plastic thing,

I still regard the mk1 pandas jack as a missed opportunity..



It stood upright.. so you could too

It clipped into a box section of the floor pan.. it even had a handle that was nice to use (y)

It took 25 years to replace it with an aerosol product that sticks to your clothes
:eek:

It was £50 extra on my Mum's 4x4 (plus VAT of course...). As standard it came with an inflation pack (glorified can of gunk). Still one up on my Abarth Punto, as that didn't even have a spacesaver option (allegedly wouldn't fit, but when I binned 3 tonnes of plastic, I fitted a full size 18" alloy and tyre in there - very slight bump in the carpet & I had to let the tyre down a bit, but still....).

Yes the Panda uses the old 127 jack. Looks like it wouldn't work, but it's brilliant - as long as your jacking tube (sounds a bit Carry On!) hasn't rotted!
 
It's a pity cars aren't built with a Smiths Jackall type system anymore!


I think a similar system, but a pneumatic one, is used on race touring cars
 

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